On Athens

Kozi's Photo-Tease

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 11:34:00 +0000

I've written again and again about the phenomenally amazing food at Kozi's. This time I figured I would just tease you with what I had last time. The purpose of this tease is so that, in the rare case that you haven't visited yet, you get your lazy back side in gear an go! NOW!

Kozi's Salad

Are you having trouble looking away? Because I know I am...

Caesar Salad... with a twist...

The twist was the addition of bacon and croutons. Real home made croutons. With salads like this, who needs anything else?

Crispy Chicken with Chili Mayo

Crispy and tasty exterior, juicy chicken and the Chilli Mayo was perfect! Unfortunately it is hidden behind the fries. In retrospect I could have done a much better job of capturing the dish, but I was just to eager to dig in to think about taking a decent photo!

Double Super Kozi's Burger

Words are not enough to describe this awesome tower of yum!

Kokobongo

Basically a large vertical pork souvlaki. Only thing is, if souvlakia were anywhere close to as good at this baby, people of the world would not know what pasta, pizza and risotto were, and Greece wouldn't be on the verge of bankruptcy. Touché.

BBQ Wings

As with any other kind of wing, these wings are designed to get you from one place to another. Specifically these will take you straight to heaven.... because they are that good.

Rib Eye Steak

I honestly believe that only the likes of William Shakespeare would have any chance of capturing, and putting into words, the amazingness of this steak, and, as a matter of fact, all the food at Kozi's!

Mama Roux: Giving it another chance

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 13:47:00 +0000

Great morning: decided to go for a late coffee-brunch in the centre. Normally this would be a nightmare given Saturday is the day everyone who normally works during the week will go to look around the shops. Add to that the great day: blue sky, sun, light cool breeze; we were not the only people heading down there. However, thanks to my trusty two wheeler, we were parked and ready to sit in less than fifteen minutes!

Initially we were going to sit at Tailor Made, but it was packed and the outdoor seating was in direct sunlight. Instead of getting back on the bike to go somewhere totally different we figured we'd walk up Aiolou street and pick a place. No sooner were we walking than I had decided to sit down at Mama Roux.

I had been there before, not more than a week after it had first opened. The reason then, was that the Chef that was behind the amazing food at the gone-but-not-forgotten Hells Kitchen was also behind this place (though I'm not sure if he's still there). It is supposed to have southern American Cajun style food. Back then, I remember I wasn't convinced, and I thought the food was alright, but not 'wow' and not what I had expected. To be honest I'd probably set the bar too high.

This time round I was there for coffee, but decided to get a small nibble to share. We went for a BLT with the addition of avocado. It was good! Real good! I could taste everything in it. Nothing that shouldn't have been there was there, and nothing that should have been there wasn't. Everything was fresh, vibrant and in the right proportion. And the bread: toasted hearty country style slices of bread. Yum yum yum yum yum yum yum!!!

BLT with Avocado

The coffee was good too, and the barista had even made the effort to make a fancy shape on our Fredo Cappuccinos Effort points!

A generally very pleasant visit I'd say, and I'm left with two ToDo's from this visit:
a) Try their Sunday brunch
b) Sample their other food again

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And a few related links:

@Facebook

@Athensnews.gr

@Athensvoice.gr

@ Trip Advisor
@Athensmagazine.gr
@spottedbylocals.com
@SecretAthens
@FoodSpotting
@Foursquare

Chicky's: 100 Chicken Wings!

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:22:00 +0000

I haven't blogged for a while: partly because I've been swamped in work and partly because I haven't really found anything worth blogging about. Until now that is. The establishment in question is Chicky's, a burger delivery place competing with the likes of Simply Burgers, Burgering House etc. Only thing is, there is no competition. Chicky's wins hands down without even breaking a sweat! On size, on quality and on value!

First time I came across Chicky's was a while back on Onemans Blog, as a side note to another burger place I was looking into. I made a note of it; a ToDo if you like, and that was as far as it went. To be honest, its sixty's diner décor put me off a bit, and the photos of towering burgers seemed too good to be true. A month later I get an e-mail from a burger loving friend about this place, same blog, telling me we should try it.I thought to my self, 'same blog?... not too much media coverage out there... how good can it be?', and that's as far as that went. Until, that is, by some perverse twist of fate, that friend of mine and I happened to be hungry on the same day, at the same time, and craving the same kind of food! Ok, I was going for drama there, it's actually not uncommon for that to occur: we're always hungry, and any time is burger time, the twist however was that my friend called me to suggest trying the new burger item on the New York Sandwiches menu.

Long story short, on the way there I remembered that Chicky's was close by so suggested trying that. My friend went one step further by raising the question 'Why can't we do both?'. A valid point, and so we did. Problem was we got carried away at NYS and ordered two burgers and two sandwiches between us. By the time we were done, we were more stuffed than a turkey on Thanksgiving! But, that wasn't going to stop us! We promptly made our way to Chicky's, telling ourselves that the walk was going help us work up an appetite. (On a small side note, after the NYS meal, my opinion of the place hasn't changed a bit since I first went: nice but well overpriced!)

We soon arrived at Chicky's and started going through the menu. First impressions, not really the sort of place you'd go out to eat. Effort has clearly been made on the décor but it doesn't really have that warm inviting 'sit here' feel. The fact that there was nobody else eating in didn't really help that anyway. We went though the menu and decided on chicken (given the name of the place). I went for the Spicy Louisianna and I believe my friend went for the Chicky's Classic. We went to the counter, ordered and waited. Not long after, the food arrived.

The Décor

The Menu

Towering above the counter, monuments of glorious burgers

Oh my god! Now, baring in mind that I was stuffed, the burger went down like it was custom made to navigate effortlessly through my mouth and down my oesophagus! Not to say that it was small - because it wasn't - but eating it was easy sailing. After a few bites I was left wondering why this was. I had to put some conscious thought into it. Like riding a bike: it's easy to do so you don't really think about what you are doing, but try to become conscious of your unconscious and you realise that you're making tens or hundreds of tiny adjustments in order to keep the bike balanced.

I first slowed down my chewing. That's when I realised that every bite I could feel the crunch of the chicken crust. Then I looked into the burger. It was clear why it went down so easily: thick hearty slice of tomato, similarly the onion: as if to make a bold statement. The condiments were part of the burger, they were put there to make a difference, not just something to claim is in there and for which to charge more. The tomato added the juicy lubrication that made swallowing so easy. The same with the onion coupled with a pleasant 'crunch'. And then I looked at the chicken: juices oozing out of it, screaming, 'I've been cooked to perfection and not a second longer'.

My friend concurred and we made a point to say that we have to come again when we are actually hungry and try more stuff. To that end, we went back to the menu to ponder what we'll be trying next time we visit. Clearly we had to try the beef burgers, but two more things stood out. One was a couple of their burgers that used Texas toast. If not for novelty value alone that had to be tried (and when it was tried, novelty value wasn't the only thing we got!). The other interesting thing was the chicken wings. The interest was twofold. On the one hand the they offer a choice from ten different sauces to go with the wings. More interesting however was their choice of how many you could get. Six, twelve, twenty, thirty, fifty or one hundred! One hundred wings! I was drooling just thinking about a mountain of chicken wings in front of me. Of course they would have to be served in one container (which has not been confirmed yet), but just imagine!

This was all about a month ago and since then I've been again and again and verified the delicious goodness of the beef burgers too. In particular I tried the western burger (onion straws: amazing!), and the mushroom burger (I could sooo taste the mushrooms: they were as if I'd made sautéed them myself - the real thing - none of that canned crap I've had one too many times before). So why has it taken me one month to spill the beans on this place? Because just last night I went there again, but this time I had my camera with me!

Texas Burger

Texas Chicken

Chicken Burger

Popcorn Chicken

Twenty wings with Hot Sauce

And where, you say, can I find these babies? Well, if you live in the centre of Athens and are lucky enough to be close by (unfortunately I'm not) you can get them delivered from the Ilissia store (210 7772463), but if you're keen on going there as I did so that you can have everything straight off the grill, here's the map.

View Chicky's in a larger map

There's also a Pireus store that only does take out and delivery in case you live round there (210 4125119).

Bierkeller: An Enjoyable Visit

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:03:00 +0000

It was around the beginning of November when I was meeting up with various friends to tell them about my adventures in Spain and beyond. As one does when telling 'those' kinds of stories, when arranging to meet one of these friends, I told my friend we needed beer and a quiet warm environment. My friend suggested going to 'Bierkeller' which he had not tried since it had turned from being called 'Mozart'.

The place was pretty empty when we went in (not a surprise on a weekday evening) and just as we were about to get a table, I remembered the good times in Madrid and thought to myself, 'nothing bad ever came from sitting at the bar', so I suggested it, and that's where we sat.

We started off with a snack, just to go with the beer (I was dreaming of a light dinner). I was immediately drawn to the 'ΣΑΛΤΣΙΤΣΕ' (a play on the Greek word for 'sauce' made to sound German) because of its promise of chilli heat. My friend was otherwise inclined but after having a conversation with a guy dressed in chef whites (we got the feeling he was the owner), who warned us about the heat, we decided to go for it.

ΣΑΛΤΣΙΤΣΕ: Pork Sausage with a Thyme, Honey, Chilli, Garlic and Red Wine Sauce

Home Made Bread

Though tasty, I can't really say that it was special and there definitely wasn't, in any way, shape or form, any chilli heat. A bit of a disappointment really, but not that I was really expecting much at the time.

My friend however did have an expectation: to fill the empty hole in his stomach! I couldn't keep him under control and no sooner had we finished this snack than he was ordering a Currywurst and a Pretzel!

Currywurst: Berlin Sausage with Curry sauce

Pretzel

The currywurst was better, but by the time we had finished it we were more taken by the barmaid with whom we had become friendly, and had been exchanging stories and general chit-chat. When I pointed out that she had no alcohol in the coke she was sipping on and that that prevented us from cheers-ing her, she was swift to pour herself a half pint.

We were having good fun, the beer had been flowing and the story telling had got me nostalgic. I had forgotten any notions of a light dinner and was craving the 'Hunters Schnitzel". It didn't take much persuading my friend and off was the barmaid to the till to place the order!

Hunters Schnitzel: Schnitzel with a Mushrooms, Onions, Cream and White Wine Sauce.

The guy in chef whites and waiter took it in turns to come talk to us, ask us about the food and tell us the story of what they've tried to 'create' in this place. We told them we were happy and my friend made a point that the Schnitzel was much better than when he had tried it while the place was still 'Mozart'. Meanwhile I wondered if me snapping away with my camera here and there had anything to do with the attention we were getting or if all customers were getting this kind of treatment. Either way I wasn't complaining, enjoying it more like it!

By now we were having too much fun ordering one thing at a time. For novelty value if nothing else we asked what was recommend. They said generally the 'Pork of the Cellar' or 'Frankische Schaufele' for those who 'know' (according to their website), was highly recommend but given we'd already eaten, and that it was for two to three people, it would be a waste because we wouldn't be able to finish it. I was tempted to try as was my friend, but we decided to keep things civil.

The next recommendation was a selection of sausages which we went for. (And for whoever is thinking we over did it on the food front: two starters and two mains: not that much food! It's the beer we had that you should be wondering about).

