This will becomes the INDEX PAGE of our 2009 trip across Greece. I'm currently planning about 15 posts, so please check back for updates.
If you're planning a trip yourself and urgently require restaurant recommendations or general info, please post a comment at the bottom and I'll get back to you with the information I have on hand.
9 comments:
Dear Paul,
I am looking forward to reading what dishes you tried in Greece. I am amazed that you found out about Ariston. I see that Crete was not in your itinerary. They also have very good food there, including dishes that cannot be found in the mainland. If you return to Greece, consider Crete. But Santorini is a very good choice for food, and knowing you, I assume that you must have avoided the tourist traps. I also liked the parallels between Athens and Kyoto. I agree!
D:
Great to see another food lover dropping by! We couldn't avoid the tourist traps in Athens (must admit I did enjoy Bairaktaris) but we did find some excellent food on the islands. Sea urchin salad and Symi shrimps come to mind. But it will take months to sort every out and I hope I'll finish before we go on the next trip! You sound like you're very familiar with Greek cuisine -- it would be great if you can share some of your food pics in Greece!
Paul
Dear Paul,
Well, I am Greek and I live in Greece now, and this means that I rarely take pics of Greek food because it is not exotic to me ;-) But I will make a mental note to take pics for you from now on. Please let me know if you plan to return to Greece an you need advice on food (although I do not consider myself a foodie). But I can recommend places that I have been to and/or places that friends have recommended.
D:
Thanks for your offer! I likely won't be visiting Greece soon (got plans for next couple years already). But I'll look forward to your posts and pics -- if you have a blog let me know where it is.
Paul
D:
Thanks for sharing you pictures again. I recognize your pictures from a previous visit and I've even posted a comment at your gallery about your Portugal pictures a long time ago. It's also great to see your meal at Minase -- it looked quite interesting and quite different from ours due to the season.
Welcome to Canada. Toronto does have a lot of Asian influence due to its significant Asian population. Overall the quality of Asian food there is decent, but still two notches below the level of Tokyo/Hong Kong/Beijing. I'm sure you'll have lots of time to explore with 6 months of time. If you're there in the summer the night market can be quite fun.
I can see that you've traveled extensively and you may have been to the Canadian Rockies already. Quebec City is another one of my favorite places in Canada. Lunenburg and the rugged Atlantic coast is also just a short flight from you.
Paul
Dear Paul,
Unfortunately, I haven't been to the Canadian Rockies yet. My goal is to work hard in Toronto, and apparently there are many distractions in Toronto already, so I am not sure if I will be able to go around this time. Hopefully some time in the future. I'll keep your recommendations in mind.
As for Asian food in Toronto, I will be visiting a colleague who was born in China, so hopefully he will be able to direct me to the most interesting places...
BTW, somehow Greek food looks so much better in your photos than in reality ;-) Don't you find many dishes a bit greasy? When I moved back after 8 1/2 years in California most of the food was too greasy for me. But I think that I have adapted since...
Best,
Dimitris
Dimitris:
I can't help but laugh about your Greek-Californian taste buds finding your home country's food greasy. You were obviously too accustomed to the west coast healthy lifestyle! But seriously yes we did find some Greek food greasy, and our favorites turned out to be the lighter, healthier dishes like grilled fish (we joked that it was Sakana-no-Shioyaki).
Paul
Ha, ha, that's a good one ;-) I agree with you, few things beat grilled fish when it is good and fresh. That said, once in a while it is not easy to avoid the temptation of a greasy artery-clogging cheese or seafood saganaki ;-)
Speaking about not-too-greasy food (although it does contain olive oil), try boiled black-eyed peas with tomatoes, chopped onion, olive oil, salt and some parsley (if you like it). It's a cold dish that is very easy to prepare. Also try putting some capers in the (standard) Greek salad (which means no lettuce). It's a twist that I like.
Oh BTW, if you ever happen to be in the SF Bay Area, try De Afghanan Kabob House in Fremont. I suspect that you will love it. Also, South Legend in Milpitas (Szechuan) was a revelation to me when I first went there, but I haven't been back for a long time and they now have a website and menus in English (a worrying sign ;-))
Dimitris:
Hey thanks for the recipe ... I've never had black eyed peas in my kitchen but I'll definite give this a try. Sounds simple enough that even I won't screw up. I'll remember De Afghanan the next time I'm in the Bay Area.
Paul
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