Athenian Taratsa: Greek-Lavantine mezes overlooking the Acropolis

Tastes that tread in Greece and the Middle East, cocktails and the city on the… dish. If one wants to make a hangout, these are the basic ingredients of the recipe. We tried the menu of the most anticipated arrival and revealed why all the foodies agree that the new restaurant is more than a meeting point. Athens looks prettier from above. I don’t know if that’s what Ami Italian Bistrot’s team and the very popular Bar In Front of the Bar had in mind when they decided to open the Athenian Taracha on the 7th floor of the Regal Hotel in Metropolis. But what I’m sure of is that the postcard view of the Acropolis you’re facing as soon as you enter the restaurant entrance takes your mind off. And the good news is that he does not live there alone and refuses to submit to the “tourist” fate of other corresponding projects. Of course, he’s qualified to do it and I’ll explain why. M eet the chef In the kitchen with the fine comfort approach, the reins hold strong the talented chef Alexander Karakatsanis, who specializes in Greek cuisine with Levantinian influences and loves flames, coals, wood ovens, robes and unexpected flavor combinations – he has proved it to us in the past with his work at the old Monk’s Beard of the New World, but also even before in the Syrian San Michali. Greece with Middle East The first thing that came to our table, then, was the basket of home made breads (bapachish Arabic pits and classic prezymene) along with the fresh cheese with machete and black cake, poured with vanilla honey Elatis which is made here – good from a technical and texture point of view, but rather sweet enough to start with (the next time we will try the bath or the promising handmade “pastourma” with lots of concrete). Our next choice could be none other than the calf tartar that the chef has seen otherwise: it is served on a rectangular vine with rice and next to it has artichoke purée, adorned with a fried vine leaf that gives extra points to textures. We also tried the highly shish barak, at the courtesy of the staff. These oriental pasta that reminds – in speech, but not in appearance – stuffed lamb chops, are sautéed with butter and covered by a yoghurt and sumaki sauce, so they express the spirit of the Middle East in full. Highlights But from the list, our Oscar would win two dishes. The first is the grilled beans in the robata with pomegranate petimese, smoked sour and nuts that balance exemplaryly in acidity and can convince the most distrustful of vegetables to order them and the second is the juicy kebab of sheep and veal minced meat, which arrives with the skewer of “launched” on a fluffy Turkish-born slow-ripe pie called bazlama. Interesting is the tender rooster in the wood oven, with chilopaki, chickpea and fresh tomato, a dish that despite rising tones in cinnamon, finally manages to turn you back in time. We promised ourselves to return for the shawarma (Mossian railway) with celery and handmade Arabic pies that we learned is also the best seller and we booked our dinner impressively and orientally choosing the wooden dish with chocolate truffles, spicy ice cream with pepper aleppo and the brique with the aromatized with cardamom, coffee. The findable coktails and vibes All the above could be accompanied by choosing something from the well-known wine list with about 60 labels, which emphasizes Greek wine, but includes important producers from Italy, Spain, USA and New Zealand. We as we preferred to become one with the urban cool atmosphere and the music that plays quite loud, so we said yes to the cocktailes that have been made so that they go along with the gastronomic philosophy of the restaurant. We chose Tabouleh from the Intrigatory List based on the Greek dry gin Votanikon that refers olfactoryly and tastefully to the Lebanese salad and the Afternoon in The Island, with mastic, vodka, aromas of green apple, dill and characteristic sense of salt. Then we wondered why we didn’t look so often towards the Acropolis – obviously because the real thing here is fun. 211-0080660, 20-50 euros per person