Three Sausage Selection

The sausages were as one would expect. We happily went though them continuously chatting with the barmaid, generally having a nice time. And then it was time for desert. On the house!

Palatschinken: Classic Austrian Crepes with Jam, Chocolate, Nuts and Icing Sugar

Simple, almost childish (the jam dominated in terms of taste), but decadent and delicious!

Front of the bar

Entrance

Overall, the food was good. Nothing wrong, but nothing that brought tears to my eyes. I wouldn't go out of my way just for that. The people on the other hand were amazing, and for that alone I would highly recommend a visit! At the end of the day, we really enjoyed our visit and hope to visit again soon in order to try the Pork dish!

http://www.bierkeller.gr/
http://www.athinorama.gr/restaurants/data/places/?id=10000092
http://athensmagazine.gr/portal/restaurants/businesses/3745
http://athensmagazine.gr/portal/reviews/10320
http://www.facebook.com/pages/BierKeller/247504368618590
http://www.beer.gr/beerhouse/579-bierkeller

The Time of my Life

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:12:00 +0000

You know what they say: that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I have a story that I am gagging to get out. I am bursting with fondness and want to shout it out to the world. I want to tell everyone to stop! To take a break. To look around them and to see the best in everything that surrounds them. My problem is I don't feel I can tell a story well enough to do the actual events justice.

"Good so what will it take to get to Greece..."

"Just say the word. Short flight. et voila!"

"Word"

The conversation between two people, each with a friend to go with them, who were complete strangers less than a week ago. The conversation between two people who had met in a bar and had a drunken night of fun. No! Not that kind of fun! The sort of fun you have with your friends, dancing your troubles away untill the early hours of the morning (OK, and maybe just a tiny bit of the other kind of fun ;) ).

"omg they dont stop... its almost 6 in the morning and the disco is still going on... The clubs in the usa have nothing on the clubs here"

Ofcource, 'here' was not Athens. 'Here' was Madrid, and the next day, the girls in the story were destined to fly to Paris. And yet so early in their acquaintance, a proposal was made. 'You should come to Paris with us'. The two boys will forever kick themselves in the behind for not getting on a plane the next day and going.

And yet, a few days later, it was the girls who were getting on a plane and heading to Greece. And as shocked as they were at themselves for going, the boys were at them for coming. Neither party knew what to expect but both buzzed with excitement and anticipation!

As it turned out, one of the boys fell ill, and it was up to the other: the quiet and mildly shy one, to show the ladies the best that his land had to offer. As it turned out, that boy was me, and the only way I can describe the next two days is the best experience I have had and every wish to have in my life! And I get asked by my friends (boys being boys), did you get it on with any of them? My answer I believe is as revealing as it is unrevealing: "If I had the choice of not doing everything we did but having a group orgy instead, or doing what we did, I'd go for what we did; every time; hands down!". That is how much a cherish the fun we had.

So there I am, waiting at arrivals gate B, a nervous wreck, thinking how my friend could have left me to deal with two sensationally gorgeous women on my own, when I see them walk through the sliding doors, and everything goes away. And I walk straight up to them, two girl, four cheeks, four kisses, "because this is how we say hello in Greece", and off to the car we go.

"Wow, a mountain. Back home we only have speed bumps." This was the first taste I got of what was to come. The joy that I was to take from showing and exciting people with the simplest of things.

We made our way to the hotel, chatting continuously allong the way, like we had known each other for ever. A quick check-in later and short wait in the lobby and we were off again to the coast. To Mikrolimano and a place called Amos, for a seafood dinner and a walk by the coast.

View from the Table

"In Athens and it is amazing so far... Octopus mussels and a whole fish were part of my dinner tonight, along with mastiha and fresh donuts and ouzo? Totally out of my element and I love it!"

There is not the tiniest of exaggeration in my words when I say that tears come to my eyes thinking that something that is so simple for me; something that I take for granted, can spark so much enthusiasm, so much joy in another.

After our walk we decided to head back to the hotel considering we had to get an early start the next day in order to see everything. But not before a quick drive by tour of the centre. "Look, ancient stuff", I cried as we went by the Temple of Olympian Zeus. They were impressed at a couple of columns, so I can't imagine what went though their mind when they got their first glimpse of the Acropolis, all lit up, as we whizzed by Monastiraki Square.

Next day I picked the girls round ten, which was quite an achievement considering we didn't get to sleep till around two. And because breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and coffee makes the world go round, I stopped by a Grigoris to get cheese pies, spinach pies and Freddo Cappuccinos!

We made our way to an underground station where the girls witnessed first hand the nightmare of finding a place to park and gave major respect for my parallel parking technique!

I was so busy chatting and not paying attention that when we switched lines at Sytagma we got the train in the wrong direction and had to turn back at the Panepistimio stop. But that was fine: I just pointed at all the 'Ancient stuff' that was on show at the station. Stuff that was unburied while the station was being built.

Eventually we got to the entrance of the Acropolis and made our way up. Words cannot describe the ascent and descent. We visited the acropolis museum next, had yoghurt with various toppings as a snack as we made out way through Zapio to the Panathinaiko Stadium. We went by the temple of Olympian Zeus, but didn't make it in time to enter.

Odeon of Herodes Atticus

The Erechtheion

View From the Acropolis

The Parthenon

And again, The Parthenon

The Acropolis Museum

Panathinaiko Stadium

Passage Under the Panathinaiko Stadium

Temple of Olympian Zeus

'How often do you hear a girl cry out with joy', said one of the girls as we entered the top level of the Acropolis Museum. I looked at her with the corner of my eye and raised my eyebrow. "I walked right into that didn't I", she continued. We laughed.

Eventually we made our way to Syntagma square, stopping by the Hard Rock Cafe to take picture (that was a special request). We took more pictures of parliament and of the girls with the Tsoliades. Next up Karaköy Güllüoglu for the best Baklava I know of. I was amazed how the overwhelming sweet syrupy taste didn't slow down one of the girls who had four or five pieces just like that!

Assorted Balkaba from Karaköy Güllüoglu

No time to ponder the differences between Greek and Turkish Baklava, and we're off to the Tourist shops on Andrianou street. All the way down to Monastiraki we walked, and straight to Bairaktaris for a soublaki. Then it was through the flea market, then the pedestrian road past Keramikos and to Gazi, where we took the Metro back to the car and back to the Hotel to freshen up for dinner.

We had seafood on the first night, so my plan was to go for meat on the second. And what more fitting a place than Ladokola. A place where instead of plates you get greaseproof paper, and the meat is tipped over in front of you in a huge pile. We had a salad and some mixed greens and a mixed grill for three. We also got some Mousaka and was hoping for stuffed tomatoes and green peppers but they were out. And of course lots of wine.

Pile of meat, fries and pita at Ladokola

The girls were surprised at how the wine was flowing. They said back home, they'd have a glass and sip at it throughout the night. "Seriously", I told them, "Can you image the ancient Greeks, sitting round a feast slowly sipping at a glass of wine?". Then there was the thing of looking at each other in the eyes before drinking up. Nobody wants a year of bad sex! "You look at me before you swallow that!" snapped one of the girls at the other with a passion unseen before. Clearly she took her sex life very very seriously. We all burst out laughing at the myriad of interpretations her statement could take.

As the meal came to an end, the question of 'what next' came up. The idea of Bouzoukia came up, but in the sense that is portrayed in the movies: plate breaking. Unfortunately, not only was I not aware of where we could find this (apparently I've just read that it's been banned by law since the 1970s!) but the next day, the girls had a 9am flight so we could't really stay up that late. We settled for a few drinks at Baba au Rum and when made out way back.

The next day it was a miracle that we all managed to wake up and arrive at the airport on time. The girls checked in and we had just enough time to sit down and do the last thing on my to-do list. Have a Frappe. Eventually I took the girls the entrance of the gates area where I could go no further. We hugged, "because that's how we do it in the US", and said goodbye.

And that is the end of my story, and I know I haven't been able to portray a tenth of the fun we had, but I hope that I have given you a tiny insight into it. And you may ask, now that they are gone, half way around the world, how do I feel? I feel grateful. Grateful to have been given an opportunity to share what I am lucky to have with others. To give them joy and happiness. To share with them an experience that we will always remember. I feel grateful to have had this rare opportunity to make friends that I hope to keep for life.

33: The Menu Says it All

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 07:12:00 +0000

Last weekend I went out with a friend for, what we planned as, a quiet drink. After allot more thought that we should have actually given the issue, I told my friend "you decide", after ofcourse sucking up a bit "you know all the beast places anyway!"

He came back with "lets go to 33, seems fair as it's in-between the two of us." For those of you who don't know it aleady, 33 is named after the fact that it's housed in an area 33 meters squared. Some might be able to imagine a bar fitting in that space, but the supising thing is that they do food too! Unfortunately we weren't there for the food which meant I was drooling as fresh salads and piping hot pizzas went by me onto the table next to us. And for a place this size, that was too close to me for comfort. I wondered if I could grab a piece of pizza without anyone noticing. Luckily we hadn't had any drinks yet or I might have lacked the self awarness, so easily stripped away by alchohol, to try!

I hadn't been to 33 before but I sure had heard some positive reviews on it, including my friend claim that it hosted the best cocktails he'd tried (this it turned out, was a claim made after trying a grand total of one cocktail!) We sat at the bar, metaphorically speaking, because there wasn't actually a stool to sit on as the place was full from the ten people that were already there.

I was surprised that the cocktail menu was only a laminated list of no more than ten cocktails. My friend told be that they'll do anything even if it's not on the menu. I went for the Margarita. It's my benchmark drink which I always go for when trying new places.

I watched the guy making it and immediately realised I wasn't going to be happy. It turned out that, in the absence of other instructions the default Margarita was a frozen Margarita. Sigh. I understand that many like this Margarita slush, but for me, the perfect Margarita is shaken with ice and served without it in a chilled glass. And even that aside, I wasn't too fond of it. I got a stronger alcohol kick that a savoury sour one from the lime and salt. Oh well, onto round two.

From my experience of the pretty good array of cocktail bars now available in the centre of Athens, I knew that one way to get the perfect cocktail was to have a chat with the barman. I can recall numerous conversations with various barmen at Baba-au-Rum regarding my taste - always directed by them: bitter, sweat, savoury, sour, spicy, aromatic, strong, mellow... the list goes on. And at the end of it: "And if you don't like it I'll make you something else!"

So we asked the barman what he recommended. He answer was short but very revealing - though I'm not sure he'd be happy with what I took from it. "It depends on what you like. You should take a look at the menu." That would be the menu with the ten cocktails on it, and nothing remotely exciting on it at that. We went for the Long Island Ice Tea: better to be drunk than disappointed.

By the time we were done with that, the ten people have gone down to five, and we decided to move on to another place. That place was The Speakeasy Bar No.31 in Halandri, and that story is another, very different story!

Further Reading:
http://www.queen.gr/Pop-Culture/Events-Exodos/item/830-Multi-snack-bar-sta-Brilhssia
http://www.athinorama.gr/clubbing/data/places/?id=10000513
http://el-gr.facebook.com/pages/33-τετραγωνικα-μετρα/15855935752095
http://www.madamefigaro.gr/content/fun-se-33-tm
http://www.in2life.gr/delight/goingout/articles/207141/article.aspx
http://www.dailysecret.com/secrets/mystikos-ari8mos-33/

Hard Rock Cafe Athens: Consistent Through Time and Space!

