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While you can enjoy elegant and nouvelle dining in some of the finer restaurants of the Peloponnese's beauty spots, such as Nafplion and Monemvasia, one of the great pleasures of traveling in this region is enjoying a meal on a square or seaside terrace in a simple village. In fact, villages here were the source of such internat
While you can enjoy elegant and nouvelle dining in some of the finer restaurants of the Peloponnese's beauty spots, such as Nafplion and Monemvasia, one of the great pleasures of traveling in this region is enjoying a meal on a square or seaside terrace in a simple vill
While you can enjoy elegant and nouvelle dining in some of the finer restaurants of the Peloponnese's beauty spots, such
While you can enjoy elegant and nouvelle dining in some of the finer restaurants of the Peloponnese's beauty spots, such as Nafplion and Monemvasia, one of the great pleasures of traveling in this region is enjoying a meal on a square or seaside terrace in a simple village. In fact, villages here were the source of such international favorites as avgolemono soup and lamb fricassee. There are several other local specialties to watch for: in the mountain villages near Tripoli, order stifado (beef with pearl onions), arni psito (lamb on the spit), kokoretsi (entrails on the spit), and thick, creamy yogurt. In Sparta, look for bardouniotiko (a local dish of chicken stuffed with cheese, olives, and walnuts), and, around Pylos, order fresh ocean fish (priced by the kilo). In the rest of Laconia, try loukaniko horiatiko (village sausage), and in the Mani ask for ham.
Vegetables are almost always locally grown and fresh in this region famous for its olives and olive oil as wells as figs, tomatoes, and other produce. Seafood is plentiful, though sometimes frozen—menus will usually indicate what's frozen and what's fresh (and frozen usually hails from beyond Greece). A fresh catch is usually available at seaside tavernas, and an octopus or two will usually be drying out front. Inland, many tavernas serve grilled pork from local farms, as well as chicken and roosters plucked that morning. As for wine, beyond those varelisio (from the barrel), there are great reds from the region around Nemea and a top light white from Mantinea. After dinner, try mavrodaphne, a heavy dessert wine, or dendoura, a clove liqueur, as a digestive. Dress is casual and reservations unnecessary, although you might be asked to wait for a table if you're dining with hoi polloi (the masses) at 9 pm or later.
If you tire of homespun tavernas serving up rustic menus in cobbled streets under blooming bougainvillea, 3Sixty is the rather brash grillhouse antidote. Sure, it's decoration is desperate to reassure you just how on trend it is, but after one or two excellent cocktails, you won't even mind the annoying horse photography on the walls. It also has the menu to back it up. Pata negra spareribs melt off the bone, the 150-day-aged rib-eye has flavor to beat the band, and the anthotyros-stuffed ravioli are a delight. Add to that comfortably the best wine list in the town.
Vasileos Alexandrou and Ferreou , Nafplion, Peloponnese, 21100, Greece
Traditional Italian gelato (ice cream), in many flavors and dished up in colorful old surroundings, supplies a tempting excuse for a break. Try the zuppa Inglese (trifle) flavor, with hunks of sweet frozen sponge inside.
Noulis sits on the very edge of the Old Town, stashed away like some treasured secret. It's a little pricier than the average taverna, but its small-plate menu is full of thrills. If chef Andrianos Andrianopoulos can't turn your dish into a flaming inferno in front of your eyes, he's not happy—order the cheese flambe and guard your eyebrows. More homely delights are found in the fried anchovies, punchy skordalia (garlic-potato dip), or the lamb shank with artichokes that arrives bathed in a citrus-heavy gravy that demands to be mopped up with bread. A welcome escape from the crowds of quayside or Staikopoulou Street.
Nafplion locals are demanding when it comes to seafood, so it's a credit to this attractive, nautical-themed taverna on the waterfront that locals pack in to enjoy expert dishes made from fresh catches. The kitchen sends out such traditional accompaniments as a memorable taramosalata (fish roe dip) as well as a few meat dishes, including exquisitely seasoned and grilled lamb chops.
A cute little breakfast and brunch spot just up from Syntagma Square. Organic produce and homemade jams and cakes make this a great little find, though it's so tiny that it can only cater to a few people. Get there early—it shuts at 2 pm.
Staikopoulou Street is one long outdoor dining room, with dozens of pretty, tourist-oriented tavernas serving night and day. There isn't much to separate them, but this venerable stop is perhaps a nose ahead of its neighbors, and still excellent value. The kitchen concentrates on excellent versions of such staples as ladera (vegetables cooked in olive oil), charcoal-grilled lamb ribs, and imam bayilda (eggplant stuffed with onions), and serves them beneath a bougainvillea arbor in a quiet lane next to the restaurant.
Charcoal-grilled meats are the specialty in this snug, high-ceilinged old room tucked away in the backstreets off the harbor. The cuisine strays from Greece into the neighboring Balkans, with some wonderful schnitzels, cheese-filled pork roast, and other dishes that provide a nice change from a steady diet of local fare.
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