Food of the Gods

The first time I remember having Greek food was exactly forty-four years ago. It was spring break of my sophomore year in college and I was visiting a friend whose family was of Greek origin and lived in the New York City suburbs. Her name was Aphrodite and between walking the streets of Manhattan and seeing "Hair," we went to a very plain restaurant on West 47th St. to eat dinner. The decor was vinyl, linoleum and a steam table. I think our meal cost about three dollars, which is inexpensive now, but it represented almost three hours of pasting book plates in the college library. It would be the first of many trips to eat lamb, mousaka and baklava. The restaurant is long gone, but I'd happily paste a thousand more book plates and pockets for another first taste of baklava.

I can't go back forty years, but I can walk three blocks to Anthi's. In the interest of truth in journalism, I have yet to order from Anthi's. I have walked by at least fifty times, and keep thinking I'll stop there soon. I think soon needs to be sooner than later. From the first taste of mousaka and baklava I came to like Greek cuisine very much and to have, as the review describes Anthi's, "a humble, hidden gem" so close and not to sample their food is just wrong.

  Yes, it's another Buttercup selfie. They had me at premium Greek yogurt. 

Baklava on the second shelf, surrounded by assorted desserts.  

My favorite spot for eating Greek food in a restaurant is Astoria, Queens. Astoria has a large Greek population and has terrific restaurants. I don't have a favorite restaurant. I've eaten in several places and had very good meals. I especially like visiting Astoria in the summer. There are a number of sidewalk cafes and with a cup of coffee and a piece of baklava it's the closest to going to Athens, but only a subway ride away. 

Thanks so much for the feedback I've gotten on this series so far. I'm having the best time writing the posts for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. and I am delighted to learn I'm encouraging visits to New York. If you do plan a trip to New York City, please don't be shy about looking me up. I'd love to do a little food sampling around the city with my blog buddies.  

I'm still working on my decluttering project and spent time today cleaning one of my kitchen cupboards and doing a review of the refrigerator. I have a very average sized refrigerator, but it's amazing how many things can get pushed to the back of the shelves. I think I use up what I buy, but there were more than a handful of things I'd completely forgotten about. I'm going to work very hard at not wasting food. 

As always, thanks for visiting and please stop by for "H" tomorrow. It's humble, but beloved, and I think we'll have a lot of fun.