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 15:36:00 +0000

In my last post, I described how an unexpected phone call led me and a couple of my friends on a mini bar crawl in the centre of Athens. What I left out from my story was a little part in the beggining where I layed down some ground rules to our outing, and a little part towards the end, where those ground rules went gloriously down the drain!

The rules where simple:

1) We would't be eating

2) We would not be eating

3) We would NOT be eating

I'd already had five stuffed tomatoes and three stuffed green peppers, and let's face it, the summer is here and I do plan on making my share of visits to the various beaches in Greece without being harassed by members of the WWF wearing 'Save the Whales' t-shirts!

Now knowing my friend, and knowing we always end up eating out (the number of places I've gone to with this guy on the way to or from the gym you wouldn't believe!), I told him, "We can go on a wild bender, we can end up on a plane bound to Mexico, Moscow or Shanghai, I don't care, as long as we don't end up stuffing our faces again!". "Ofcourse", he said, "I just called you so we could have a quiet civilised drink."...

Legendary 10oz Burger

Yea... this would be the 'gloriously down the drain' part. You see, I hadn't counted for my friend's bro being with us. This guy is unstoppable! I managed to swerve his attempts to get us to "Indian Kitchen", a very interesting looking new Indian restaurant just off Syntagma square which has yet to be tried. Dodging souvlakia was easy, but when he said he'd been to the Hard Rock Cafe the other day and he thought the burger was actually pretty good; well, that was check mate!

So there we were, at the Hard Rock Cafe, Legendary Burger each and Caesar salad and Chicken Tenders to share. Was the burger all that good? Lets just say I bit the bait and found myself dangling at the end of a fishing line! It was ok.

Caesar Salad

You wouldn't expect that three guys could have a fifteen minute conversation about a salad. But of course my friends and I aren't just any three guys! Should a salad be tossed with its dressing or not? What sparked the conversation off was that the Caesar Salad didn't taste overdressed, but it just felt heavy, and the salad leaves were just stuck to each other like... well... nothing particularly appealing! We concluded that when dealing with light dressings such as vinaigrettes, then these should be tossed with the salad. However, when dealing with heavy creamy dressings, then the salad should be tossed with no more than half the dressing and the rest should be on top of the salad.

Tupelo Chicken Tenders

Tender, juicy, spicy. Not bad at all!

The first HRC I went to was in Manchester while I was a student. That was more than ten years ago. Since then I've been to the HRC in Barcelona, Berlin, and Athens, and it is and has been a consistent experience through time and location.

Contrast this with TGI Fridays. I can still remember when the first one opened in Kefalari over ten years ago. Then, it was like nothing else. I can remember going there with friends, girlfriends and family. Now? "It's not you, it's me. I've changed. I want something different. I still want to be friends". If only this was the case. But it's not. First I got served the Jack Daniels Chicken Strips in an elongated rectangular place - as if I was having Gyoza in a posh Japanese Restaurant. An attempt to excuse the steep prices, to hide the low quality, or to blend in with the other restaurants in the area? Then I got served a Burger in a small plate: it made sense given there were hardly any chips to go with it. I wonder why they even bother asking how I want my meat cooked if it's going to be cooked to a crisp every time. And then being charged double for a margarita because we didn't want ice in it. Hello! Smaller glass!

So if you're in the centre and fancy that kind of food, make your way to the HRC and don't look back!

View Hard Rock Cafe Athens in a larger map

42 and The Gin Joint: Have-a-laugh Cocktails and Serious Cocktails all within walking distance!

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 19:55:00 +0000

A few days ago I got a phone call from a friend claiming that 'gone are the days of Baba au Rum'. A bold statement indeed (you want to go about half way into this post to see what I'm talking about), but I wasn't shocked. I had already read about a place called 42 on Miss Ls' blog, who in turn saw it on Athens Daily Secret. I calmly answered back, with a smug note and the air of someone who is ahead of the times (or a smart arse), "Oh you must mean that place '42' where that barman who worked at both Baba au Rum and Guru used to work". Obviously I was forwarding what I had read on Miss Ls blog. I wasn't prepared for the answer. "No, I was talking about The Gin Joint". We both paused, knowing that it wasn't going to be an early night.

First we arrived at 42:

The Entrance

An entrance? More like a gateway: to another galaxy! As in 'the answer lies within'. If you can't tell where I'm going with this it's because you haven't heard about the epic comedy by Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I quote from Wikipedia:

In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (published in 1979), the characters visit the legendary planet Magrathea, home to the now-collapsed planet-building industry, and meet Slartibartfast, a planetary coastline designer who was responsible for the fjords of Norway. Through archival recordings, he relates the story of a race of hyper-intelligent pan-dimensional beings who built a computer named Deep Thought to calculate the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. When the answer was revealed to be 42, Deep Thought had predicted that another computer, more powerful than itself would be made and designed by it to calculate the question for the answer.

Inside: wooden flour boards, low lighting, very welcoming. Like an English pub, but with the practically totally open façade, its different. In a nice way of course!

We sat outside, at the far end, almost under the building that was towering above us. Big mistake! The pigeons sitting on the windowsills many flours above us had no notion of 'appropriate public behaviour'. After two near misses, we promptly moved.

We started looking through the menu which was shaped like a fan, made of plastic and sturdy as such. I'd go as far as to say it was a fan, or designed to be used as one. Perfect for the hot summer nights in the city centre!

A little message on the fan read (more or less), 'If you can't find something you like, come to the bar, introduce yourself to the barman and talk to him about yourself. Tell him your sign, if you prefer the sea or the mountain, what you usually like to drink etc. etc. Armed with his 'hereditary gift', he'll make you exactly what you wanted and didn't know about. If he makes something you don't like, we promise to punish him severely and make you another drink'.

Message on the Menu

After taking our time with the menu, we went for the 'Trouble', the 'Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster' and the third one I can't remember for sure, but I believe it was the 'Sherry Cobler'.

An inexcusably amount of time later (given the place was empty when we went), we got our drinks.

Sherry Cobler

Tarragon, orange, sherry and bitters. I heard no complains from the friend that got this one, and he was also impressed by the carvings on the glass (you can faintly see them if you look closely at the full size picture).

Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster

Strawberries, basil, raspberries, vodka and pepper. My friend that was having this complained that the basil and pepper didn't really come through, and that the drink was weird just for the sake of it. I think the waiting had got to him!

Trouble

Watermelon, ginger, chilli and a double of tequila. I had this one so I can tell you what I thought of it. It was nice. Not the 'last drink before I die' nice that I get with the 'Sonic Boom' at Baba au Rum, but I didn't have any complains.

Nuts

Now these babies were sweet! The green ones had a wasabi-ish heat to them. I could have had a bowl of them all to myself!

No time to chat, next stop, the Gin Joint which was practically just around the corner!

The last place was named after a comedy, this one after a classic romantic drama. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum! And if you don't know which one I'm talking about, that would be Casablanca, and Humphrey Bogart famous line "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine".

The Menu

I really enjoyed the menu at the Gin Joint. It starts with a story about how prohibition of alcohol in the United States in the 1920s resulted in a large array of illegal underground bars and numerous cocktails to go with them. Most, if not all, of the cocktails on the menu were accompanied with the story of their origin. It almost makes one nostalgic of a time they never even got to know!

We sat outside (though the slant of the pavement didn't make things easy!). To be honest now I can't remember what my friends ordered, but I did get pictures anyway. I ordered a Tommy's Margarita.

You can tell how much the table was slanting by level of the drink in the glass!

Tommy's Margarita.

I was surprised my Tommy's Margarita wasn't served in a tall glass and that it was served with ice. None the less, I tried it and found it had exactly the same taste as the one I had a few days ago at Baba au Rum. It was a slightly bitter taste that confused me because of the Agave Syrup which should be present in a Tommy's Margarita. My friend explained that, though many argue against it, a 'Reposado' tequila is used to make a 'better quality' drink. This sort of tequila has been aged a minimum of two months, but less than a year in oak barrels. That taste I was getting was from the oak barrel. Soon as he'd told me, I connected the dots and verified that the taste I was getting was an oaky one.

We drank our drinks and agreed that this was a serious place and had it not been a weak day and had the hunger not kicked in, we would have happily tried more of the drinks on the menu!

Read more about The Gin Joint on Athimorama

I think the bottom line on trying these two places is that, the opening of Baba au Rum in the area has sparked the opening of more serious cocktail bars all of which are at least on the same league - it was about time!

View Serious Cocktail Bars in a larger map

Kozi's: Definitely the best meat in town!

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 17:05:00 +0000

The first time I wrote about Kozi's I said it had the best meat in town. I've been there many, many, many, many times since. Last time was only a few hours ago and I can now confidently say it has, consistently, the best meat in town.

Seriously, I'm generally a fast eater and tend to gulp my food down, but every single time I'm at Kozi's, and have before me that phenomenally juicy and tender rib-eye steak, cooked perfectly medium-rare as requested, I can't help but take my time carefully cutting every bite, swooshing it around the juices in the plate, delicately placing it on my tongue, and then slowly biting into it so that each and every one of my taste buds can savour the taste of the steak as it literally melts like butter in my mouth.

The Rib-eye

It recently occurred to me that whatever else I eat, wherever else I eat it, I think to myself, "it was nice, but it could have been a rib-eye at Kozi's instead"...

And steak loves a salad, so this time round we had a Kozi's salad, which has Mozzarella, prosciutto, lettuce, rocket, cherry tomatoes with Kozi's sauce. Usually however, I have the ceaser salad which has big lovely grilled pieces of chicken in it, just right to get the appetite going!

Kozi's Salad

The starters are also to die for! I've had the stuffed portobello, the BBQ chicken wings, and the honey delight (grilled haloumi wrapped in prosciutto and served with honey and lemon) and they are all really really good. The burger is definitely one of the best going around, and of course all the grilled meats are all right up there with the rest! And last but not least, the deserts, which I believe are all home made. I usually go for the cheesecake, but the Oreo version is very very naughty indeed!

Honey Delight

BBQ Wings

This isn't on the menu (yet?). I believe they called it the Super Kozi's Burger!

Mala Mala Burger

Panna cotta

Cheesecake, Oreo Cheesecake and Chocolate moose

Basically almost everything on menu is very good, but they are shadowed by those which are exceptionally good, which in turn bow down to the phenomenally amazing rib-eye!

And then there's the environment; genuinely cozy! The staff always pleasant, and then Kozi himself! Always there, you get the sense that he absolutely loves what he is doing and the place he's set up and wants everything to be perfect! I've actually been sat outside in the street, waiting, not for a table, but for my company to arrive and he has come out, said hello, and offered me water or something while I wait! Now I think that goes further than customer service, I think that comes straight from the heart!

So honestly, do yourselves a favour, make the effort to get to Melissia, somehow, and have a meal at Kozi's. You won't regret it.

