Antiochia (Beyoglu)
I’ve visited Istanbul twice…correction – three times after this past summer and this city has countless places where one can eat. There’s something for every budget, in each district and most (if not all) of Turkey’s regional cuisines on offer. Anytime I travel someplace I like to do some homework, which includes finding out which […]
Laiki Agora – People’s Market in Greece
The question I often get is, “Why does the food in Greece taste different, better than over here”? My simple reply is that the best Greek cooking is simple, relying on local, fresh and seasonal ingredients. The simplicity of the dish is allowed to shine when this maxim is practiced. Practically anyone I know in […]
Sithonia, You Have to Visit Here
This past summer I took a day trip to the middle finger or peninsula of Halkidiki, known to Greeks as Sithonia. Halkidiki comprises of three peninsulas, it’s located just east of Thessaloniki with the nearest being the peninsula of Kassandra and the most distant being Agio Oros. To visit Halkidiki one gets the feel of […]
Road Trip – St. Jacobs Market
Last year Toronto’s St. Lawrence got a lot of publicity from a “list” that named our central market among some of the “world’ best”. While I am proud that St. Lawrence Market some long-waited recognition I think the spotlight should be shared with another nearby market that you should consider visiting. Located just over 90 […]
Yianni’s Loukoumades, Nea Kallikratia, Halkidiki
My family’s hometown is in Nea Kallikratia, Halkidiki, just 30 minutes south of Thessaloniki. There’s no shortage of Loukoumades in Greece but there are good ones, bad ones, mediocre ones and….great ones! Loukoumades are traditionally made with a yeast dough and they are dropped in hot oil where they puff up and once golden, get […]
Cafe Frappe With Ouzo
Last month saw travel to the Boston area, where I was invited to do some cooking demos at the St. Spyridon Grecian Festival in Worcester, Mass. (just outside of Boston). The Greek community of Worcester is an old, established one with the earliest Greeks arriving there in the 1900’s. This rock-solid Greek community has a […]
Hotel Estia, Finikouda Messinia
Stephanie Milliken (nee Gallos) and her husband Glen run a hotel in Finikouda, Messinia in the southern Peloponnese. Stephanie grew up in here in Toronto but spent her summers in Greece, mainly in her father’s home town (Finikouda). The couple came here for their honeymoon in 2003 and discovered off-the-beaten path trails, caves, catacombs and […]
Let’s Go to Lefkada!
I have a glut of travel posts in queue, places in Greece I’ve visited but I’ve yet to post about my experiences staying in these places. Some are islands others are mainland. Regardless, they should be shared and I think these posts will be useful for those going to Greece or thinking of going to […]
Domaine Gerovassiliou & Wine Museum
It’s time to start thinking about summer vacations and I’m once again urging you to visit Greece. Price-wise there has never been a better time and secondly, it’s still such a wonderful place for a vacation…ignore what you see happening in Athens. There’s so much more to Greece and I promise you – once you […]
Thessaloniki’s Fish & Chips
Early in my vacation to Greece this summer (within the first week) we got our first rain. This could mean we get the usual one (o two) summer showers that are the usual or…this would be an omen of an unusually rainy summer. The latter scenario proved to be false and Summer of 2011 proved […]