the growing family tree..

Greek-Italian ancestry means nothing but “trouble” and will inevitably lead to one thing(or two); tasty cooking and masterful culinary skills! Mr. Dimitris Papazimouris was just a normal managing director(and still is) of an advertising agency until he decided to open up to us, starting his own blog caruso.gr(with a deconstructed and reformed family crest as a logo), spreading around his knowledge and experiences! kinda like a beginner’s guide. and then it happened; his own, fully booked, weekend pop-up restaurant hosted at “common secret cafe“.

common secret

Mr. Dimitris Papazimouris

Greek-Italian ancestry means nothing but “trouble”

there you can taste an authentic “harry’s bar” carpaccio creation, some grandma’s meatballs with yogurt sauce, a fine tartare with crispy fries, an ambrosial smoked paprika seasoned veal liver(bralos farm), some traditionally flavored stuffed cabbage rolls aka lahanodolmades, some comforting lasagna alla bolognese and finally a rich 80 day aged black angus rib steak(bralos farm of course). Mr. Papazimouris stated that the perfect aging temperature should be around 0-2 degrees Celsius and that a 45-day aging is just about enough.

“harry’s bar” carpaccio

meatballs w/ yogurt sauce

tartare w/ fries

veal liver & the family crest

stuffed cabbage rolls aka lahanodolmades

lasagna alla bolognese

black angus rib steak

an ambrosial smoked paprika seasoned veal liver

you will not be able to look away from your plate unless Mrs. Annie Fasseas the beautiful sommelier-opera singer starts her live performance. senses stimuli detected! and as if this isn’t enough, the ultimate Sophie’s meringue with lemon curd and the drunk, kinky chocolate mousse come along.

Mrs. Annie Fasseas performing live

and a video to prove it

Sophie’s meringue w/ lemon curd

chocolate mousse

senses stimuli detected!

so go my friends, enjoy the fruits of this tree of life.

“cucina caruso @ common secret” 324 Kifissias street, Kifissia, Athens, Greece, tel: +30 210 6233810  only Friday & Saturday until the end of March 2016

http://www.commonsecretcafe.gr/ 

brand name beef patties..

we all love beef patties right? if you know anyone that doesn’t, smack him! there is a place in Paleo Faliro area leading this field with expertise. “babis”(typical Greek first name) is just a neighborhood, family-friendly tavern, committed to offering good food since 1967(moved to its current location at 1978). golden jubilee on the way, wow!

the tavern since 1978

always crowded

the place

we all love beef patties right?

there you can find all these great “Greek Sundays” goodies. the appetizing colorful salad, the creamy taramosalata(fish roe salad), the sharp garlic flavored tzatziki, the crispy gold fried zucchini chips, the juicy steak and finally the famous, cracking beef patties. chew, chomp and swallow enthusiastically.

Greek salad

taramosalata

tzatziki

fried zucchini chips

steak w/ fries

beef patties

chew, chomp and swallow enthusiastically

so go my friends, it’s a branded world after all.

“babis” 73 Amfitheas avenue, Paleo Faliro, Athens, Greece, tel: +30 210 9420529

http://www.tavernababis.gr/ online ordering available

come sail away..

let me take you someplace nice. an endless sea spreading out in front of you, a bright blue sky above your head, a heartwarming sun, impressive dream yachts, good old Greek delicacies and a glass of your favorite wine.

table w/ a view

through the glass

endless sea spreading out in front of you, a bright blue sky above your head, a heartwarming sun..

“yacht club” is located in the luxurious “flisvos” marina at Paleo Faliro area. a meeting place active since the late 1930s(since 1975 at the current site) with a members only restaurant at first and fortunately a massive one since 2011.

Paleo Faliro yacht club

a crowded day

there, i say you have some sweet beets with skordalia(a garlic based thick puree of potatoes or bread), some crispy calamari rings, some hot, simple french fries and some freshly grilled red mullets. i ain’t hearing no complaints, right? a fine place to sip your wine.

beets w/ skordalia

calamari rings

french fries

red mullets

a fine place to sip your wine

so go my friends, after all sailing is sexy!

Paleo Faliro yacht club restaurant: Flisvos Marina, Paleo Faliro, tel. +30 210 9838444

http://nopf.gr/

from charcoal to gold..

let’s go back in time; way back in 1926. somewhere in Pagrati area where a fine little family house turned into a charcoal store. back in the days, that also meant barrels of wine and most of the times a few tables and chairs for the “good customers” to sit. that leads us to the making of one of the most historical restaurants around. “Karavitis” is a legendary tavern, popular among politicians, artists and intellectuals.

entrance – old sign

barrels dating back to 1935

Mr. Kostas(Karavitis) still remembers the fights for a table at the so called “pool”(a certain area outside the restaurant); at 1978 the picturesque yard followed. his uncle Mr. Panagiotis started this whole thing, what an intuition! take a look at the pictures printed on the paper table covers.

