calbearz

Anyone with recommendations with what we must try for awesome traditional Greek food?

Thanks

daveesl

Baklava, octopus, sea urchin roe

patandhank

I love the traditional Greek salads. Love the feta cheese, olives and fresh tomato!

Of course I also love Retsina wine. As I tell people, you'll either love it or hate it.

travelerjan

I don't usually recommend this guy's website, but Matt Barrett has a secion on Greek Food WITH PHOTOGRAPHS that really will show u what things look like -- PLUS a subsection called How to Order -- that you can print out (YES!!)... it gives BRIEF descriptions of each dish AND tells you how to say it PHONETICALLY. A real GEM.
http://www.greecefoods.com/
http://www.greecefoods.com/restaurants/ordering.htm


AMong MY favorites -- lamb with lemon sauce, and anything called Kleftiko (a kind of stew either lamb or veal, often with cheese baked on top) ... these are OVEN braised dishes, cooked loooong and slow, and fork- tender. Fish is very expensive, beware! smaller seafood is less, and grilled sardines are magical.

joe4212

My favorite starter in Greece is gigantes, followed by lamb kleftiko with Greek potatoes (baked in olive oil and water).

Joe

grandmere

Stuffed grape leaves served with a lemon sauce.

ekscrunchy

Go to Ariston in Athens and have the spinach and the cheese pies...spanakopita and tiropita.



Photo of these two Greek delights:

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1203/...c7b7726fa5.jpg

smacknmo

Agree with kleftiko and spanakopita, and Greek salad. I am especially fond of the fried feta, yummmm, and any of the desserts there. I enjoyed the food in Greece far more than in Italy. That is not to say that the food in Italy is not excellent, but here in the Philadelphia area we have a lot of excellent Italian restaurants. We are short on excellent Greek restaurants so I really enjoyed just about everything there. I am an eggplant lover so I really gorged myself on moussaka, about three different times, all being very well prepared. Enjoy!

DaveJJ

My wife and I were in Greece last April. In addition to the dishes suggested earlier I would propose you try 'saganaki'. We really enjoyed it.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,171,...254206,00.html

zeppole

Yoghurt.

It is often possilble to get cretan salads in Athens, and they are fantastic -- but it is hard not to have a fantastic salad in Greece.

I think grilled fish is better than fried fish in Greece.

If it is hot when you are in greece, iced and whipped coffee is a great treat.

littlejane

All of the above are good suggestions. The iced coffee is great and is called a frappe (Frap-pAY)

courgette fritters for starters (called kolokithokeftedes I think)

another starter: octopus in vinegar

baklava, from a local bakery on your way home in the evening (they don't close until late)

Lifeman

Try stefado,a beef stew or Haloumi cheese when it's grilled. Chicken soup with rice and lemon. There's tiropitakia (sorry if I've spelt it badly), which a deep fried triangular cheese starter. It looks like a samosa. In the main, greek food is not fine dining. It's just good, hearty stuff.

Retsina, as someone else said, is love or hate. It tastes like pine disinfectant to me. Greek wine is not of the highest standard, but their beers are very good.

lynclarke

Lifeman--So tell me about the beers. Do they have dark beers, too?

mr_go

Dolmades are a great starter. And I forget what they're called in Greek, but if you see "octopus balls" on the English menu, give 'em a try. And I second the recommendation by Lifeman that you try a stefado.

I'm not wild about retsina, myself. But a nice ouzo with a couple of ice cubes after dinner is great.

I didn't see much of local dark beer, lyn, but larger bars will carry imports. However, I fell in love with the locally produced Mythos lager.

brotherleelove2004

"Greek wine is not of the highest standard, but their beers are very good." Tell that to the folks at Sigalas on Santorini....

Awards:
2009
Silver Medal in the international competition “Challenge International du Vin”, Bourg, France, April 2009 for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2008

Silver Medal in the international competition “International Wine Challenge” February 2009 for SIGALAS SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2008

Silver Medal in the international competition ‘‘International Wine and Spirit Competition 2009’’ for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2008

Bronze Medal in the international competition “Decanter World Wine Awards” March 2009 for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2008

2008
Gold Medal in the international competition “Decanter World Wine Awards”, March 2008 for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2007

Gold Medal in the 8th Thessalonica International Wine Competition, March 2008 for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2006

Gold Medal in the international competition “Monde Selection”, April 2008, Brussels for SIGALAS SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2007

Bronze Medal in the international competition “International Wine Challenge”, February 2008 for SIGALAS SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2007

2007
Gold of Gold in the International competition “Vinalies Internationales’’, Oenologues de France, Paris, February 2007 for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2003

Gold Medal in the international competition “Μundus Vini” for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2006

Silver Medal in the international competition “Challenge International du Vin”, Bourg, France, May 2007 for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2004

Silver Medal (BEST IN CLASS) in the international competition ‘‘International Wine and Spirit Competition 2007’’ for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2003

Silver Medal in the international competition “Vinalies Internationales’’, Oenologues de France, Paris, February 2007 for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2005

Silver Medal in the 7th Thessalonica international Wine Competition, March 2007 for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2005

Silver Medal in the 7th Thessalonica international Wine Competition, March 2007 for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2004

Silver Medal in the competition “International Wine Challenge’’ for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2006

Bronze medal in the international competition “Decanter World Wine Awards’’, for SIGALAS SANTORINI BARREL VQPRD Vintage 2006

Bronze Medal in the international competition “International Wine and Spirit Competition 2007’ for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2006

Praise in the international competition “International Wine Challenge’’ for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2003


2006
Silver Medal in the international competition “Challenge International du Vin”, Bourg, France, April 2006 for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2004

Bronze Medal in the international competition “Challenge International du Vin”, Bourg, France, April 2006 for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2003

