Guests of the House

We received word several nights ago that Christo and his mother Effie would enjoy having us and another Greek American family, Susan, Dimitris, and their daughter Popie, up to their Restaurant for dinner as guests of the house.  We were shocked, flattered, and excited at the prospect.  They knew that Kathy and I love seafood, so they wanted to give us a taste of it from a local perspective.  Effie had not only prepared and served the meal, she sat down with us to eat, leaving  Christo to attend the restaurant’s other guests by himself.


The food was remarkable.  We had fried sardines, Greek Salad with Effie’s own pickled capers, sautéed octopus, shrimp and rice, with the rice steamed in shrimp water, pickled sardines, red and white wines, bakery bread for sopping octopus sauce, and for dessert, Neapolitan ice cream dressed with some fruit preserves Effie had made herself.  Ice cream here is a pricy treat, so after everyone at our table had been served, she called her grandchildren over to the table to polish off the remainders.  During the whole meal, Efi kept a sharp eye on my plate and made sure it got refilled before I could empty it.  I think I was the only adult at the table offered seconds on even the ice cream; and naturally reluctant to cause any breach of etiquette, I could not refuse.


Christo has a little outdoor sound system that pipes in traditional Greek music to set the mood for his dinner guests.  With the wine glasses liberally recharged and the meal winding down.  Effie began to sing along with some of her favorite songs.  At some point the woman who sells Christo vegetables from her garden, sat down at our table, ordered a Gyro Sandwich, French Fries, and a Coke, and began to sing too.  Eventually, anyone at the table familiar with the music was singing along, in some cases helping each other with the words.  It was a remarkable night, and an experience we’ll never forget. 

 

photos by Newell