View Kozis in a larger map

And if you're still not convinced, see what others have to say:

Athinorama: Burger με λίγη Νότια Αφρική
Nitro
Pandespani: Kozi’s: νόστιμα μπέργκερ με νεανικό πάθος
Daily Athens Secrets
Athens News: Spicing up the family
To BHMA: Kozi's: συναντήσεις meat to meat.
Foursquare
Facebook
KozisTweets

Vamos Amigos: Authentic Mexican the American Way!

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 08:46:00 +0000

About a week or so ago, I had arranged to treck all the way down to Glifada after work to meat up with a couple of friend. A year ago I wouldn't have done this, not on a weekday and not after work. Rush-hour traffic going down to Glifada is an absolute nightmare! However, ever since I've gotten my motorbike, getting around has become so much easier so I said what the hell, I'll do it!

The thing is, I'd read about a burger joint, The Burger Joint, that is competing for the best burger title! I figured this was a good opportunity to try it out. Unfortunately, one of the friends I was visiting, who lives in the neighbourhood, had been there the day before, so we were looking for something else.

We started by checking athinorama, then used foursquare and eventually just ended up walking the streets. We were hoping for something non-european (so unfortunately Bayern Bierhaus was out the question - damn!). Eventually we decided to try for a taste of Mexico and entered 'Vamos Amigos'. Their website reads "we are committed to serving our guests authentic Mexican dishes". It should have read "we are committed to serving out guests what they know as authentic Mexican dishes". I've sort of jumped the gun in saying this however so I'm going to rewind now and tell you how our visit panned out.

The first thing I noticed on entering the place was how large and empty it was. It probably was just the time and day, but I still wondered how often it fills up. We sat right in the back, next to the glass that separated the inner seating from the outside ones. I did wish it had been open so we could have gone outside because it did look nice. They had a water feature going outside, each table had a little cactus on it and generally care had been taken into giving the place a Mexican feel - maybe too much care (we did manage to extract from the waiter that the sombrero sealed baskets the tortillas were served in had been purchased from some food and hospitality exhibition in Germany).

A Cactus per Table

Water Feature

Going through the menu I noticed it was more or less split into the the Mexican half: Nachos, Nachos, Nachos, Quesadillas, Chilli con Carne, Guacamole etc. for starters and Fajitas, Tacos, Burritos, Enchilada, Chimichanga etc. for mains, and the western half: BBQ chicken wings and a whole load of fried stuff for starters, and Grilled stuff, chicken with various sauces, burgers and pasta for mains. Sounds like a Fridays/Applebees/Ruby Tuesday menu you say... no no no, it must be your imagination. I immediately dismissed the western half, and we eventually decided to go for Chilli con Carne, Guacamole, Nachos and a basic mixed salad to start with, and then the Chimichanga and the Fajita with veal as our mains. To finish we said 'sod it' and went for the deep fried ice cream (for novelty value - though I have to admit I have had deep fried ice cream before).

Nachos with Dipping Sauce

When the waiter first arrived, somehow the conversation turned to how spicy the food was, and how we were puzzled because I like my food really spicy but my friends didn't. He said, "I could bring you some spicy dipping sauce on the side". I said, "Yea!". He asked "How spicy I would like it?". I said, "Give me all you've got". He said, "What if I bring medium spicy, and if its not spicy enough I'll bring very spicy". I said "No, you're more likely to get it right if you bring very spicy and if its too spicy you can bring medium spicy". he said, "OK". He brought the sauce, I tried it. It rated 'barely hot' on my hot scale. Oh if only I had a penny every time this happened I'd be a rich man! By the end of the meal, when he came around to ask if everything was all right, I couldn't help but mention that my hot sauce rated 'barely hot'. He sighed with disappointment and said, "Well next time you should let us know and we'll bring you the not stuff".

The Ensalada Mixta

Basically, lettuce leaves cut it to strips in a crunchy tortilla nest with chopped tomato, lots of carrots, cheese and sour cream on top. Theoretically there were was also sweat corn, kidney beans and it was dressed with a vinaigrette. I can't remember seeing of tasting the last three. Either way, the salad wasn't bad, but it left me largely indifferent.

The Guacamole

Is this the colour of guacamole? How come I remember a more vibrant green? Taste-wise it tasted oily, either from the avocado or from added olive oil, either way I think it needed some acidity to cut though this, which would also explain the colour as the avocado would darken without some lemon or lime.

The Chilli con Carne

Not much to say, it tasted great, but there's a fine line between Chilli con Carne and Bolognese sauce, and this was too close to that line! Barely spicy -both in terms of heat and spices used. Hardly any beans in it (if any at all) (though my understanding is that there's an ongoing 'war' about if Chilli con Carne should have beans in it).

The Chimichanga

Chicken and cheese wrapped and cooked in a tortilla. How wrong can you go with that. It was always going to taste good, but if you're not eating it at home, you expect it to taste great.

The Fajitas

What you see it what you get. The meat was tender, you wrapped it in one of four tortillas, added some condiments and ate it. I did think that for the amount of meat, they could have had a few more tortillas.

Deep Fried Ice Cream

This was actually the most exciting thing we had. The crust we were told was made with some sort of cereals. It tasted like biscuit. Very nice. And the ice cream inside: no picture means it wasn't there long enough to take one ;)

After the meal was over, my hunger subsided, and my brain functional, I started to think about the meal I'd had. The first question I ask myself, every single time I visit a new place, is will I be coming again. Quick question, gut feeling answer, and the answer was no! And I couldn't understand why. There was nothing wrong with the meal, it was sort of what I expected, and yet there was nothing special about it. Nothing to scream "wow!".

The same night I'm still thinking what went wrong. Maybe I just don't like Mexican food. But how can it be? Given me lime, coriander, cumin, tequila, peppers, sweetcorn, beans and chilli! I love so many of these flavours that I associate with Mexican food. And then it hit me. They were all absent. The Chilli con Carne and Fajitas meat was garnished with the greens from fresh onions (instead of possibly coriander), there was no lime zing in either Fajitas or the Guacamole, the salad was hardly dressed, the use of sweetcorn and beans was negligible, and there was no chilli - either that or it was as weak as Weak Mac. Weak! All the food tasted nice without tasting of anything!

I wasn't done though. I'd already read in Heston Blumenthal's Total Perfection that Chilli con Carne is far from authentic Mexican cuisine, so I decided to look around the internet for what is. I was as much shocked as appalled with myself for what I found: bottom line being that what I largely understood and associated with Mexican food is actually American influenced Mexican food, or Tex-Mex. I'll spare you the details, less to link a few pages that I found particularly interesting: this one which basically talks about how Tex-Mex evolved and this one which is basically all about the real deal Mexican food.

Going back now to Vamos Amigos, call it Mexican or call it Tex-Mex, for me, it is a poor and sloppy attempt at both. Attention has been put into the detail of how the place looks and how it presents itself, but the lack of that attention in to food show in dishes that are just OK: not notably better that anything you can get at the likes of Fridays, Applebees etc. But don't take my word for it, here's a map, see what you think.

View Vamos Amigos in a larger map

To Gym or not to Gym

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Sun, 29 May 2011 18:56:00 +0000

Last Friday, on finishing with another day in the office, I found myself contemplating whether I should go to the gym or to have a bite to eat together with a fellow co-worker. The weather was pretty dismal. It had already rained and it looked like it may be raining again. Given that we were going to get to either place by bike, we were concerned about being rained upon, so the option of going home was also on the table.

I insisted that we were 'good' and went for the gym. If we were rained upon it would have been for a good cause. For an unknowing observer, this would have seemed to be the angel on my shoulder pulling the strings and doing the talking. Zoom in however and change point of view by only a few degrees and one would see the masking tape covering the angels mouth, a pair of horns only just visible being it: angel pulling my strings and devil pulling angels! The purpose of course was just to get the option of going home scrapped!

Luckily it worked, and once we were on the bike I casually suggested just passing by 'Chez Lucien', a lovely little French restaurant that I have heard so many good things about and still haven't had the opportunity to go! We went by, but this time round my luck betrayed me: to my disappointment it was closed. On the flip side however, the amazing smells coming out of the kitchen (fully visible from the street) from the preparations that were under way flipped some sort of hunger switch and my friend insisted that we ditch the gym and go to Colibri. I wasn't going to argue.

I've visited Colibri again and again, but the important thing about this visit to Colibri was that I got a picture of the Rucola Pizza.

Pizza Rucola

For me, what makes the pizza at Colibri one of the best I've tried is the base. The thing about pizza is that the base has to be cooked well, with a strong crust that can keep a slice from flopping when lifted. On the other hand, the cheese must be just melted with maybe a little bit of colour, definitely not incinerated as is more often than not the case. The way to achieve this is to put the pizza on a very very hot surface in a very hot oven. I'm told, stone ovens in Italy burn at over five hundred degrees Celsius, and a pizza will stay in they for no more than a minute or two before it is ready!

Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is: Home Made Burgers

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Fri, 20 May 2011 08:19:00 +0000

In the last post I talked about Varvakios Agora, and how I bought some meats, cut them into steaks, and planned to make mince out of the trimmings. I thought I'd put a quick post up to show what came out of that mince: unsurprisingly, bad ass burgers!

Basically, I bought myself a hand meat mincer to mince the meat. I chopped up the trimmings, added a generous amount of salt and minced it once at a course setting to keep the meat textured. I formed three patties around 200g each, avoiding compacting the meat as much as possible. When it was time to cook, I seared a patty on a griddle pan on both sides for about two minutes then I finished it off in the oven. Overall I made two burgers (over two days), the first I cooked medium, and the second I cooked well. I was actually surprised at the well done one! It turned out juicier and tastier than the medium one. My theory was that because all I was using was trimmings, I had a relatively high fat content and in my well done patty that fat had melted better than in my medium one! Having said that, both were juicier and better textured that many burgers I've had out in the wild!

Patty in the Oven

I also decided I had to make my own buns too, so that they were just the right size for the patties. I used a mixer to kneed a sixty percent hydration dough, let it rise, kneaded it again, formed the buns, placed them on an oiled tray, and left them to rise again. The second time round I was getting hungry, so I decided to help the yeast out by placing the tray in the oven at the lowest setting (which I turned off as soon as I felt it was just warm). That really worked out great and my buns doubled in size in no time! Finally I splashed the surface of the buns with some water, splashed some water in a 250 degree pre-heated oven to create steam to prevent too big a crust from forming, and put the buns in. After 10-15 minutes, they looked perfect!

The Buns in the Oven

Finally the condiments. I made some mayonnaise, spread it on the bottom, then some gherkins, the patty, cheese, crispy bacon, thick slice of tomato, thick slice of red onion, lettuce, and mayonnaise mixed will hot chilli sauce spread on the top bun.

The final result:

Bad Ass Burger

Yum Yum

Varvakios Agora: The Liveliness. The Vibrancy. The Realness.

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Sun, 15 May 2011 18:48:00 +0000

Everyone has odd things they like to do. One of my favourites is walking around food markets, and in Athens, the central food market is called 'Varvakios Agora'.

On weekdays, if for whatever reason I make it to the centre early, instead of spending the extra time locked up in the office, I'll stop by the market to look around. Here, at this time of day, you'll find people shopping in bulk, in my mind for commercial use. On weekends, if I'm up in the morning and not doing anything I'll go to look around. Obviously busier, I guess people doing their shopping for the week.

