Greek Islands (Mykonos, Santorini, etc.) - now with pictures

No dedicated thread, but I can't believe no LTH folk have been. Going to be spending several days among the two so I'd appreciate any advice you could offer. I did find GAF's wonderful post about Selene (in Santorini) in a cruise thread. Looking for fantastic holes in the wall as well as fine dining.

Well, I'll start with Mykonos. Overall, what I learned over the course of 1 1/2 weeks Greece is that for the most part, the food is very similar to what you find in Greektown in Chicago. We were amazed to recognize nearly every dish offered. We were also amazed to find that much of the food offered in Greektown in Chicago is as good or better than much of what we tasted in Greece. That being said, we spent a lot of time in more touristy locales so our impressions might have been slightly tainted.

As for Myknos, eating well was not so easy. Our first dinner was at a placed called Avra, which seemed hugely popular and was quite crowded. At the very least, the atmosphere was very nice dining al fresco. The food was okay, but nothing particularly memorable. We shared a chunky eggplant dip, which also contained garlic, green pepper and tomato. It was fine. Moussaka was also fine, but a little light on eggplant and really heavy on bechamel. And shrimp saganaki was too laden with tomato sauce, making it difficult to even find the shrimp. On the other hand, the spinach crepe topped with cheese was fantastic:



We had one very expensive dinner at a place named Gola, which leans Italia and was very highly regarded. Pictures from this dinner vanished, but memories did not. Overall, it was very expensive (about $175/person) for mediocre food. The setting is stunning, perched high in Mykonos and outdoor under the stars. But the food did not measure up. One starter of buffalo mozzarella with cherry tomatoes, basil and Apulian extra virgin olive oil featured top notch ingredients, but was about $25, and the mozzarella was a huge ball large enough to feed 3 or more as a starter, making it an odd appetizer in my book. But a bigger sin was the quail, stuffed with foie gras, and served in phyllo. It was overcooked, served with a sauce that was too tart, but delivered at a price where perfection was expected. My biggest complaint was when the bill came and we were charged for 2 orders of the bread service at nearly $7.50/order. The bread and accompanying olive past and tomato jam were all terrific, but we never ordered the first (would have though even if we had to pay), and we did not even touch any of the second bread service placed on the table.

Our best dinner was at a place called Bakalo, which I later found out is owned by the same people as Gola. Had I known that, I wouldn't have eaten there, particularly after the bread service issue. But it turned out to be a solid meal. The chickpea salad (pictured right below) was just terrific - chickpeas, sundried tomatoes, mint, feta, very good olive oil.




We also had a very nice version of dolmades, as well as the best version of moussaka we tried during the trip:

[img]http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6180/6168005486_c902cb664f_z.jpg[/img



However, the lamb with boiled greens and a lemon sauce that our waiter raved about was tough and the lamb itself was just not that flavorful.



Probably our best meal in Mykonos was also our cheapest - lunch at Jimmy's Gyros. Chicken and pork gyros are offered. Here's a look at the pork spit:



We had one of each and they were really great - moist, crisp edges, very flavorful, and just the right amount of grease. In fact, these gyros were better than the most highly acclaimed gyros in Athens. The onions seemed perhaps slightly pickled or at least rinsed just enough to remove some of their bite. And the accompanying tzatziki sauce was great . . . best we tried on our trip. I only wish the fries were decent - greasy and obviously fried at too low a temperature everywhere we had them. Below is a picture of each (fries served in the middle, which we found to be standard order everywhere, including Athens).




I'll post a little later on our brief stay in Santorini.

waaaaahhhh....I want some!

On to Santorini - and wow is Santorini beautiful . . . words can hardly do it justice. Hopefully, these pictures help some:











Foodwise, Santorini certainly beat Mykonos. Our first dinner was at the highly acclaimed Selene which is now in a new location, and it was very good, but I'd stop short of calling it great. The meal started off on a real high note with a very nice amuse (can't recall details, and the picture doesn't help), then this excellent "salad" (pictured immediately below) which featured tomatoes, capers, olives, chloro cheese powder, olive oil and a tomato sorbet - every component was great and the combination of flavors even better.





Good but not as successful as the "salad" was a cold tomato soup with niotiko cheese ice cream - very nice flavors, but a little one dimensional, particularly when compared to the other starter. Mains fared very well thanks to beautifully cooked fish. Aegean cod with sweet potatoes and wild greens:





Sea bass (and IIRC tomato fritters, very common in Santorini, and fava sauce):





Dessert was an average version of baklava with cinnamon ice cream. Like the one soup, dessert was a bit of a letdown given the very high quality of everything else. I'd still recommend a visit to Selene.

