Food Adventures in Keramoti

While we're preparing a posting on Keramoti, we wanted to share our meal with you this evening in hopes of tantalizing your taste buds with something...different.

So far, every meal we've had in Greece has been a startling surprise of flavor and seasonings. The food I remember from growing up was far more bland than anything we've tasted over here. We've (Kelly and I) discussed this a number of times. I don't know if it's the freshness of the fruits and vegetables or the way they're prepared but the Greeks seem to be able to make something as simple as a tomato/cucumber/feta salad come alive with vivid flavors.

For the times we eat in, at our apartment, we have a supermarket just around the corner and they stock a lot of fresh vegetables and yummy fruits. When we do go out we have learned, in an effort to be good stewards of our resources, that we can order one entree and share it. This has, so far, been more than enough for both of us.

This evening, we walked into town and decided to try another one of the seemingly dozens of cafes and restaurants along the water front. The more kind and gentle food establishments provide a menu in Greek and English with many of them adding German as well.

As we looked over the menu, we knew tonight was the night to go out on the edge. Or to be more precise, perhaps...to go out on a limb. We had heard from our excellent landlord and friend, Julian that one of the favorite and tastiest dishes in Keramoti was... But wait! First, let's look at the appetizers!

We felt like we were "secret shoppers" or food critics for an avant garde magazine, "The wait staff was courteous but that doesn't make up for the heavy-handed use of taragon in the bernaise sauce." Of course we had no one to report to and we're not really secretive but it was fun to pretend we knew what we were talking about.
Back to the menu!

We started out by ordering "Greek Cheeses, Fried W/Tomato" (left). It was astounding! A mixture of feta, mozzarella and maybe one or two others fried gently and served in a bowl with a large spoon to ladle it over a piece of bread. It could have been a meal unto itself! We may return one evening for more of this! It was accompanied with bottled water (right); with bubbles (soda) for Kelly and without (nero) for me.

Then we moved on to "Fried Zucchini" (right). Well made and very fresh, served with a sour cream/cucumber/garlic sauce that Kelly loved...(read between the lines on that one....I didn't. "Siskel gives it a thumbs up, Ebert a thumbs down"). Still, the zucchini was lightly battered and delicious. The portion was huge! We were getting full and still had the "piece-de-resistance" left.

Finally....we ordered....OCTOPUS! Not something either of us were very intrigued by but highly recommended, we would never have forgiven ourselves if we didn't give it a try. Here's what arrived at our table;It was labeled "Octopus From the Grill" on the menu. I had imagined something huge laying on a plate with tentacles falling over the edges and a big eye looking at me. The lonely tentacle we received was fairly small, about 7 or 8 inches (+/- 20 cm) long. We had a lot of fun just looking at it for a bit. After inspecting it very carefully and taking numerous pictures of it, we were faced with the reality that one of us was going to have to actually try to eat some if it.

After a lot of discussion and many promises for future favors and generosities, it was decided that I would lay my gastrointestinal sensitivities on the line and try it. I picked up the knife and began to slice...let me rephrase that...I began to saw into it. It was tough! I cut off about a half inch, dipping it in the mixture of drawn butter and olive oil surrounding the tentacle and tasted it. It wasn't bad! I don't know that I can fully describe the taste or the texture for that matter. It tasted vaguely like white fish but had a very dense texture. Kelly tried some immediately afterward. I asked what she thought it tasted like, "Spam.....maybe cat food" came the reply.

I'm sure this dish is an "acquired" taste.Yet, it was a true adventure in cuisine. One that will most likely, not be repeated anytime soon but memorable nonetheless.