August 28, 2017

For All You Foodies: Greece Edition

In case you’ve been wondering about what we’ve eaten so far on our journey, we are starting a series called “For All You Foodies” where we will highlight our favorite dishes from each area in which we’ve stayed. Grab some wine, pull up a chair, and try not to lick the screen!

(Or do. Sheesh, it’s your screen.)

Top five dishes:

1. Grilled Octopus from Asterias Restaurant, Akrotiri, Gr

It might have been the incredible views, it might have been the lovely company, but it was most likely the fresh seafood that really made this dish stand out. Knowing we wouldn’t make it back to our Airbnb by sunset, we opted for dinner near Red Beach in historic Akrotiri. Pictured below is Juliette’s grilled Octopus with lemon-butter sauce over roasted beet purée with [a] broccoli.

2. Grilled Lamb Chops from To Palio Tetpadio, Athens, Gr

In typical Greek fashion, we had to eat lamb a few times! After getting slightly lost in the narrow streets of the Plaka neighborhood in Athens, we literally stumbled upon this tiny open-air restaurant as the sunlight started to fade. Below is a simple, but well-executed grilled lamb chop with home fries. Juliette’s mussels were also fantastic and made for a great pairing with a cold glass of Ouzo!

3. Beachside Chicken Gyros from Andreakis Loridas, Perissa, Gr

We had now been in Greece for a week but still hadn’t eaten a gyro! We got our chance at another open-air restaurant overlooking the black beach. This restaurant was a little over the top when it came to Greek decorations, but it seemed authentic enough. Well the flavors certainly were! The gyros below hit the spot after a long day of walking and beaching. The restaurant even threw in a few free glasses of Ouzo as we were paying our check. What hospitality!

4. Roasted Pork Loin With Vinsanto Sauce from Zafora Restaurant, Fira, Gr

We were hooked due to the restaurant’s phenomenal view of the caldera but needed to stop for a bite to eat anyway (we had just finished boating, hiking, and swimming in the chilly Agean sea during our volcano tour). An earlier education on wines from Santorini had us looking for foods prepared with Vinsanto wine. This wine is basically pressed from raisins and carries a high sugar content with lots of caramel flavors. The pork in the photo was delicious on its own but the wine sauce really made it something special.

5. Greek Sampler Platter from the Yard Cafe, Athens, GR

Juliette and I are suckers for a good happy hour, at home or abroad! After trekking through what felt like all of Athens and then finishing the day in a museum, we couldn’t wait to sit down. A sign announcing cheap wine and a 14€ Greek platter for two made for an easy decision. We figured we could use this to sample many staples- mousakka, fried meat balls, spanakopita, olives, tatziki with pita, and fries. We expected everything to just be “ok” but were pleasantly surprised by how tasty and fresh it all was. What a good find!

Other notables:

Countless Freddo Cappucinos to-go, Everywhere, Greece

Most of you know how obsessed Juliette and I are with cold brew coffee. While it isn’t a big part of the culture here, we’ve found a very close substitute for when we need to get our coffee fix. This drink is just a freshly made iced cappuccino served with milk foam in a to-go container. These are cheap, high quality, can literally be found anywhere, and have saved us more than a few times when we were A.) hot, B.) cranky, C.) tired, D.) all of the above. Very tasty with a side of pastry!