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| - Having grown up in a largely meat and potatoes household where the dictum "mama don't cook what mama don't like" was as unimpeachable as gospel, I'm now mostly drawn to foreign cuisines. In the course of my culinary adventures I once in a great while have a meal so staggering, so transcendent that I find myself wishing to bask in the reflected glory of whatever culture produced such ambrosia and lamenting my Anglo-Saxon ancestry for denying me the right to honestly do so. I had just such a meal during a recent trip to Greek Isles.
The centerpiece was snapper. It was served whole, perfectly seasoned and grilled until the skin was crispy but still tender and flaky inside. This came with a side of yigandes plaki, a common Greek dish of giant beans in a tomato and dill sauce with wilted spinach and sprinkled with feta. I'd never had it before but it was so good I resolved to start making it at home regularly. For dessert I eschewed the standard baklava and chose the galaktoboureko, a pastry of phyllo filled with a thick layer of custard and drizzled with a slightly citrusy syrup. I can't recommend it highly enough. It's worthy of poetry...or at least a postage stamp.
Sadly, the snapper and giant beans was a special. So while I'd highly recommend it, it may not be a regular option. What I can suggest is this: unless you're new to Greek food, fight indecision and resist the urge to order the Pikilia combo platter. While it's all delicious, I've learned ordering this is a mistake. Generally speaking, save the standard Greek stuff for Showmars. Far greater pleasure can be had by ordering something less pedestrian. If you eat seafood, go for whatever fish is on special. It's so fresh and cooked so well one can be forgiven for thinking there's a fishing boat docked out back. If you don't eat fish, reconsider your life choices. The same principle applies to ordering appetizers and desserts. Hummus and baklava are always good. But you'll really do yourself a disservice by not branching out.
You often hear people say that since inventing democracy, providing scientific insights 2,400 years ahead of their time and basically building the foundation for all of Western Civilization, Greece has been resting on its laurels. Clearly these people aren't accounting for Greek cuisine. When done right, as Greek Isles never fails to do, it's not just good, it's enough to make you want to stand on the table, play the bouzouki and lead the restaurant in a rousing rendition of Ýmnos is tin Eleftherían.
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