Athens!
Marc and I arrived in Athens this morning following a 13 hour journey with a leg to JFK in NYC and an overnight leg to Athens, complete with an intermittently crying baby 2 seats away. In coach. Oh, and Dominique Wilkins was on our flight, for anyone who remembers basketball stars last decade. Of course he was in first class. The movies were mediocre, Cellular, Spanglish, and Lemeny Snicket. Spanglish was the best of the bunch. I was compelled to watch since I couldn't sleep in the cramped seat.
As morning quickly follows night, we arrived to a brilliant sun drenched 60 degree day in Athens. Getting to the hotel was a breeze, in fact we were upgraded to their more expensive property. The room, although functional and comfortable, is predictably small. No matter, as we don't plan to spend much time in it. The hotel has a roof terrace with a beautiful view of the Acropolis, only 3 blocks away.
We immediately started exploring the neighborhood, ending up walking a circuit around the Acropolis, eating lunch in an overpriced taverna with a lovely view, and stopping into the ruins of the Roman agora. We will explore more in earnest tomorrow, but it was good to get oriented.
Dinner was unexpectedly spectacular. My first choice out of the Time Out guide no longer existed, so plan B was a little gem called Edodi. The 6 block walk there was on a street lined with fragrant orange trees in full blossom. When we arrived they initially said they were booked, but as we inquired as to a recommendation of another restaurant, another person came out and said they could in fact accommodate us. The restaurant is very warm and cozy, with an interesting and sometimes odd harlequin motif. We were started with an amuse of lentil puree soup with anise and sunflower seeds. Next we selected a red Greek wine made from the Agiorghitiko grape, which is somewhere between a Burgundy and Bordeaux in intensity and complexity. Starting with a berry and cherry character, as it opened up it revealed more depth, with cocoa or dark chocolate, blackberry and cassis. The sommelier was extremely helpful. She even came up with a list of good wineries nearby to visit when I asked for some information on the subject.
The format of the restaurant was very unique. They don't have a menu. Instead, they present plates showing the available dishes, uncooked, which we could choose to be prepared. It was an agonizing choice of appetizers, but we settled on Morel mushrooms stuffed with a pistachio mousse and sauteed, which we split. I also had a langoustine steamed in a saffron broth, and Marc had lobster tail and spinach wrapped in pasta, like a huge ravioli. For the main course I selected sea bass steamed in lavendar, and Marc had rabbit rolled around lobster meat. (He really likes lobster) We managed to save (or create) room for dessert, another agonizing choice. I chose a white chocolate and hazelnut mousse topped with mango salad, served with caramel and hazelnut ice cream and vanilla and mango sauce, with a couple slices of mango for decadence. Marc had a chocolate and espresso mousse with chocolate ice cream. We had a glass of Samos dessert wine, made in the island of Samos from Muscat grapes. The damage was only 177 Euros for two, including wine.
This was definitely an auspicious beginning to the trip, and we have set the bar high.
We checked out the local gay dance club in the neighborhood, Lamda, which was not too busy on a Friday night. Maybe about 60 people there, playing mostly Greek pop music which is surprisingly danceable, at least for me, although I didn't dance. Since I was a bloated hippopotamus from dinner, and exhausted from no sleep, we just stayed a little while and came back here where I am about to fall flat out. ZZZZZ
As morning quickly follows night, we arrived to a brilliant sun drenched 60 degree day in Athens. Getting to the hotel was a breeze, in fact we were upgraded to their more expensive property. The room, although functional and comfortable, is predictably small. No matter, as we don't plan to spend much time in it. The hotel has a roof terrace with a beautiful view of the Acropolis, only 3 blocks away.
We immediately started exploring the neighborhood, ending up walking a circuit around the Acropolis, eating lunch in an overpriced taverna with a lovely view, and stopping into the ruins of the Roman agora. We will explore more in earnest tomorrow, but it was good to get oriented.
Dinner was unexpectedly spectacular. My first choice out of the Time Out guide no longer existed, so plan B was a little gem called Edodi. The 6 block walk there was on a street lined with fragrant orange trees in full blossom. When we arrived they initially said they were booked, but as we inquired as to a recommendation of another restaurant, another person came out and said they could in fact accommodate us. The restaurant is very warm and cozy, with an interesting and sometimes odd harlequin motif. We were started with an amuse of lentil puree soup with anise and sunflower seeds. Next we selected a red Greek wine made from the Agiorghitiko grape, which is somewhere between a Burgundy and Bordeaux in intensity and complexity. Starting with a berry and cherry character, as it opened up it revealed more depth, with cocoa or dark chocolate, blackberry and cassis. The sommelier was extremely helpful. She even came up with a list of good wineries nearby to visit when I asked for some information on the subject.
The format of the restaurant was very unique. They don't have a menu. Instead, they present plates showing the available dishes, uncooked, which we could choose to be prepared. It was an agonizing choice of appetizers, but we settled on Morel mushrooms stuffed with a pistachio mousse and sauteed, which we split. I also had a langoustine steamed in a saffron broth, and Marc had lobster tail and spinach wrapped in pasta, like a huge ravioli. For the main course I selected sea bass steamed in lavendar, and Marc had rabbit rolled around lobster meat. (He really likes lobster) We managed to save (or create) room for dessert, another agonizing choice. I chose a white chocolate and hazelnut mousse topped with mango salad, served with caramel and hazelnut ice cream and vanilla and mango sauce, with a couple slices of mango for decadence. Marc had a chocolate and espresso mousse with chocolate ice cream. We had a glass of Samos dessert wine, made in the island of Samos from Muscat grapes. The damage was only 177 Euros for two, including wine.
This was definitely an auspicious beginning to the trip, and we have set the bar high.
We checked out the local gay dance club in the neighborhood, Lamda, which was not too busy on a Friday night. Maybe about 60 people there, playing mostly Greek pop music which is surprisingly danceable, at least for me, although I didn't dance. Since I was a bloated hippopotamus from dinner, and exhausted from no sleep, we just stayed a little while and came back here where I am about to fall flat out. ZZZZZ