Metaxi Mas, Santorini
Before last year, I hadn’t been to Santorini since 1988. This past summer I got to visit this “jewel of the Mediterranean” not once but twice! While I was staying at the nearby Voreina Suites in Pyrgos, I had some time to chat with the hotel’s receptionists who should probably be renamed “concierges” with their […]
Cultural Village of Pyrgos, Santorini
If you’re like me, you’re the type of traveler that needs simple, comfortable accommodations with a shower, comfortable, bathroom, a central location and some air conditioning (for those hot summer days). When I’m in Greece, I’m not spending time in my room but rather I’m out exploring, experiencing, eating and drinking. Such is the case […]
Voreina Gallery Suites, Pyrgos, Santorini
If you were to ask people what images first pop-up in their mind when told to think about Greece, the immediate responses are “Athens, Parthenon, the Aegean, donkeys, Moussaka, museums, Zorba and Santorini”. I have been to Santorini three times – the first time was in 1988 and although a bustling tourist destination, most of […]
First Stop: Peter Minakis’ Athens
I was recently approached by the folks of Culinary Backstreets to share with their readers where I would eat upon immediately arriving in Athens. The site’s focus is to explore a city’s authentic dining scene and they offer gastronomic walking tours of Istanbul, Barcelona, Rio, Mexico City, Shanghai and Athens. Click on the link and […]
Longing For a Greek Breakfast
For the past few years, there has been a movement in Greece to showcase authentic Greek breakfast items. Emphasis has been given to hotels, inns and restaurants that are frequented by tourists. This is being done because if you’ve visited Greece (and the rest of Europe), you may have had one of those “continental breakfasts”…you […]
Estiatorio Milos in Athens
Surely, one of the best meals I had last year had to be when I dined at Estiatorio Milos, located in the Athens Hilton. Centrally located (every cabbie knows where the Hilton is), you can get to this place with little trouble and you’ll be rewarded with a Greek dinner, par excellence. Estiatorio Milos has […]
Ladadika District of Thessaloniki & Beyond
This past summer while in Greece, I finally got to enjoy and explore my favourite Greek city, Thessaloniki in September, when the temperatures finally dropped to a comfortable level. That period was in September and it’s a wonderful time to visit Thessaloniki. The city is Greece’s second largest city with a population of about 1.5 […]
Kalofagas Cooks at Chicago’s Avli Restaurant
I’m delighted to announce that I will be traveling to Chicago to cook at Chicago’s Avli Estiatorio (restaurant), located just north of the city in Winnetka. Proprietor Louie Alexakis and I have come up with a menu that will showcase dishes from my repertoire and some from the kitchens of Avli. I’m also pleased to […]
Everything Mediterranean Cookbook Launch in Montreal!
Come meet me in Montreal on Thursday, November 14th and help celebrate the launch of my first cookbook, Everything Mediterranean. I will have books for sale (sign them) and will also prepare some appetizers from the book and demonstrate a couple of recipes. I am partnering here with Cook and Date and I would like […]
In Praise of Kasseri Cheese
The chatter among Greek food-a-philes of late is that Greeks eat more cheese per capita than any other nationality. Even more than the French! We don’t have cheese courses (at least not in a traditional way) but it appears on our breakfast table, in cheese pies, on salads, part of meze platter, on pasta, in […]
