TASTE OF TRAVEL: GREECE : Athens Openers : Traditional Appetizers Good Enough for the Gods Are Making the Meal in Modern Ouzeries

Mezedes were always my favorite dishes. As a child growing up in Greece, I don’t remember going to restaurants much. But I distinctly recall the calm, simple and leisurely appetizer-like meals my family and I savored in tiny seaside taverns during summer holidays on the islands of the Aegean. The smell of grilled octopus, of freshly cut tomato and cucumber,the aroma of dried oregano and, of course, the sweet perfume of ouzo are forever tied to those happy summer days by the sea.

Perhaps this is the reason small, simple ouzeries where mezedes are served are still my favorite restaurants, even now that I must eat in all kinds of fancy places for my newspaper food column.

Yet it is not just the food but the tradition that makes it so appealing to me, and to tourists, who might not have had the best food experiences in Athens. The problem is that our best food is still found in homes. While Athenians do go out to restaurants, our dining-out experience often has more to do with socializing than with eating. It has only been recently that the young people--who don’t cook as much as previous generations--have begun to demand quality.

The one exception to this is the meze experience, which in addition to being food of very good quality, is an excellent introduction to Greek cuisine. It is a tradition that we know has existed for centuries, with dishes that were written about as far back as the 3rd Century BC.

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What Italians call antipasti and the Spanish call tapas , we call mezedes (plural for meze ). But unlike the Italian and Spanish snack tradition, when Greeks invite someone “for a meze ,” we usually mean a meal composed of several little dishes, which often replace lunch although they can also be dinner.

Generally, a meze is a bunch of friends sitting around a small table, each one with fork in hand, diving into small plates that keep coming at a steady pace. Whoever manages “the quickest fork”--as the Greek saying goes--will succeed in tasting all of the dishes. The rest must wait for the next round that will inevitably follow. Such a meze lunch can last for hours, and takes place in restaurants around the city, as well as at home in the kitchen, the sitting or dining room, on the balcony or, perhaps, in the garden on a sunny day.

Special restaurants that serve meze are mainly the ouzeries, which are named for ouzo, the strong aniseed-flavored drink that usually accompanies mezedes. Ouzo can be drunk neat, but most people dilute it: three parts water to one part ouzo. This sweet tasting drink compliments well the strong flavored meze dishes, especially the pickles and the very garlicky sauces and spreads whose flavors would kill the more delicate wines.

Ouzeries used to be shabby little corner shops, typically hangouts inhabited by men, where blue-collar workers and small-time merchants went to get a bite and a karafaki (pitcher or small bottle) of ouzo, share it with friends and discuss soccer, politics and women . . . usually in that order.

Not anymore. The new breed of ouzeries--like those in this story--are located in the downtown Athens area and are becoming more sophisticated in order to attract a new clientele. More and more popular among middle and upper Athenian society, ouzeries have become the favored lunch meeting places of both men and women. Shoppers and shop owners, office clerks and CEOs spend their lunch breaks there, now that most businesses observe continued hours, rather than going home for lunch and a siesta and then resuming work in the late afternoon, as was the custom until the last five years or so.

But ouzo is not the only drink that accompanies a meze. The typical old Athenian taverns, also known as krasopoulia (wine shops), customarily still serve house retsina (resinated wine) along with mezedes . Resinated wine is not a modern invention. Ancient Greeks threw pieces of pine tree bark into wine, thinking that the resin would keep it from spoiling. The result was similar to what we drink today. Although some people dislike it, there are many who love retsina, especially in its lighter, modern version. And like ouzo, retsina goes well with the more zesty Greek meze dishes, especially those with smoky, garlicky or acidulous flavors, such as roasted eggplant spread or pickled vegetables.

There are still a few krasopoulia operating in Athens around the Central Market and in some old neighborhoods. Most are located in basements with a few tables set next to large barrels containing the wine. The whole setup would transfer the visitor right back to the ‘50s. These taverns have no printed menu and the four or five dishes they serve (differing each day) are usually humble and not remarkable. But if you are lucky, you may stumble upon an exquisite fasolada (bean soup) or revithada (chick pea soup) that will taste like good, hearty home-cooked food. Although not necessarily part of a meze, it is so common to these krasopoulia that locals often ask for it. It is particularly prevalent in the winter.

