The cheese spread, should you want to order it again, is called tyrokefteri / tirokefteri, Htpti or Kopanisti. It’s feta blended with hot peppers. Some people are really proud do their recipe.
Another nice feta starter is feta sto fournou, which is baked feta and tomatoes.
Ok, things are getting real on Santorini! Tiny little bit of wind, a little rain, some whitecaps, and the fresh seafood disappeared like last weeks allowance! LOL!
Seriously, it has been a little wintery the past couple days so i am not surprised. I had a nice stuffed chicken breast for lunch at the Pelican Kipos w roast vegies/Touros on the side. The chicken was a touch dry but not overly so, and the people are great there. Almost every seat was taken which is not what i am used to in the Greek islands in Jan or Feb. Their version of the fried doughnut hole w honey is only ok but with espresso it was a treat.
The rain was pelting down so i went next door to Kokkalo for dinner. They started me w a small raki and to honor the storm i ordered a 200ml bottle of Plomari 1894. I had the stuffed sausage/Loukaniko(?) and the mushroom risotto al tartufo. Again the cafe was nearly full and the regular waitresses were on their day off so it was 2 older Greek gents with beards serving. It seemed like a different place! Not bad, just different. Old school, somehow.
Anyway, the stuffed sausage was cheesy, herby and rich so i saved one for breakfast later. Best laid plans…
The risotto was really good, slightly al dente and full of flavor. Mushrooms were not canned portabella but they were a firm portabella i believe. No variety there.
All in all, a pleasant dinner with a seat overlooking the Aegean Sea in its mildly tempestuous mood.
Then i got intercepted by a German Shorthair out in the cold rain w no collar. She looked miserable so i gave her half my remaining sausage. She gulped it down, looked for more and when i walked off she headed North like a shot. I have a feeling that is a near nightly gig for her. Roll one tourist then head home for her warm bed. I hope.
The “ouzo defense against cold, wet weather” did not work. It felt like those icey pellets were drilling into my face. But my studio is warm and dry and has a view of the sea.
Sadly, probably true. That shorthair looked cared for but timid. Could be either way, stray or wandering home after begging a snack.
The cats get a LOT of local feeding. Piles of cat kibble all over Oia and in a few spots of Fira. They need a neutering program here but no money for it, i imagine.
The bar tender wanted to give me doughnut hole w honey (sorry Phoenikia) and i said i do not eat dessert. He looked shocked! And asked if i drink Raki. I laughed and said “Raki? Definitely!” And he brought me a pitcher of Raki.
The stewed pork was really good. Not a great cut of pork but it was cooked long enough that it became fairly tender and completely delicious. The spinach or kale that it was served with (cooked in?) really set it off. Not fancy food but good. The blackeyed peas/beans were served in an olive oil and made for good eating with the crusty bread. Let me see if I can include a pdf or jpg of the menu…
Siga Siga is more of a bar with 5 tables and 6 bar stools rather than a cafe. But I had all that, plus a draft Mythos and the bill came to 16 Euros. The funny thing is that the bar tender is a good guy, but he reminds me of some of my Aunts. Just aghast that someone would not want dessert.
I have an AirBNB on the top of some older building that has been reno’ed recently. Kind of a view of the Aegean if you lean off the balcony in a dangerous manner. More importantly, it is 100 meters to Theotokopoulos Park.
So, siga siga is also a phrase about taking it slow, the equivalent to Take it Easy. That’s what I thought you were talking about.
Crete has lots of greens (horta) which are not kale or spinach.
Kale is more of a Northern European and Portuguese vegetable, not common in most Greek kitchens. Disliked by most Greeks in my family.
Could be dandelions, arugula, purslane, chard, other Cretan greens I don’t know then names for. Horta is the collective word for all greens (ie Hortaculture) , and when you order horta, it’s often a mixture or whatever is on hand.
I was looking for a Greek menu to take a photo of but they spotted the yankee and only gave me the English version. LOL! So that short menu description is all I have. Not a great meal but a rather good one. And that is good enough.
Weather is bad for three days so I am just going to wander around Heraklion. The gorge can wait for warmer weather. Much warmer weather.
The Samarian Gorge is a nice hike. Definitely recommend it. The restaurants at the base of the hike will gouge you, so don’t be surprised by their prices. If me memory serves, one taverna was charging 5 euros per Coke in 2007. Captive market after a long hike.
On a day that you’re not visiting the Gorge, if you decide to visit Rethymno, Avli has a good reputation. I hired a taxi to take me in between cities last time I was in Crete. https://www.avli.gr/
Heraklion was a culinary win-win-win… I started the second day w a small tomato soup w bone marrow amuse bouche, delicious! Then Kreokakavao/pork roasted in honey and a single huge cabbage leaf stuffed w cracked bulgur wheat and spices. Oh my God Peskesi is great!
One more slice, wafer thin!
In my defense, I was never told that the complementary bottle of Raki after dinner was to be sampled, not finished! LOL!
I drank 3/4 of the first 6 ounce one. Then the next cafe gave me an 8 ounce one and it dawned on me that you were only supposed to take a thimble or two of it.
I rolled into the museums of Heraklion and was dumbstruck by one room in particular. It has undamaged pieces sculted between 1000BC and 140AD. Incredible to see these works, some still with there nose and limbs. It really brings home the loss of great art over the years. And the human suffering and horror that accompanied it.
Over the past week the days were 53’ish and the nights 45’ish and there was a good bit of rainy wind. But starting from yesterday and looking forward, the next four days are 61’ish and the nights are 51’ish. So yes, it does feel a bit springlike!
None of the greenery is starting to bloom/leaf out yet, I think that comes in mid-March judging from my last trip in 2019.
I am in Chania now, Crete’s second city. I stayed in a nice waterfront hotel the Porto Veneziano my first 3 days and then moved to an AirBNB that is in the historic district and is very charming, albeit it was a bit chilly at night when the temps dropped down close to 40. The HVAC here is set up for cooling more than heating, I think.
Chania was a Venetian port city for nearly 500 years, then a Turkish town for 240 years and then Crete joined Greece in 1913. Most of the people I talk to “identify” as Cretan, not Greek. There is a bit of flavor of each of the three cultures but the locals have placed their own indelible stamp on it. The food has been very good and widely varied. My only problem so far has been figuring out the etiquette in different situations. Service is very friendly and very slow, which is hard for me to get used to. But I have finally realized that you are NOT supposed to drink the entire pitcher of Raki that they put on your table with the complementary desert after every meal. I thought that leaving any would mean it would just get poured out. My host was kind of nonplussed when I mentioned my concern. Thinking about it, I was assigning my own cultural biases about serving “second hand” food or beverage items that really do not make sense.
I found a really cool estiatorio/cafe that serves made dishes that I have been haunting for some time. I had chickpeas and pork stew (or was it rabbit?) my first time and black eyed peas and pork stew with peppers my second time. Really good family type food at Kouzina EPA.
The menu board gives you a good idea of the range of dishes.
Silly story. I have been surprised by how popular black clothing is in Greece. I feel like i am in Manhaatan where everyone is wearing black but me! LOL!
But i finally spotted someone wearing my signature orange colored coat! He was driving the maintenance van…