As good as Selene was, my favorite meal in Santorini was at Katina's in Amoudi Bay. Amoudi Bay sits below the very picturesque town of Oia. You can get to Amoudi Bay via the huge winding staircase (visible in picture below), boat or car. Here's a view of Amoudi Bay and its restaurants, with Oia above:





Our meal at Katina's started off with a tomato salad, featuring some of the best tomatoes I have ever tried, capers, olives, olive oil and oregano.





Then saganaki, made with kefalotyri cheese . . . I found this to be more flavorful than saganaki made with halloumi cheese - I learned that halloumi is the cheese traditionally used to make saganaki in Cyprus, but not elsewhere in Greece. One thing I prefer about saganaki in Chicago is the tableside dousing and flaming presentation, but the cheese used here was much better.





While the tomato salad and saganaki were both excellent, a visit to Katina's is all about freshly caught seafood. They show you their fresh fish of the day and you get to inspect and smell. We chose this beautiful scorpion fish:





It was grilled over charcoal, served simply with some lemon and olive oil, and it was delicious.






We also noticed quite a bit of octopus being grilled (although we did not order this):





Our meal ended with a fantastic baklava-type pastry served with what I believe was a yogurt ice cream.





In my opinion, a visit to Santorini would not be complete without a stroll around Oia, a visit to Amoudi Bay and a meal at Katina's. The setting is spectacular. I had also heard that Sunset at Amoudi Bay is quite good, but we only tried Katina's . . . and given how great our meal was, I have no regrets. A great time to visit would be shortly before sunset, but reservations are essential and make sure you reserve a table right up front on the water (except mid-day when it's hot and you want shelter)

We visited a couple of wineries in Santorini too - quite the wine producing region. Most interesting to me is the way they shape the vines in Santorini to protect them from the wind:




Greek raisins?:




While driving from winery to winery and touring the island, we stumbled upon a bakery with many fine looking desserts. This baklava was both pretty and tasty (though not as good as the dessert at Katina's):





If I have one complaint about most of the baklava I tasted in Greece is that most versions contained too much cinnamon. Our last meal meal was at Ouzeri Restaurant in Fira, and despite coming highly recommended, it was very disappointing. We really enjoyed the sesame crusted manouri cheese with sour cherries. However, what we expected to be the loukaniko sausage was just a very bland sausage (and served with mustard) and the souvlaki was as dry as sandpaper. Indifferent service didn't make the experience any better.

It seems like all hotels in Greece serve a complimentary breakfast and the breakfast at our hotel was quite nice. Hence, we'd usually grab nothing more than a small bite for lunch, even though dinner time was usually around 10pm or so. All in all, a wonderful visit to Mykonos and Santorini. I'll detail our visit to Athens and Delphi in the Athens thread.

Thanks for the great post, BR! I love the image of the scorpion fish, as well as the beautiful baklava in a sea of blue.

Seeing your pictures makes me want to go back to Oia, where I stayed for a few days 24 years ago. It seems that much is the same there, which is comforting. One of the most memorable meals of my life was at twilight in a tiny tiny spot filled with locals up on the cliff in Oia. We had tender grilled octopus with lemon, olive oil and oregano cooked on a hibachi, and intensely red tomatoes stuffed with rice, dill, and onions. That's living.

I can't imagine having a bad meal in Oia given the spectacular views and what appeared to be a simplicity in ingredients used (and top notch ingredients at that, particularly those tomatoes). And I suspect that you're right Josephine . . . what needs to change when you have those views and access to wonderful ingredients. Glad I could bring you back in spirit.

BR wrote:Overall, what I learned over the course of 1 1/2 weeks Greece is that for the most part, the food is very similar to what you find in Greektown in Chicago. We were amazed to recognize nearly every dish offered. We were also amazed to find that much of the food offered in Greektown in Chicago is as good or better than much of what we tasted in Greece. That being said, we spent a lot of time in more touristy locales so our impressions might have been slightly tainted.

Thats interesting. Having grown up in that part of the world I try to avoid greek food in Chicago, since I have been always disappointed. Almost all greek food I have had in Chicago lacks the crispiness and freshness of good greek cuisine. That being sad, my favorite Pho when I first visited Vietnam was at a place called Pho Cali (for california) from people that had gone back to vietnam from the U.S. So I guess it depends a lot on what you expect the dish to taste like.

BR wrote:On to Santorini - and wow is Santorini beautiful . . . words can hardly do it justice. Hopefully, these pictures help some:
It was grilled over charcoal, served simply with some lemon and olive oil, and it was delicious.



We also noticed quite a bit of octopus being grilled (although we did not order this):

Santorini is gorgeous and hat looks so delicious. It is making me really want to go visit next summer.