There's the meat market, the fish market and the vegetable market. I remember the first time I came, the intense meat smell and fish smell respectively needed some getting used to. Now, it doesn't bother me. Then there's the people shouting; offers, trying to get you to stop and shop at their stand. pushing, shoving. Doesn't sound very civil.

So what is it that keeps me going back? The liveliness, the vibrancy, the realness of it all. Supermarkets are so cold. Soulless. Everything nicely packages. Perfect. I'm sure many people would like to believe that this is how food is. From non-existence to prepared, packaged and shelved, with no steps in-between. Yea, right, and babies are delivered by storks!

Then there's the endless possibilities. I like imagining all the things I could make with the various things on offer. To see an artichoke is to ask myself, do I know how to prepare it? Cut remove the leaves and the fluff, leave just the heart. Place in lemon juice to prevent darkening (actually its the ascorbic acid or vitamin C that does the trick, so one would wonder, why waste a lemon when a vitamin C tablet will do the trick). Then use them raw, thinly sliced, in a salad, or with potatoes and carrots and dill: a la Polita (or as they are done in 'the city', which refers to Constantinople - or Istanbul nowadays), the way my grandparents made them. And the stalks? What about the stalks? I didn't like artichokes when I was younger, but always loved eating the stalks. So many memories are associated with food, it all comes together here, in the market.

Finally there's the miriad of food facts I don't know that I want to know. I want to know and to recognise all the cuts of meats, all the types of fish, and what vegetables are in season. I want to learn to recognise the good from the bad and the bargains. There's just so much food knowledge waiting to be learnt!

I visited the market of Friday and on Saturday. I bought a rack of beef ribs on Friday and veal loin on Saturday. I spent Sunday, boning them into three wonderful rib-eye steaks and three equally wonderful sirloin steaks. I plan to make mice for burgers with the trimmings as well and stock with the bones. I could have asked the butcher to cut the meat into steaks for me, but then I wouldn't have learnt how to do it myself!

I didn't buy any vegetables this time round, but took pictures instead!

Gazi College and The Saturday Morning Curse

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Sat, 14 May 2011 13:07:00 +0000

Saturday again today. Unsurprisingly, it happens once a week. After Friday and before Sunday. And as is the case on most of my Saturdays: the 'Saturday Morning Curse'. Eyes wide open at eight, and as much as I try to sleep in, another week of getting up for work in the morning is more routine than my body can fight against. Usually by ten, and despite my very best efforts to 'go slow', I'm all dressed up and ready to go! And, have nowhere to go to.

By half ten, I'm holding my mobile phone and thinking, 'I could start calling people up for morning coffee, but do I really want to be know as the annoying one that wakes people up in the morning?'. Luckily, this morning, the phone rang as I was having these thoughts, and after a brief consultation, I was off to meet a friend at Gazi College for our morning coffee.

I've written about how great Gazi College is for all hours of the day, but the point to be made here is how great it is for Saturday and Sunday late morning coffee both because one can easily find a seat and because of the feeling one gets this time and day from Gazi. On a sunny weekend morning, Gazi feels like you're on a party island in the morning, holiday season, when there's a strange quiet in the air as most are asleep from the night before. Calm and serene, and those who are up are only now getting things ready for the day (and more importantly the night) to come.

We sat down, ordered our coffee, and my friend asked for the menu. Oh dear. I didn't even try to resist when he suggested the mini-burgers for breakfast (he didn't even try disguise it as brunch). At least this time round I had my camera with me so I took some pictures to capture how amazingly perfect these mini burgers are.

The Mini Burgers: Perfect as always.

Smarties Served With Coffee

This was the surprise of the day: together with our coffees, instead of the conventional cookie or piece of cake, they served us a shot glass filled with Smarties (or other chocolate filled, colourful sweet). I love it when places do these sort of simple small things, if for no other reason, just for the sake of it and to keep things interesting.

New York Sandwiches: Points for Trying.

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 22:18:00 +0000

Last Saturday started well. The usual call at elevenish for a morning coffee to get the day rolling. I sent a text informing another friend that I was going for coffee and headed to the center. We usually meet up at a little place called "Skoufa Bistro" in Kolonaki, which has very good waffles and very decent coffee.

By the time I arrived I had a reply: "Have a great day (I know it won't only be a coffee)!". In retrospect, I think I was the only person under the impression that all I was going for was coffee. As soon as we sat down, the drilling began. Where were you on Wednesday (we usually meet up on Wednesdays to try new places and have a quiet mid-week break), why didn't you came? And a whole lot more which I will not replay. However, it all came together at the end: "This is your chance to redeem yourself, we're going to New York Sandwiches for lunch after the coffee".

View New York Sandwiches in a larger map

I remembered watching about a sandwiches place on TV not too long ago and wondered if this was the place. I remembered the hugeness of the sandwiches. They made a comment on the show about the cost, but it wasn't really clear if they were saying that it was good value or not. The bottom line was that you get "a meal in between two peaces of bread".

After some cross referencing and checking, (Athinorama, Facebook, Food and the City) it turned out that not only was this the place on the show, but the guy behind the place was affiliated with guy from show. Both being involved with another restaurant ("Aneton"). "A bit of conflict of interest", I thought to myself, "Honer a friendship or uphold the credibility of the show?". It would be convenient if one could do both but unfortunately this would not be the case!

Eventually we arrived. It was really easy to find too: right next to Athens Tower.

The Entrance

You can just make out the communal table that makes up the seating. I was actually surprised at this, mainly because I remembered that the likes of Wagamamas had ditched communal seating for their Athens restaurant. I had always imagined it a result of the market not being accepting of it.

Map of New York Subway

Iconic New York Images in the Wall

Great effort put into creating a New York feel. I've never been so I couldn't really say if they've done a good job of it, but as far as a place to go in Athens I wasn't really enthusiastic.

The Counter and Kitchen Half of the Place

This is where we ordered almost everything on the menu: The Pastrami Sandwich, the Turkey Sandwich, The Meatballs Sandwich and the Veal Sandwich and a Salmon Bagel.

The Pastrami Sandwich

I'm pretty sure the mustard was French's mustard, but even if it wasn't it tasted like it. I couldn't really say about the quality of the pastrami, but there was a satisfying amount of it! Fresh bread, and lots of that too! €6.95.

The Turkey Sandwich

Hearty, deep filled turkey sandwich. Nothing special, but nothing wrong with it. Not much more to say... other than €5.95.

The Meatball Sandwich

€6.95

The Veal Sandwich

I loved the bread of both the veal and the meatball sandwich. I couldn't help but imagine it as a huge burger! Other than that, both the veal and the meatball sandwich tasted the same and that was because everything else was almost the same about them. Loads of sauce that just about covered the taste of everything else, canned mushrooms and roasted red peppers (from a jar as far as I'm concerned). The texture was slightly different: soft meatball verses slab of meat. The bread was soggy from the sauce; by design of course; but it might as well have been a cotton field on a rainy day! There were two pieces of veal; more surface area for the fried breadcrumbs to gift us with their taste and crunch; covered and saturated in the sauce too. €6.95.

The Salmon Bagel.

I dunno how they do salmon bagels in the States, but in the UK, in the Student Union shop, we used to have roast beef and onion sandwich.The strong tasting beefiness was well complemented by the pungent onion. And I absolutely loved their crunchiness. Now how delicate taste of smoked salmon can be paired with onion is beyond me - the texture sure - that was my thought before biting into the sandwich. Turns out the onion taste wasn't the overpowering one (maybe the onions had been boiled before (they didn't seem sautéed but weren't as crunchy - maybe they too were out of a jar?)), but the capers in the cream cheese were. The bagel was perfectly crisp. €4.95.

I felt that quality of the ingredients was low; my friend said it was in character. At five, six, and mainly seven Euro, my first though is that it was expensive. Maybe novelty value. There was nothing remotely special about any of the sandwiches that would prevent me from easily and accurately reproducing them at home for about a fifth of the cost. On the other hand, a baguette can go for around three Euro and only usually has a measly slice of ham in it. We had two sandwiches each. I felt like a I'd had a meal. No more, no less. So what would one sandwich have been? An expensive snack? Quality and price aside, the taste too was nothing great. I couldn't really taste the meat over the sauce and the acidity of the canned vegetables.

I would recommend going for the novelty value, but it's not even in a central location; maybe if you're passing by or if you work near by. To be honest, I think that's really what their target group is: yuppies working in Athens Tower that will embrace anything non-Greek for the sake of it. Good effort, novel, but not quite what it could be. For other: perhaps, perhaps, perhaps...

Coupepe: Perfect if you're in the neighbourhood.

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 21:09:00 +0000

When I was little, my grandfather used to take me to the barber to get my hair cut. I have so many sparse memories of the time. Like pictures, emptied out of a shoebox onto the table. Just there, in no particular order, some out of focus, but definitely there. I remember that the barber wasn't in the neighbourhood, and I imagine that this was because he was in an area where my grandfather had lived earlier in his life, and that the barber was one that he had been going to for a long time.

After my grandfather passed away, my dad took over, taking me to the barber that he had been going to for, as I understand it, all his life. I don't think it's a coincidence that both men had such a long lasting bond with they barbers. Somehow, I believe this stems from the personal nature of a hair cut. Even more so with a shave as would have been more often the case in both their times. I think it was this personal facet that put me off hair cuts both as a child and later on.

Eventually, as I grew older, the time came for me to take the matter of my hair into my own hands. The results of this were devastating both for me and for the people around me. All through university I wouldn't get my hair cut for months on end. This ordeal reached a peak after I had completed my national service when I had left my hair to grow for more than a year (something that I'm honestly not proud of ). Luckily a friend of mine took the matter into her own hands and arranged an appointment with her hairdresser to get my hair cut. I've been going with her ever since.

Friday was one of those days, and after the vile and intrusive grooming business I had to get some comfort food to make it all better. However, to convince my friend to follow through with me I had to promise her a good salad: not really the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of comfort food. Lo and behold, 'Coupepe' to the rescue, with wholesome salads and pizza to die for!

Show Coupepe on larger map

A little bit of background first. Coupepe is located on the main square of Nea Penteli - which is really, more or less, as far out of Athens as you can go and still say you live in Athens (technically of course, it's a suburb - yea, shoot me for not naming my blog 'On Attica'). It basically has a good collection of cold cuts of meat and cheeses which it uses to make salads, sandwiches, crepes and pizzas or just serve plain with drinks. A sort of coffee-drinks-and-simply-food place. Very small but with enough outdoor seating on the square. Same owner I believe as Dadas, and the reason I had such high hopes for it (you can read all about that experience here). And here are some related links: facebook, foursquare, clickatlife.gr, athensmagazine.gr, athensmenu.gr, telegourmet.weebly.com, estiatoria.gr.

Back to the story. We arrived promptly, parked and went to find a seat. Unfortunately inside was packed, and we were lucky to get a place outside. It's always a good sign when a place is full. It's not necessarily a sign of good food or whatnot. It's a sign of a good balance of quality, quantity, service, environment and price.