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One of the pleasures of going out for a meze lunch or dinner is sharing a tiny table with friends. Hardly anyone goes to an ouzery or krasopoulio alone. It wouldn’t be much fun. The conversation could never be as sprightly and it would be impossible to taste more than two or three mezedes by yourself. Of course, in the more sophisticated restaurants there is always the possibility of ordering a pikilia, a plate of different meze samples. But somehow the ouzery tradition is synonymous with sharing food and drink that is ordered “for the table.” (In most ouzeries you will also find a selection of Greek wines and beers, but krasopoulia only serve their own retsina.)

A typical meze may include simple things, such as feta cheese drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with dried oregano, different kinds of olives--green, cracked olives, smooth, black Kalamatas and wrinkled black olives--pickled octopus and lakerda, or marinated slices of smoked mackerel. It may also include more complicated dishes such as spinach or wild greens pie wrapped in phyllo pastry, either fried or baked, stuffed vine leaves with or without meat, salt cod fritters served with garlic sauce, eggplant or zucchini slices dipped in batter and deep fried and served with garlic sauce or tzatziki, a garlicky yogurt with mint or dill and shredded cucumber.

Marides-- tiny fried fish eaten whole (head and bones, included)--is very much sought after as a meze , when the catch provides, and so is fava, a thick paste made by boiling down yellow split peas into a dish similar to Indian dahl.

A specialty of the island of Santorini, fava is mixed with chopped scallions or pungent red onion, dill, oregano and capers and moistened with fruity olive oil and fresh lemon juice and served cold. It is eaten with fresh country bread or as a side dish.

The classic Greek spreads: Eggplant and taramosalata (made of fish eggs, bread, scallion, lemon olive oil), are seldom missing from a meze table. Fried lamb’s liver, spleen or other innards are meze dishes very much appreciated by the Greeks. And you will often hear the locals ordering ameletita (the unmentionables), which are fried lamb’s testicles.

Sadly, of the old breed of Athenian ouzeries, only Apotsos has survived. It is only a few blocks from Syntagma (or Constitution) Square, the central area of downtown Athens that contains Parliament; on the back of a dark but safe shopping arcade. Like many other old-fashioned ouzeries, Apotsos first opened in another location as a grocery store and ouzery at the beginning of the century. In its present guise, it is located in a large but charming, high-ceilinged, typically Greek room decorated with old Greek and European posters. Apotsos’ specialties include meat and cheese dishes, rather than the vegetables and legumes that are popular in many other places serving mezedes. Fried liver, country sausage and small meatballs served with mustard on the plate, as well as saganaki-- fried slices of kasseri, a cheese similar to Italian Pecorino--and, of course, ameletita, are the most sought-after mezedes here . The marble tables are filled with journalists and politicians, as the place is only a few blocks from Parliament. A few years back Apotsos used to be the place for people to go for a meze lunch but recently its clout seems to be fading as the fashionable crowd has, literally, moved up the hill to the Kolonaki ouzeries.

Three restaurants in Kolonaki--a posh neighborhood within the center of Athens, on the slope of Mt. Lycabettus--represent the new breed of ouzeries that Athenian yuppies prefer.

To Grafeio (The Office) is situated on Dexameni square and its decor is high tech with old-framed architectural engravings decorating the walls. There is a long window where the foods served each day are displayed. Shrimp baked in individual clay pots with tomato sauce and feta cheese, several different salads, and expensive delicacies such as smoked eel and trout, are served along with the traditional fried salted cod, calamari, taramosalata spread, meatballs and fava.

Lunch is served beginning at noon, and by 2 p.m. on weekdays the place is packed with smartly dressed people from the neighboring offices and shops. To Grafeio was until recently open late at night (from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.), serving soups and especially patsa-- the tripe soup traditionally eaten in Greece in the wee hours, as the ideal food to settle the stomach after a long night of cigarettes and drinks. But earlier this year the Ministry of Public Orders passed a law through Parliament that obliges all bars, cabarets and restaurants to close at 2:30 a.m. There was quite an outcry by many Greeks who like to stay up late and thought that their civil rights had been violated by this law, so it is possible that the restrictions will soon be forgotten. But at the moment, To Grafeio only opens for lunch and serves food until 6 p.m.