Mr. Kostas Karavitis

the yard

there you can taste a fresh Greek salad, a glorious tzatziki(the one with yogurt, cucumber and tons of garlic), some golden brown fried zucchini, some meatballs really close to perfection and some masterfully grilled beef burgers(also filled with cheese) and steaks.

Greek salad

the glorious “tzatziki”

fried zucchini

meatballs

burgers

juicy steak

you will of course beat thirst with house wine, a lot of house wine! after all, these barrels date back to the 1930s!

house wine

so go my friends, this is pure gold you found.

“Karavitis” 4 Pafsaniou & Arktinou street, Pagrati, Athens, Greece, tel: +30 210 7215155

http://www.karavitistavern.gr

the story of an old mulberry tree..

it was back in 1954 when a sweet couple from a Greek village decided to head toward the city of Athens in search of a more prosperous life. and there under a young mulberry tree in Palaio Faliro area(a southern suburb), they started their own business; a restaurant. “mouria”(which means mulberry tree) has been serving high quality food ever since. in this case the term quality does not refer to fancy names, inspired creations or glamorous presentations. it solely involves the freshest ingredients and perhaps the most skilled grill cook around; the family’s son! as you can easily guess, you will eat some exquisite meat there, like pluck, sausages, steaks, chicken, lamb and more. i usually enjoy some tender pleurotus mushrooms, a juicy steak, a light chicken fillet and some colorful boiled vegetables and of course some rich red wine. the last time i also tasted a wild boar with chestnuts and plums, so thoroughly cooked that literally melted in my mouth. the atmosphere is cosy, the environment simple and the staff really friendly and always alert; no wonder why this “recipe” is still successful.

indoors

the window/fridge

old picture

pleurotus mushrooms

steak

boiled vegetables

chicken fillet

wild boar w/ chestnuts & plums

the master grill cook Mr George

so go my friends visit this traditional place and watch the old mulberry tree as it still grows!

“mouria” 101 Achilleos street, Palaio Faliro, Athens, Greece, tel. +30 210 9888637

i like it raw..

i am not really a crazy meat lover. but when i heard about this new restaurant in town called “to kreas” ; the meat in Greek, i had to try it. i found it in a very friendly old neighborhood of Athens. it seemed like an area with a lot of action, subject to a weird kind of food frenzy! of course i chose a sweet little table outdoors. if you visit this place at night and the weather permits it, ask to sit on the beautiful terrace. as you can easily guess, meat is the highlight of this restaurant. i had an excellent fillet of beef and a black angus steak, all cooked as per my taste in a josper oven. as a starter i ordered a refreshing quinoa salad and some crunchy courgette sticks. the real surprise though, was two desserts, a banoffee and a “broken” mille-feuille with ice cream that truly fixed my day. so go visit this place because sometimes all you need is a steak! 

the place

the terrace

quinoa salad

courgette sticks

black angus steak

beef fillet

mille-feuille

“to kreas”   96 Dimofontos street, Ano Petralona, Greece tel. +30 210 3247028

http://www.tokreas-meat-spirits.gr

“food mafia” the only legit crime syndicate..

mafia always knew how and where to eat! that is why when you come across a restaurant whose name contains this specific word, you should at least give it a try. in the case of “food mafia” and his subversive owner/chef Ilias Skoulas, this association really stands! in his restaurant you will taste good meat and dishes from allover the world like, italian bisteca and tripa, us rib eye, brazilian picanja, snails with italian nduja(a pork paste from Calabria), rigatoni with foie gras and many more. they cook everything in a Spanish cast iron wood oven which enhances the taste. to tell you the truth, the last time i visited this place, the crime had a name, “picanja”, and felt good; no remorses at the end just a heavenly aftertaste. so let “food mafia” take you back in the 60’s and “make you an offer you can’t refuse”!   

picanja

chicken

snails with nduja

“food mafia” filikis eterias 10, Glyfada, Greece, tel.+30 2108942177
http://www.foodmafia.com.gr

“stay hungry bitch”.. NOT..

i visited a new hip place in Athens. it is in Vouliagmeni area and it surely has an interesting name; “stay hungry bitch”. do not be fooled by this quote, because ordering too many dishes, will overfeed your body and soul and finally leave you with a stomachache. the portions at this restaurant are really big! you can try things like, vietnamese rolls with tuna, rice balls with cuttlefish ink and squid, black cod tacos, and meat like black angus and many more. you will enjoy a kind of a gourmet street food blend listening to some really nice music. so this is what i suggest “stay hungry at least one day before you visit this place bitches”!

the place

vietnamese tuna rolls

rice cuttlefish ink balls

black angus

black cod tacos

“stay hungry bitch”, leoforos posidonos & orfeos 2, vouliagmeni greece, tel. +30 2108960323