My plan was to get a pizza, but I had already promised, in the name of healthy eating, a salad each. I had to get her to drop her guard so I decided to start with some Rakomela and a bruschetta to get her appetite going. We decided on two salads, but as soon as she'd got some alcohol in her, I argued for a pizza instead of the salad. She fell for it! Then, as we ordered, I snuck the second salad back in claiming I couldn't decide between the two. Overall I was well happy with myself, and with my trusted camera with me, here goes:

The Rakolemo. I could have sworn there was a hint of orange in this. Strong stuff! Did the job.

The bruschetta. There were five pieces, but as all things served first, it was eaten before my brain switched from 'man eat food. ouga-ouga' to 'maybe I should take a picture for my blog'.

Rocket, lettuce, bacon, parmigiana, cherry tomatoes... yum-yum.

Cabbage (if I member correctly), radicchio, gorgonzola and walnuts... yum-yum-yum. To be honest, both salads were works of art! They were both so fresh and delicious! My only problem was that I didn't toss them (I couldn't bare to spoil the look), and the dressing which was all over the top, never got to the bottom.

And finally the pizza. Or should I say pi-xxx-a, because it was absolute sex. Thin, crispy and soft, not too much cheese, straight out the oven, melting all over the place. Fresh toppings, juicy tomato, crunchy peppers, earthy mushrooms. I dunno, I'm no pizza expert (and I have suffered a disappointment after saying that something is the best of that something - read that here), but as far as I'm concerned this pizza is the reason why pizza delivery - the likes of domino, pizza hut and pizza fun - should be made illegal: either go out and get it fresh or make it yourself!

Verdict: perfect for what it is, and absolutely worth it if you're in the neighbourhood.

Bluefield Burger Company: King of Burger Delivery

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 22:45:00 +0000

"Incoming!!!"... That's the sound my mobile phone makes when a message arrives. The message was to the point: "16:00. Bluefield.". The reply had been sent before I had time to think about it: "OK".

Of course, there wasn't anything to think about! There was no way I was going to let my plans to go to the gym get in the way of beer and a burger. And not just any burger at that. As far as I'm concerned, Bluefield Burger is the best burger delivery company in Athens - its just a shame (and bliss at the same time) that there is only one of it. Other companies may be more well know, and may have the means to cover every end and every suburb of Athens, but when it comes to quality, Bluefield is in a league of its own.

In a nutshell, the story goes that a guy went to New York, learnt all about real burgers, decided to return to Greece and set up the best burger delivery company around. Lights, camera, action; he succeeded. I'm not going to write anything more because it has all been written about before. You can read more about the background of Mr. Bluefield Burgers (a.k.a. Aggelos Katopodis) and Bluefield Burger Company on Franchise.gr (yes they have started franchising, so hopefully we'll see more of them soon - and hopefully the quality will remain the same), Athens Voice, Athens News, Athinorama, foodforthought and they have a facebook page!

Obviously, as well as delivery they have a sit-in area (otherwise why would we be going there - doh)! On entering the sit-in dining area, one is welcomed by small cows grazing in green fields of grass. It's really nice that this much attention has been placed on the look and feel of this area of a shop that probably does most of its business delivering its product.

Grazing Cows

The Dining Area

This is about half of the dining area. There are another two tables on the other side. A tiny shop with huge surprises!

We ordered a beer, a Caesar salad, onion rings, Fries with Chilli, Sesame Chicken Wings and Best of the West burgers.

The salad was different as far as Caesar salads go. Nothing garlicky or anchovy about it. But nothing like the bog standard flat commercial white dressing you get in many average places. There was, however, something in the dressing that I couldn't put my finger on. I hate it when that happens. But it was really nice. Fresh. I was so hungry though, that by the time I thought of taking a photo, it was all gone!

Beer

Served in an icy cold glass. What could be more perfect of a sunny spring day!

Onion Rings

I've tried onion rings with flour, onion rings with bread crumbs and these: onion rings in batter. Can't decide what I like best, but these were damn fine onion rings.

Fries and Chilli

Ultimate comfort food. Absolutely delicious! Here of course, as well as with the burgers, fresh chips would have taken the dish to the next level.

Sesame Chicken Wings

Spectacular by any account: Sticky sweet and savoury exterior. Moist insides, tender, meat falls off the bone. Probably one of their best dishes.

Best of the West Burger

There is no such thing as the perfect burger. In the same way that there is no such thing as the perfect pasta or the perfect pizza. At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal taste. HOWEVER, there are rules of thumb.

First of all, look at the burger. Rule of thumb: the burger has to look appetising.

If you look closely at the Best of the West burger, you'll notice a thin layer of white sauce between the bottom half of the bun and the patty. Rule of thumb: add a fat based sauce (e.g. mayonnaise based) or other impermeable layer between bread and other ingredients to avoid bread becoming soggy.

Notice the abundance of iceberg lettuce on top. It may be tasteless, but it gives texture (e.g. crunch) to the burger. Rule of thumb: add texture.

Now look at the thickness of the patty. A thinner patty has more surface area to brown for more taste, but the difference between "bloody as hell" and "burnt to a crisp", would be a matter of seconds - and even so, to get the benefit of the larger surface area without overcooking the interior you'd need very high heat. A thick patty can be repeatedly cooked to order with satisfactory browning. Rule of thumb: thick patty.

Next the bread; the moisture of all the ingredients must be enough to counteract the dryness of the bread. Use a dense bread and you're screwed. Rule of thumb: use a light bread or add allot of moisture.

Finally the patty. If its dry, you have to add other ingredients to give moisture otherwise, it will be impossible to swallow. However, if you're going to cover the taste of the meat with a whole load of sauces and other stuff, you might as well use a cardboard patty. There are two ways to achieve moisture. One is to use good quality tender lean cuts of meat and cook it medium-rare to medium. You will loose out in taste but the health benefits are obvious. The other way is to use cuts that require more cooking and have more fat. These must be cooked well to allow the fat to melt. This is your traditional American burger. This is burger that The King of Rock and Roll had for breakfast. It has a smoky taste from the burnt fat, and a well textured interior because of the less tender meat used. However, it is also the type of burger that led the King to an early grave! In today's world, most people will find this type of burger less palatable, but at the end of the day its a matter of taste. Rule of thumb: you have to make a conscious decision about the cut of meat and how much fat will be in the burger.

Bluefield burger uses a mix of sirloin and brisket to achieve a very good balance of juiciness, tenderness and texture without the burger being obviously fatty. You can read all about their choices here.

Cookies. On the House.

Finally the cookies. Oh the cookies. I really wish that I'm not wrong in saying that these are absolutely home made using basically flour, butter, sugar and chocolate chips because they are; the dogs bollocks!

Nixon: A story of expectations and how something so right can go so wrong

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 19:51:00 +0000

Two, maybe three weeks ago, I had arranged to go to a short play with colleagues from work staged in the apartment just above our office. The play was called "ΦΑΚ ΛΑΪΦΣΤΑΪΛ" (Fuck Lifestyle) and it was actually very good and I really enjoyed it. Given that it started at 8:30pm and finished at 11:30pm we had time to kill before the show, and time for a drink after it.

Before the show, I was more than happy to visit Gazi College (which I've already praised), to have the mini burgers. After the show on the other hand we weren't sure of where to go. No sooner had we started considering options than we decided to visit a bar restaurant called Nixon. The amazing thing was that, even though Nixon is practically down stairs from our office, none of us had been there before. On my part, I had been meaning to go for the past four year! The reason: rumours of the best burger in town! (Yes, I know, we've heard that before; and I haven't even written about the burger at The James Joyce Pub yet!). Now, I need to emphasise this again: I had really been meaning to try the burger at Nixon for the past four years because it had come to my attention from more than one sources that it may well have the best burger in Athens.

View Nixon in a larger map

Unfortunately we were visiting for the Bar part as opposed to the Restaurant part, and either way the place was already packed and they said we needed a reservation to sit. We settled in the corner behind the door and were thankful at that: to be lucky enough to have found a stool and a bar top to ourselves. I went for the Margarita because I like trying common things in new places because it gives me good grounds for comparing (sort of like the Big-Mac Index). I was very happy that the waiter asked if I wanted my Margarita frozen or shaken and served without the ice: showed they knew how it's supposed to be. It was ok. After Baba au rum, no other mixed drink has been the same for me.

Rewind. While waiting for the drinks to arrive I started looking around at the place. It's actually very nice. It has a tall ceiling with a huge Art Deco chandelier that totally dominates the place, the bar has shelves full of drinks built into the wall, and the restaurant in the back has large leather seating that really suit it. I found a really great description with pictures of the décor here. I also took a few pictures:

The Chandelier

Booths with leather seating

Pictures on the wall

So, as I'm looking around I spotted, out of the corner of my eye, on the bar, waiting to be served, the sexiest looking mini burgers I had ever seen. I had to have them! I told the people I was with if they wanted to share. They refused, reminding me that we had already eaten. They desperately tried to make me reconsider out of what they said was a needless act of unnecessary calorie consumption, ultimately fuelled by an underlying dissatisfaction with my job. A attempt, they said, to fill a gap in my life using the wrong means; something about Freud. I called the waiter and ordered the mini burgers. They had to be mine.

As I waited for my babies, I peered over the DJ in front of us to see a small frame with a picture of Nixon and Elvis Presley. So I made the connection: American President, Elvis Presley and Burgers. I really felt that these burgers were going to be the real deal. And they were. Nothing like the mini Burgers at Gazi College, which aren't really a mini version of a larger burger (tasty none the less), these were truly bite size versions of real burgers. They had an intensely smoky charred taste, juicy and textured patty, crispy bacon, wonderfully right caramelized onions on top. Spot on!

As I'm eating, I look over to the tables, and I see a guy who seems to be having the full size burger. And he just seems to be eating and eating and eating, and I think to myself, 'Daddy burger must be one huge daddy of a burger'. And this is important. A burger isn't some posh gourmet dish. It is a decadent, wholesome, savage meal. Something that you have to eat with your hands, and sauce drips all over the place, and you get into a mess because its almost impossible to sink your teeth into it. You have to feel the weight of the meat when you pick it up to eat. Sure, you can make a patty with kobe beef fillet mince and have black truffles, buffalo mozzarella and rocket, but that is not a burger as far as I'm concerned. That is a sandwich at best! The art of making a burger is making a satisfying hearty meal out of simple cheap ingredients!

Fast forward two weeks into the future, and a lot of nut busting on my part to get my burger eating friends to visit Nixons for a meal with me. It was a Wednesday and we usually meet up around seven, just the boys, to have a quiet weekday drink, a bite to eat and discuss the week so far. We had to wonder around until eight which is what time Nixon opens, at which point we went in and asked for a table for eight. We got two small tables put together. Now, I'm not one to complain, but for eight big men (and I don't mean old), and an empty Nixon, it was pretty obviously cramped. We made a point of this, but were told that this is what they usually give for eight people. Where should I start? Customer service? Customer always being right? Clearly a place named after an American president with a totally Greek view on customers.

We all ordered burgers and had a couple of starters, so here goes:

Quesadillas

Tortilla Cones

Both starters were sort of a joke. To start, we ate them by hand because they had forgotten to bring cutlery. The quesadillas were nice because they were warm and the cheese melted and stuff. Similar to an expensive toasty. The cones were made from a crispy tortilla (imagine the texture of a tortilla left out to dry for a week), They were filled with a red pepper and cream cheese dip and they had a piece of chorizo sticking out. Now unless chorizo is supposed to be bland, this was a poor chorizo. The basil leaf; emmm; food styling is important, and if you're going to charge eight Euro for five bites they have to be well styled.