Yali Kafene--a few blocks from the Byzantine Museum, is a small place with a lot of character. Its small marble tables are set on two levels and its walls are filled with bric-a-brac and Greek crafts. In the spring and summer there are a few tables set on the sidewalk outside. The food is freshly cooked and varies from one day to the next, but it always has an unmistakable home-cooked quality. I particularly love the chickpeas with spinach, the seafood risotto, the fried salted cod and also the mayeritsa-- a spring lamb soup with lots of lemon, dill and scallion. Hardly an ouzo meze, mayeritsa is the soup served traditionally on Easter night, right after the 40 days of fasting that precede Greek Orthodox Easter. But it can be found at Yali Kafene after Christmas, when spring lamb is available.

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One block uphill from Yali Kafene, To Kafeneio is the only one of the ouzeries that has tables with tablecloths. The place has no character but the food is good. I particularly like the zucchini patties scented with mint, and the gardoumbakia (lamb’s innards wrapped in lamb’s intestines and cooked in a lemony sauce with olive oil and oregano). Eggplant baked with cheese, fava, squid with spinach and an unusual salad with all kinds of seasonal vegetables and shredded uncooked zucchini--a vegetable rarely eaten raw in Greece--are other dishes worth tasting.

Salamandra is another interesting ouzery. Lodged in a transformed old neoclassical house--a block from Athens University law school in an area filled with bookstores--Salamandra attracts a more intellectual crowd. Tables are set on three levels and the food served is imaginative. You will find lahanodolmades (stuffed cabbage leaves with meat and rice in egg and lemon sauce), boiled wild greens, potato salad with black-eyed beans, shrimp with saffron, mussels cooked in wine, stuffed spleen in tomato sauce and grilled meatballs served with boukovo (a condiment that is a combination of dried hot and sweet red pepper flakes from Northern Greece) on the side. As a dessert you can have a plate of walnuts with thyme honey, or yogurt with a few tablespoons of honey and walnuts.

In addition to the many kinds of ouzo, all of those ouzeries also serve tap beer by the glass, as well as a wide selection of Greek white and red wines. You will also find wines by the glass. For those who would like to try a versatile fruity chilled wine with their food, I recommend Mantinia, from the region of the same name in the Peloponnese.

For more adventurous tourists who want to get a glimpse of how old Athenian taverns used to be, I suggest a visit to Diporto, after a tour of Athens’ Central Market.

Diporto has two doors, as its name implies: One on Sokratous and one on Theatrou street. It is in a small basement situated under the most spectacular olive shop in the Central Market area and is a typical krasopoulio.

The tables--laid next to the huge barrels--are few but large and you are likely to be seated with other guests. The waiter will recite the day’s menu but if you don’t speak Greek you can go to the kitchen and point out the foods you want. Fried or grilled small, inexpensive fish--the catch of the day from the Central Market fish purveyor across the square--fried innards, bean or chickpea soup or vegetable stew are usually available. The only drink served here is the house retsina but it is very good. Most of the customers are people who either own or work in shops of the market, and later in the afternoon, after they have consumed a considerable amount of retsina, you may find them in a singing mood.

GUIDEBOOK

Greek Beginnings

Where to eat: The popular ouzeries are usually packed for lunch by about 2 p.m. and from 10 p.m. for dinner. So if you stick to the American schedule of lunching and dining early, you should avoid crowds. Nevertheless, it is always wise to call in advance to reserve a table, especially for the trendy Kolonaki neighborhood places. (All restaurants listed are in Athens.)

Apotsos, 10 Panepistimiou St. (in Athens, telephone 36-37-046). Open only for lunch; closed Sundays. About $18 per person for a selection of three or four appetizers.

Diporto, one entrance on Sokratous street and one on Theatrou, across the square from the covered Central Market (no telephone number available). Open for lunch until late afternoon. About $12 per person with wine.

Salamandra, 3 Mantzarou St., a small alley off Solonos street (tel. 36-17-927). Open for lunch and dinner; closed Sundays. About $16 per person, appetizers only.

To Grafeio, 7 Dexameni Square, Kolonaki (tel. 72-31-387). Open for lunch only; closed Sundays. About $20 per person, appetizers only.

To Kafenio, 26 Loukianou St., Kolonaki (tel. 72-29-056). Open daily for lunch and dinner. About $25 per person, appetizers only.

Yali Kafene, 18 Ploutarchou St., Kolonaki (tel. 72-25-846). Open for lunch and dinner; closed Sundays. About $18 per person, appetizers only.