BR wrote:While driving from winery to winery and touring the island, we stumbled upon a bakery with many fine looking desserts. This baklava was both pretty and tasty (though not as good as the dessert at Katina's):

That baklava looks a little sad, the phylo is too thick and the walnut layers not dispersed enough. Im glad to hear that at least it tasted good.

theskinnyduck wrote:That baklava looks a little sad, the phylo is too thick and the walnut layers not dispersed enough. Im glad to hear that at least it tasted good.

It may not look traditional, but upon tasting we realized that it was everything that your typical baklava delivers, but with a couple of really crisp phyllo layers on top, and those layers actually provided quite a nice textural difference.

This Friday, I leave for Istanbul, the Greek Islands and Athens. I'm traveling with a group led by chef Kevin Hickey from Allium at the Four Seasons and mostly going to places he has chosen. However, I'd love to hear if anyone has been recently and has suggestions particularly for the Greek Islands. Santorini and Mykonos in particular.

I will be anxiously awaiting your trip report, as we are cruising thru the Greek islands in Mid Sept.
Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos, and Olympia on the NCL Jade.

Jean Blanchard wrote:This Friday, I leave for Istanbul, the Greek Islands and Athens. I'm traveling with a group led by chef Kevin Hickey from Allium at the Four Seasons and mostly going to places he has chosen. However, I'd love to hear if anyone has been recently and has suggestions particularly for the Greek Islands. Santorini and Mykonos in particular.

I was in both Santorini and Mykonos about this time last year so you can see what I say above. The one place I'd very strongly recommend is Katina's at Amoudi Bay. Visit for a very late lunch and try to be there as the sun sets over the Caldera - spectacular in every respect and the one place I'd say is can't miss, even as simple a place as it is. Otherwise, I also STRONGLY urge you to rent a car in Santorini, even if for only a day, and drive around the island. It's so easy, not very expensive, and amazingly rewarding. You'll be treated to spectacular views, you can visit some wineries and see all that Santorini has to offer (and which you'll miss without a car). This is how we visited Katina's. And if you're also up for it, the long walk from Fira to Oia is also highly worthwhile. Don't miss the sunset from Oia!

I wasn't truly enamored with anything in Mykonos food-wise, although I thought Jimmy's Gyros was quite good and I enjoyed their gyros more than the ones I tried at the famed places in Athens. If you should take a boat trip to Delos while in Mykonos, be aware of the winds - I don't think the boat companies had particularly good regard for safety and wind conditions (and I've heard stories along the same line) and the boat I was on was all over the place, with scores of people throwing up.

Let me know if I can be of any more help.

BR wrote: If you should take a boat trip to Delos while in Mykonos, be aware of the winds - I don't think the boat companies had particularly good regard for safety and wind conditions (and I've heard stories along the same line) and the boat I was on was all over the place, with scores of people throwing up.

Let me know if I can be of any more help.

LOL you're really selling me on the boat trip...

irisarbor wrote:

BR wrote: If you should take a boat trip to Delos while in Mykonos, be aware of the winds - I don't think the boat companies had particularly good regard for safety and wind conditions (and I've heard stories along the same line) and the boat I was on was all over the place, with scores of people throwing up.

Let me know if I can be of any more help.

LOL you're really selling me on the boat trip...

Well, Delos is great and worth the trip . . . but if it's a really windy day (you'll know when you're at the harbor and you see the water), I'd skip and find another day! In any event, I survived, but our boat (with over 100 people aboard) was basically on its side with waves far higher than the boat was tall - glad I've got a strong stomach!

When we were there we didn't actually get to go to Santorini - winds were so strong no one could approach. We had a beautiful sail around the island, and then moved on!

Didn't someone somewhere say that the best pizza he/she had ever was on Santorini?

Friends who live in Mykonos took us to Kiki's, which I highly recommend. It's close to Agios Sostis and worth the trip. It's a small place above the beach, with a couple trees growing through the roof of the patio. The menu is small- pick your protein for the wood burning (I think?) oven, and then go inside to pick your cold salads from the case. The food is great but the setting is absolutely magical.

I also recommend Ano Mera (our smart friends took us here too). The setting is not as picturesque but the food makes up for it! A big selection of grilled meats and lots of cold salads too. Very good service as well.

Thanks so much for all of the rec's. I leave tomorrow and I will try to post as I go.

Two quick points: The Other Dr. Gale and I discovered that Santorini has an excellent bus system--you can get basically anywhere on the island quickly and cheaply using the busses. I heartily recommend them.

Secondly, I know it sounds goofy, but having a couple of drinks at Señor Zorba's is well worth it. The couple who run it--a Greek guy and his Denver-born wife--are an absolute hoot, the margaritas are superb, and the view from their terrace is certainly one of the very best on the whole island. We really enjoyed visiting the place.

Have fun!

Geo