MARIA'S HOME COOKING IN ATHENS, GREECE

" The Grape Vines Used To Home Make Their Wine "

" The Barrels "

" The Ouzo "

" The Moussaka "

" The Greek Salad "

" The Lamb "

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Our stomachs began to rumble again since it was dinner time in Greece, somehow our bodies have adjusted quite well to the constant time changes.  It felt good to be back in the Northern Hemisphere.  It was about 9:00PM and the sun was just about to set, when we set out to find a hearty and authentic Greek meal.  We wanted to taste the real Greek food and found this small Greek tavern, Kilmataria, hidden away in the alleys of Athens. It is definitely off the tourist trail, we are so glad we asked a local.

We were greeted by the hostess Maria who spoke perfect English, and given a glass of ouzo (on the house), tsatsiki and bread, then a menu to order from. Ouzo is the national drink of Greece, an anis brandy with a high alcohol percentages.  Greeks usually drink ouzo mixed with cold water or ice cubes.  We were greeted with a small glass (similar to a shot glass) with ouzo mixed with ice cubes.

The ambiance was truly Greek. The decor is homey - individual and rustic, with plants trailing from the ceiling.  The menu was handwritten in cursive on folded colored paper, and was explained in person by Maria. She described each item on the menu - with a full explanation on what the food consists of and how it is made. 

We started with homemade red wine, fresh olives and the traditional Greek salad.  As you may have noticed in the pictures above, the taverna itself is covered in grape vines and along the walls are barrels used to homemake their wines.  The wine was fantastic; we enjoyed it tremendously.

The food was amazing, we hope you can picture the mouth watering effect it had on us from the pictures above.  Apart from the Greek olives and Greek salad we tried moussaka and lamb, two traditional Greek dinner courses.  Moussaka is a well known meal in Greece - it is an eggplant and potato based dish.

The lamb we tasted was something like an endless dream.  The spices and herbs were used exquisitly, complimenting(not taking away from) the flavor of the perfectly cooked meat. We ate the foods of Greece until our hearts content, drank the delicious homemade wine and enjoyed each other's company in a beautiful restaurant setting. Welcome to Greece.  

This meal was the perfect ending to a remarkable day, and the perfect start to our relaxation on the beautiful Greek Islands.

Tomorrow we leave by boat and are off to beautiful Mykonos, Greece.

Home Is Where The Heart Is,

Nicole & Anthony