And finally the burger. Everything that I said about the mini applied. Because of the bigger size, we could also tell that it was perfectly cooked medium as requested. Unfortunately though, it wasn't the big daddy burger I had been expecting. The diameter was about that of a Mac-Cheese burger (ten centimetres, give or take). Obviously it was a bit fatter. This burger at twelve Euro was what I expect to pay in the more expensive areas like Kefalari, Psixiko, Kolonaki and Bouliagmeni, because I know that (whether I like it or not), my money isn't going to the quality or quantity of the ingredients but to paying the expensive rents that these place will have. But in an area where I look out the window to see heroin addicts taking their next dose, that's not what I expect to pay! More so when everything I've said about the burger applies just as well to "American Burgers", a wonderful burger delivery company in Glifada.

The starters, the burger, with that service at those prices in this area isn't because the food is that good, its because people are taking the Mickey!

Bierhaus: Confused but Good

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 18:44:00 +0000

A good post deserves a good title. It took me a while to pick one, and the only way I managed was by promising myself I'd post the alternatives I considered, so here goes:

An Italian restaurant with German Beers?
An Italian Beer House?
An German-Italian Beer House?
An International Beer House?
An Italian restaurant with Larger Selection of Beer?

Anyway, I could go on forever, but I think the point is made: any beer house with a German name that serves "Carpacio Di Beef", "Spaghetti Pomodoro" and the days Risotto has some serious explaining to do. But first the story of how I got there!

Now I don't have a thing with beer houses. Honestly! I don't know how I've ended up going to another one so soon. Friday was a national holiday and I had picked the short straw in deciding where to go for lunch. Traditionally on this holiday people eat "Bakaliaro Skordalia", basically deep fried battered cod with a garlicky potato and oil purée. That's not what we were going for, but given the brilliantly sunny day, we were thinking along the lines of a fish tavern by the sea. Unfortunately so was everyone else.

We took the car and trekked all the way to the south, out of the city and to an area called 'Agia Marina' only to discover tables packed with people practically going into the sea! We could see the desperation of the customers who gave up trying to get something from the panicked waiter (yes, singular - one waiter) and eventually doing their own waiting! We decided to pass.

So plan B was to go where no one else would have thought of going on this particular day. Where better than a beer house not too far away, in Varkiza, called Bier Haus. I'd done my research earlier and it wasn't too hard to find, situated not on the shore line but hidden away in the residential area above the main sea side road.

On entering Bier Haus, my first thought was "Wow, this is an amazing place to come in the summer after a swim in the sea to enjoy an ice cold beer"! It had a three levelled terrace with seating that was perfect for letting the summer sea breeze in. My second though was "Why are these people eating pasta?".

We sat down and started going through the menu which you can check out for yourself online, and please leave me a comment, let me know that I'm not crazy in saying that about ten percent of it featured remotely German food. I mean I'm reading 'Carpacio', 'Prosciutto', 'Balsamic Vinaigrette', 'Roasted Vegetables with Haloumi', 'Rocket Salad', 'Spagetti Pomodoro', 'Risotto', and the list goes on. Their site does give a little hint though in their description of the place: "German cuisine, adjusted to Mediterranean-Greek demand". Note so self: open a restaurant with "Chinese cuisine, adjusted to Mediterranean-Greek demand". It'll serve duck gyros with ginger tzatziki.

OK, mocking aside, the food we ordered was decent for what is was, the waiter was very pleasant and I did take photos this time (though my photography skills have yet to catch up with my cooking skills), so I am going to put in the effort to tell you about it.We ordered a salad with, among other things, strawberries (better to be in fashion than in season?), roasted vegetables with grilled Haloumi, a mushroom pie, a mixed grill and a roasted pork shank.

The Salad was different. I think the strawberry didn't really belong and the dressing was too sweet for my liking (maybe some acid would have done it justice).

The mushroom pie was tasty, but I would have described it as a cheesy mushroom quiche.

The gilled vegetables were nicely cooked and had a pleasant crunch to them. However, any possible char grilled taste was covered with the otherwise bland and neutral sauce they were served in. Am I the only one who has never before been served grilled vegetables in a sauce before (which by the way may have well been the same sauce that the shank was covered with).

Now this was, as far a mixed grills goes, a good mixed grill. The chicken was wonderfully tender and juicy, the veal was perfectly cooked medium (that was very nice surprise), the pancetta grilled just right to melt the fat without drying the meat, and everything had that grilled smokiness one expects from a mixed grill. The sausage... eh... I could have done without. And the chips, oh the chips! I admit, I have a soft spot for fries, but these were really really good fries. Fresh, thin, crispy to the ear on the outside and moist and soft inside!

Finally the centrepiece, the roast shank.On the one had it was pointlessly served covered in a sauce of unknown origin and chopped pieces of tomato, on the other hand, the inside was so so meltingly tender and it was served with those amazing fries. I would have liked the skin to be more crispy - but not if that would have meant loosing that juicy interior.

Bottom line, I would go again; in the summer, after a swim. To enjoy a cold beer (though what I didn't mention was that the beer selection wasn't really as large as you'd expect from a beer house) and definitely some food to share, but it's not really somewhere I'd go out of my way to visit.

COLIBRI: Round two

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:54:00 +0000

Last time I visited Colibri, it was under the pretence of it having the best burger in Athens. Under that context I was disappointed, but the pizza did impress me.

This time round was different - in a positive way of course (otherwise why write about it?). I had assembled with the guys for a trip to a little Mexican place called Rincon Mexicano which we had discovered from the same source that led us to Colibri: Athens Daily Secret.

To make a long story short, we ordered about half the menu, were still starving by the end of it and didn't really care much about trying either another round of the same or the other half of the menu. I am open to the possibility that we may have been victims of our own expectations, so I urge you to try the place and form your own opinion - it wasn't particularly expensive (unless, I guess, if your intent is to relieve thy hunger).

So as we left, with an empty space where our food should have been, one comment led to another and off we were to Colibri. This time round the only expectations were to eat good and satisfying food. This time round our expectations were surpassed!

I contemplated ordering a pizza for myself since I remembered my last visit, but since everyone else was getting a burger and a pizza to share I decided to follow them. We each got chilli burger and shared a large pizza topped with rocket and parmesan shavings.

The pizza was as amazing as I remembered it! Thin based with a proper crust, not too much cheese, fresh tomato sauce and then mounds of fresh and vibrant rocket topped with wafer thin delicate and fully flavoursome parmesan shaving. Wow did that go down well (and that was after having already eaten at the Mexican place)!

And then, the burger arrived. And like I'm sure I said last time, this isn't your coarse ground, fat and hearty American style burger, but damn it, it sure as well did the job! Sauces dripping everywhere on every bite... so juicy and soft and filling. And to finish it off, a hefty swig of Weiss beer - ecstasy in the making!

So.. DAMN IT... GO HAVE YOURSELF A PIZZA AND A BURGER AT COLIBRI!!

And best of all, the owner(s) of Colibri have opened a second shop in Pagrati - so now there's no excuse!

View Colibri 1 & 2 in a larger map

Ritterburg: Thumbs Up

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 15:08:00 +0000

Last weekend I had a dream. To spend a sunny day vegetating in the beer garden of a country pub I had read and been told many good things about. My understanding was that this place was practically picked out of the British country side and placed into the Greek one.

The weather on Sunday was perfect. The sun was out and the temperature was one click cooler than a warm spring day: perfect for a motorbike ride into the country. I had assembled up the gang and we were ready to hit the road when it occurred to someone to phone up - just in case. Turns out, what I hadn't been informed was that it was closed on Sundays and Mondays, and only open after 7pm on other days of the week. Seriously now, no British country pub would be caught dead closed on a sunny day, even more so if that day was Sunday? FAIL!

So instead we turned our attention to a German Beer House with a beer Garden called Ritterburg - and how glad am I that things turn out this way, because if they hadn't I would't have discovered a contender for the heavy weight title of best German food in Athens.

Staring from the outside and working our way inside one can tell that effort has been put into creating a rustic warm environment using wood and stone to create a welcoming feeling. The result is different than I have seen in other beer houses and gives more of a cozy family feel. I liked this, but I can understand that someone with their mind set on the novelty of drinking 5 litres of bear out of a tall plastic tube with a tap attached to it may not - but honestly they're tourists and I'm a foodie. Either way really, the ambience of the place was just a side bonus to me compared to the main course which was the food.

On the down side the bear garden (actually it was more of a patio- not a bad thing, just as a matter of fact), wasn't set up. However I can't really blame them: the good weather was just a freak day after a week or so of bad weather that included snow!

We ordered our beer (out of a very good selection) to start with while we looked through the food menu. Everything looked amazing so it was to our good fortune that the service of the place was also up to scratch! Our waiter was very useful in helping us decide what to get! We concluded on fried breaded mushrooms, a selection of sausages and a pork schnitzel with mushroom sauce to start with and then we all had a veal schnitzel for a main (I know - we should have had more mains and shared in order to try different things - but no one was willing to give up THEIR schnitzel).

And then, the food arrived, and to be honest it wasn't what I had hoped for - it was a whole lot more! I mean I have tried allot of German sausages and I like them all - so much so that never have I stopped after a bite to say 'mmmm that sausage was special'. That happened with the cheese filled bacon wrapped fried sausage: it was seriously good. And the fried breaded mushrooms: they were so crunch on the outside and so juicy on the inside! They made me think that it's not a recipe I'm missing out on, but that there exists a whole cooking technique that I'm clueless about! The pork schnitzel was slightly on the thin side in relation to the breadcrumbs that covered it, but just as delicious - especially once it had been given time to absorb the sauce! And these positive delicious vibes I was getting weren't even because I was hungry, because I wasn't! Not counting the Brazilian Churrascaria I had been to the night before, I'd already scuffed down two delicious warm bread rolls with whipped butter spread all over their delicate interiors.

And then the veal schnitzels arrived. You think your taste buds are on the verge of a orgasmic extravaganza when something comes along and sends them into a rampant frenzy! I'm not talking gourmet nonsense. None of that sauces made from stocks and 50 different ingredients reduced for two days with fifteen kilos of bones going into one serving the size of a ping pong ball. I'm talking real, fresh, authentic hearty food. There's no other way to describe it - except of that the schnitzel was about the size of a baby cow (just an added bonus!).

View Larger Map

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Beer-Garden-Ritterburg/50184221210
http://www.ritterburg.gr

Dadas: Good on Paper.

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 19:27:00 +0000

Yesterday I visited a bar/ restaurant in New Penteli: Dadas. They don't seem to have a website, but here are some related links:

http://www.estiatoria.gr/product.asp?gid=903
http://foursquare.com/venue/13974259
http://www.athensmagazine.gr/portal/restaurants/businesses/3143
http://www.athensmagazine.gr/portal/restaurants/articles/1163

It was cold night and I arrived late at New Penteli Square. Not knowing that I was late I waited outside Dadas for my company to arrive. Luckily they called me before it occurred to me to call them because they were already inside!

