Of course I have no memory of this, since my (strict) Greek father could never understand why one would want to go to another family’s house to sleep. But I digress…

So, when my sister suggested a sleepover last weekend, I jumped at it. Our sleepover was to include an afternoon in the city centre, a taverna nearby, a movie – and my 11month old nephew.

I must say, walking around Athens with a cute, blondish baby boy is good for the ego. My ego. The glances, the smiles, the ‘oooohs’ and ‘aaaaahs’ and looks of adoration (I’m assuming a lot, I know), made me reconsider my ‘no-child policy’. I mean, I never realized how much attention one cute kid could bring!

I also never realized that mothers and fathers (and pseudo-parents) really ‘check out’ each other – constantly. As in, is that guy as stressed as I am? Do I look older than him? Why is he carrying the kid that way? Is it obvious I don’t know what I’m doing?

Our sleepover was great fun. Laughing and playing and the odd bump on the head… The best part was waking up to my nephew sitting beside me, just waiting for me to wake up so we could start all over.

Being around kids makes me feel great – brings out the kid in me, as the cliché goes – and it’s true. Almost makes me want one. Almost.

Until next week,

Jack

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…

By Remy

Monday nights are always suitable for a visit to restaurants that would be packed on every other night. Especially, if it snows, as it did on the Monday that I visited “Aneton”, you don’t expect to find a single person. But for Vassilis Kallides’ restaurant these are insignificant details. Not only there were customers, but also its atmosphere was as if it was designed for such occasions. The warm lights and the good temperature, along with the view of the falling snow from the large glass windows, created the proper circumstances for an ideal dinner.

The interesting menu, given a “twist” by the mind and hand of the imaginative chef, was promising a unique gastronomic experience. The mageiritsa with beef cheeks, with which they welcomed us, was full of flavour and aroma, without the heavy meaty scent of the badly preserved Easter lamb. A bit less lemon would balance better its warm elements. The fresh and fruity salad cleaned our mouths ideally for the flavours to come.

From the heurs d’oevres, I picked out the taramosalata made with white taramas, and the soft balls with myroni, seskoulo, kafkalithra and spinach. The rooster pate with fig spread, turned a French idea into a Greek hit. The time gap between first and main dishes spoiled the pace with which our stomach worked. The grilled calamari was tasteful, well cooked, but without that certain twist, that would earn it points against the ones served in good neibourhood taverns. The burgers, on the other hand were well grilled and juicy with a full meaty flavour.
By Remy

Among the desserts, I picked out the millefeuille with the wonderful pear sauce, that filled our mouths with fruity flavour and balanced sweetness. The digestif was a revelation. A distil with lemon tree leave flavour. The original Greek answer to limoncello, with a light aroma that took us to the freshness of a field during springtime. The well informed wine list included some diamonds of the Greek vineyard, that were capable of accompanying ideally the dishes of the menu.

Among the advantages of “Aneton” was the careful selection of raw materials, which was obvious in most dishes, and the rather successful attempt to give a new image to some classic Greek flavours, which is an important factor for the reinvention of greek gastronomy, in a more original framework. Prices,(45euros incl. Wine), make “Aneton” an everyday choice. I would go again with pleasure, not to be surprised, but to enjoy originality. But I’d rather wait for another snowy Monday.

By Linguini

Not being annoyed by your friends being late at your appointment, is something that doesn’t happen very often. Not at least when the meeting point is “Aneton”, in Maroussi. Due to wrong directions – not by me – and of snowfall that made it even harder, I found myself waiting alone for half an hour sitting at a table for four, enjoying my aperitif.

Consistency. What was lacking from my company, could be found in the aesthetics of “Aneton”. A masterfully built scenery, so that it inspired a retro feeling; walls with wood, moher curtains with linear motives and the thick warm carpet compose a symphony of earthly tones. The most decisive touch in the decoration is given by the orange table lights a la Verner Panton. Am I in the 50s or the 60s? I chech my hair to see if they are 50s style and my dress to see if it’s Emilio Pucci.

“The girl from Ipanema”. Such is the bossa nova songs that accompany our chat. We choose some of the “famous”, “popular”, “extraordinary” (etc) dishes that the maitre advertises and then we get a glimpse of the open kitchen while they are prepared in order to watch the show that Vassilis Kalides and his sous chefs give. Things are quit.

Greek cuisine. The verdict about the first dish was unanimous. Soup with beef cheeks, that reminds us of mageiritsa. Warm and rich – perfect for a cold January night – and “tied” with enough lemon, just as I like it. Like a little girl I was thrilled by the plastic spoon that ended to a fork on the other side, bringing in mind happy camping moments. The other though weren’t that thrilled. The dishes followed a descending route in terms of taste and came with unjustifiable lateness on a Monday night with few customers. The Kokoretsi, although a pleasant addition to the menu kept few of its juices. It was as if it was cooked “academically”, without feeling. It was kind of ok, but for the first time I didn’t lick my fingers. That’s what happened with the dessert; millefeuilles with pear sauce.

High expectations? If you have read extremely positive critiques and the entire press put their hopes on one chef, in order to change the face of the Athenian restaurant scene, you are prepared for Excellency, in terms of aesthetic theory. But I have to confess that prices (50euros per person inc. the most expensive wine in the list) are reasonable, bearing in mind the restaurant’s high popularity.

Aneton Restaurant

19 Stratigou Lekka, Maroussi
Athens
30-210-806-6700

Source: www.gourmed.gr

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