Gold Medal in the 6ο Thessalonica international Wine Competition, March 2006 for SIGALAS BARREL SANTORINI VQPRD Vintage 2003

Special citation from the Greek Wine Association for Greek white wine VQPRD with the highest score for SIGALAS BARREL Santorini VQPRD Vintage 2003


2004
Silver Medal in the international competition “Decanter’’ 2004 for SIGALAS SANTORINI BARREL VQPRD Vintage 2003

Silver Medal in the international competition “Concour Mondial de Bruxelles” for SIGALAS SANTORINI BARREL VQPRD Vintage 2001

Gold Medal in the international competition “Challenge International du Vin” for SIGALAS SANTORINI BARREL VQPRD Vintage 2003


2003
Silver Medal in the 3rd international competition Thessalonica 2003 for SIGALAS SANTORINI BARREL VQPRD Vintage 2001

2002
Gold Medal in the international competition “Selections Mondiales 2002” for SIGALAS SANTORINI BARREL VQPRD Vintage 2001

Silver Medal in the international competition “Concour Mondial de Bruxelles” for SIGALAS SANTORINI BARREL VQPRD Vintage 2001


2001
Silver Medal in the international competition “The International Wine & Spirit Competition 2001” for SIGALAS SANTORINI BARREL VQPRD Vintage 2000

MAGAZINES SCORES

The Independent Consumer’s Wine Guide by Robert Parker

Sigalas Barrel Santorini VQPRD 2001 90 (01.2009)
Sigalas Barrel Santorini VQPRD 2003 90 (01.2009)
Sigalas Barrel Santorini VQPRD 2007 90 (01.2009)

Wine & Spirits Magazine

Sigalas Barrel Santorini VQPRD 2007 93 (October 2008)

Wine Spectator

Sigalas Barrel Santorini VQPRD 2006 88 (31.10.2007)
Sigalas Barrel Santorini VQPRD 2004 88 (30.11.2006)

Stephan Tanzer’s International Wine Cellars

Sigalas Barell Santorini VQPRD 2005 85 (Jan-Febr 2007)

Tasting Notes by Jancis Robinson

Sigalas 2003 Oaked Santorini 17.5 Drink 2005-07
Still a bit oaky on the nose but good minerality. Deep flavoured and not excessively oaked but on the basis of previous vintages it should definitely be left alone for a while.

Sigalas 2001 Oaked Santorini 17.5 Drink now
More complete than the unoaked 2001 at this stage. Smooth and still exciting. Very good with food. Lots of personality - far from smothered by oak, as oaked versions can taste at a younger stage. Deep extract and minerality.

PRESS RELEASE

“Vinalies Internationales 2007”
A great award for Domain Sigalas

Athens 28 March 2007: A great distinction was awarded to Domain Sigalas in the “Vinalies Internationales 2007” awards, hosted by Union des Oenologues de France, which is one of the most prestigious wine competitions in the world. Specifically, the «Sigalas Santorini BARREL 2003» brought home one of the 7 Trophies of the competition, getting the highest score -89/100 - in the Classification «Dry White wine».

«A great and elegant wine worth discovering», were some of the judges comments on «Sigalas Santorini BARREL 2003», while in their organoleptic descriptions they note «…A bright golden-yellow colour. A nose with intense notes of oak wood and a high level and sophisticated bouquet, where ripe fruit co-exist in harmony with hints of spices. Fullandroundinflavor, withacharmingandsensualpaletteofaromas». As one of the trophy holders of the competition, «Sigalas Santorini BARREL 2003» will be included in the annual publication «1000 Vins du Monde" for 2007.

The competition “Vinalies Internationales” holds great international acclaim as one of the foremost events in the field of oenology internationally. In the competition this year participating were 125 wine tasters, 35 different nationalities (a record for the event), judging 2.850 wine samples in different categories. The 7 Trophies of the competition are given to the wines that get the highest marks in the following categories: Dry Red Wine, Rosé wines, Dry White Wine, Sweet Wine, Fortified Wine, Sparkling wine and Eaux-de-Vie.

Lifeman

See, I told you that Greek wine is not that good. Out of the whole of Greece, you come up with one Winery on an island that mistreats donkeys! Unless you are related or work for them to list all of this stuff? I've been to Santorini and tried the Sigalas wine which is OK. But how many great domaines and vintages for Greece are there? Precisely!

lynclarke--I've not seen dark beers in Greece, they all appear to be blond in colour. Although I prefer wine, I do enjoy a cool beer when it's hot. The one I remember from Cyprus is KEO, made on the island.

brotherleelove2004

I copied the info above because that was the first one that came to mind, but it's certainly not the ONLY winery in Greece winning major awards.

Precisely how many? I don't have a clue, but here are some more:

http://www.hellasimportltd.com/images/pdf/vwsawards.pdf

http://www.greeka.com/cyclades/santo.../events/71.htm

The point I am making is that Greece is becoming more well-known for their efforts to produce quality wines. "Greatness" takes time but quality is apparent now.

Peace.

jon_rwr

This past summer I ate lamb with warmed tsatziki drizzled over it. A fantastic mixture of flavours.

Jon

worldinabag

Kalimera

Souvlaki of course! And cheese pies. Octopus balls are great. And natural yogurt mixed with some honey - too much of this was probably the main reason my shirt buttons started popping

travelerjan

If you are in the Pelopponnese, try the Nemean red wine ... famous, and deservedly. It fills the mouth. Tavernas dispense it by the barrel, no need to buy a costly labelled bottle. And out by the highway, leaving the Nafplio area, there's a sort of "wine shed" where you can just drive up and fill a jug, or a keg, whatever. Yet it's not "jug wine" -- it's lovely.