As I entered Dadas, the first thing that hit me was the warmth of the place. I'm not just talking temperature (though we were sat next to a wonderful, lit fireplace), but something about the lighting, the hum of people talking or the correctly volumed music called "sit down, get comfy and relax" to me. Apparently, (because we were sat in the first half), the space is split into the bar-y half and the restaurant-y half. One with louder music and more people standing up and the other with more tables and lower music.

Since the others had been already waiting for a while, I got immediately handed the menu. Two pages long, modern food items with very appetising descriptions! I eventually went for the Carbonara, which was more or less described as "Casarecci carobonara with pancetta, freerange eggs, pepper and pecorino". I thought to myself, these people has the description spot on. Emphasis on the egg, Pecorino instead of Parmesan which is often incorrectly used, pancetta instead not bacon and ground pepper. We also order an arugula salad, home made crisps and some sort of soufflé to share (I should know, but I was to busy thinking about my pasta).

The salad was very nice (and I always say you can judge a place by its salads). Makes me wish I has paid more attention to what was in it! The crisps were also great (not to say much can go wrong in thin slicing and deep frying potatoes). The soufflé was ok: a baked cheesy floury mixture. And now the pasta... (deep sigh...).

The pasta was Linguine instead of Casarecci. Nothing remotely eggy, peppery or cheesy about the pasta. The pancetta I can't complain about. I could see loads of it and there was a thick layer of fat from it on the bottom of the place and all over the pasta (and that's the best case scenario. The worst case would be that it was butter from buttered pasta!). Unfortunately I couldn't taste that either (although it did remind me a bit of the bacon in bacon cheese sauce they put on chips in TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesdays and the lot) - I do wish they'd put in the effort of browning it first.

I'm not saying I wouldn't go there again (though its nothing to go out of ones way for): the other dishes looked good, and I heard no complaints (though the portions did seem on the lower end or 'large enough'). If they are good (which is what I'll be going to find) that would put the price to quality ration of the place in marginally acceptable territory.

What I am just saying is: change the menu or change the recipe!

A Full Day

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 10:44:00 +0000

Yesterday I had a pleasantly full day. I always like taking full advantage of a DAY I'm not working (as opposed to the night before and sleeping through the day).

I woke up around 8:30 and pondered about how borrowing/ lending leads to inflation (I know - random - that's just what got into my mind). That took me all the way up to 9:30. By the time I was up, showered and ready to go, I'd also arranged coffee in the centre. Thanks to my new motorbike, getting around has become easier than a walk in the park, so not long after 10 I was sat down having my coffee.

We went to 'Rosebud' in Kolonaki. I hadn't been there before but had walked by it many times and it had seemed very interesting. The coffee was as coffee should be, and the atmosphere had a warm jazzy feel to it. The décor included various vintage items and pictures - on the walls, in the tables and even IN the ceiling! Perfect for a cold winters morning coffee - and not only! Apparently, they serve food there too. Note to self: try food at Rosebud!

Next we went for walk to look around the shops that lasted till around 1 when we parted ways - but I wasn't done with the centre yet. A call to another friend in search of lunch landed me on Coffee number two! This one included a hearty waffle - not for me (sweats aren't really my forte): I was holding out for lunch - but for my companions. They swear by the waffles at 'Skoufa Bistro' in Kononaki, a bit further down from Rosebud. Of course by the time we were there, people were having lunch - and the food did look good. Note to self: bistro lunch @ Skoufa Bistro.

Eventually it was time for lunch. We pondered between a the 'lazy option' of having lunch where we were, the 'pigout option' of going to 'La Pasteria' and having a pasta each, and one to share (plus starters and a pizza), or the 'try something new' option of going for an Asian meal at one of the places in the side streets of Syntagma. Eventually went for option number three (though letting go of the pasta wasn't easy). We ended up in 'Dosirak' on Voulis 33, a Korean restaurant which includes Japanese dishes. I had spicy squid with steamed rice - very pleasant. I was very happy. My friends had the Katsu (deep fried breaded pork), which I also tried and which was nice. We shared some yakitori skewers and mixed mushrooms. Both were good. The only thing that tasted a bit wrong was the sake (and that may be just me - I'm no sake connoisseur). Over all I'd say if you fancy something different, its worth a visit. Next was dessert.

We went to 'Chatzis' on Syntagma square. This is a chain that started off in Thessalonika - so that alone should vouch for its quality. None the less I will say that we had some ice cream. The depth of flavour and texture was on par with no other. By this time it was around five-ish, and I could have happy called it a day but jokingly made a comment suggesting we have a few early drinks - and before I knew it off we were to Baba-au-Rum!

Now for those of you who haven't tried it, YOU HAVE NOT HAD A COCKTAIL TILL YOU'VE HAD A COCKTAIL AT BABA-AU-RUM. Now for me, and that's just personal taste, because I go for the drinks, I find that the best time to come is early afternoon, before it has time to pack up - at which point getting a drink is a Marathon and a half. I had my ever loved 'Sonic Boom' which, as best as I can describe it, is a mouth watering drink with a chilli kick to it. All was well for us here until the sun came down and the phenomenally chilled music sent us to sleep. We left - but not before deciding to end the day with a walk and a break for hot chocolate.

We walked until Gazi and stopped at 'Secreto', a relatively new place that operates probably more a a bar-club at night but was just right with just the right number of people for a day-ending hot chocolate. The décor has a dark back & red decadent feel to it - actually quite pleasant. We sat inside where we were happy to find that the smoking ban was being respected (at least at this time of day).
By eight thirty-ish we decided to call it and continue our walk home. We went though Thisio and round the Acropolis via 'Apostolou Pavlou' and 'Dyonisiou Aropagitou' - a great walk at any time of the day. As we walked with the Parthenon on our left and a hotel on our right (which had some sexual innuendo in its name) we pondered on the personal affairs of the ancient Greeks - I know - random - that's just what got into our minds!

Gazi College: Best of Both Worlds

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 21:01:00 +0000

Today I think it's my turn to write about "Gazi College"...

Once upon a time not so long ago, a youth by the name of George embarked on an exploratory adventure of Athens. With the help of a veteran of the scene and fellow ex army postman, he discovered a sort of club called 'Mad' in an area called Gazi.

Back then there was no metro stop in the area and getting to Gazi was a matter of enduring rush-hour levels of traffic at 1am and wishing upon the god of parking for a cozy parking space to leave thy vehicle. Little did George know that not so far into the future this area would not only be a mainstream place for going out but also a five minute walk from his place of work.

This club that the boys had visited wasn't really George's cup of tea, but for only that it was one of the first steps of what was to be a great adventure, he had always held the club in a special place along with other fond memories. Therefore it was not to his liking when one day on returning home from work, his crossed the spot where the club once stood only to discover that it had been replaced by a coffee-food-maybe-bar style place called "Gazi College".

George was aware that the general area of Gazi was undergoing major changes due to the Keramikos Metro stop that had opened on the main square, and in his mind - affected by the disappointment that the physical link to one of his fondest memories was no more - this new place was just another one of the many new businesses that were popping up like mushrooms.

The story was the same for all of them: shroud businessman in suit and tie has money to invest. Throws money at consultants, financial advisers, interior decorators, cooks, bar men, blady blady bla... everything in a huge melting pot, stirs with an evil laugh, and out comes yet another soulless cafe/ bar/ restaurant.

To that end, George stayed away from this place for a long time after it had opened, until one day, around noon on a Saturday he found himself in Gazi with a friend thirsting for coffee and a snack. For no particular reason they sat at Gazi College.

Needless to say that the George in the story is me, and boy was I wrong about Gazi College. I guess every now and then the hoard of accountants, interior designers etc. get it right!

That first time we had a coffee each and two mini-burgers to share. Looking through a menu I usually get a fairly accurate vibe about a place, and it was really bugging me that I was getting a good vibe about this place. Not a huge menu, and nothing there that seemed to be there just for the sake of being there. One, Two for Four mini burgers, a choice of maybe four pizzas including the Margarita, a few salads, a few sandwiches and probably a few things I cant remember. Point is, spot on Cafe-Lunch material.

The burgers were to die for, small and succulent with tasty sauces, and best of all, served with fresh fries - and you know, when a place makes the effort to serve freshly fried crunch chips they're going to make the effort for allot more other things. Looking around a got a glimpse of the Pizzas: thin based, not too much cheese, straight out the oven. I was dead set on coming back to try them.

After going on and on about the mini-burgers, next time I went was with my burger-connoisseur friend & co. The burgers got the thumbs up - as did the interior of the place that I hadn't really noticed before. Decorated with a college-books-globes-equations-study vibe (unsurprisingly). And the music was definitely there, but at just the right volume and of just the right genre to create a pleasant atmosphere without being overwhelming. We also tried some deserts: a cheese cake and a chestnut caramel cream filled sweat bread. Thumbs up there too.

And finally, the pizza, which I had to wait one more time to try. After a Saturday of working in the office (deadlines - who needs them?!?), I went with a colleague. Two mini burgers, a Caesar salad, and a Margarita pizza all to share. The burgers where, by now, something that one can count on. The pizza, like i said, thin based, tasty sauce, not too much cheese: yum yum yum! The salad, slightly over dressed, but i think i'll give it another try. All and all a very pleasant meal.

There there it is. George on Gazi College. And why you ask the best of both worlds? In a nutshell, Gazi college combine the new with the old. A cozy place in a great area with easy access by car or public transport and good modern menu items on offer. A great place to go for a morning or afternoon coffee, brunch or lunch!

View Gazi College in a larger map

Update: 14/05/2011

The Mini Burgers

Kozis: The Best Meat in Town

noreply@blogger.com (George) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:32:00 +0000

I lie. I admit. Its not the best meat in town. Unfortunately: because it is located outside of town: in the suburban region of Melisia.

Its called Kozis. The name of the place is Kozis. Kozis!

I've written the name of the place three times so it sticks with you... because the 'best meat' part is the gods honest truth!

The story goes, that after reading an article on-line about this tiny grill on http://athens.dailysecret.com/ I decided to visit in search of the best burger. I showed up with a bottle of my all time favourite Nandos extra hot Peri-Peri sauce for the sake of spicing up my meal. I ordered a Burger and my companion ordered a T-bone steak. We shared a caeser salad. Turns out that although Kozis could give a good fight on the 'Best Burger' front, its not worth the effort considering that its meat so much so on another level compared with most, that it just seems that meat is being wasted by everyone else.

As I gulped down the extra crunchy chips dipped in my peri-peri sauce, I caught, what seemed to be, the big cheeses eye. He recognised my Nandos peri-peri sauce (having been brought up in South Africa as is the origin or the Nandos brand) and we got into a conversation about how much we liked it and how it was a shame we couldn't get it in Greece, how I always got people travelling from the UK to bring me some and how he'd discovered an "Extra Hot Caribbean sauce" which was the closest alternative to be found. So much so was the excitement that he told his sister to bring a bottle for us on her way to work, and as we waited he proceeded to provide an large assortment of drinks for us! His name was Kozi!

View Kozis in a larger map

Kozis is a family run business named after 'Kozi' - what he was called in South Africa by his friends who couldn't pronounce 'Konstantinos'. The meat marinated in specially ordered south african spice mixtures and cooked to perfection as ordered. I recommend a caesar salad to share and a ribeye steak - end of.