Last week, Whitney and I decided to stray from our normal routine of gyros for every meal, and we sat ourselves down in Mikri Vouli. The menu is intimidating and very Greek...but then again, what can I expect? From the moment we sat down at the beautiful marble tables we were treated as family. The owners, Minos and Kostas, are two of the kindest Greek gentlemen we have met thus far...with one problem: Kostas is a little too fond of the ladies. His affinity for young women combined with our very large communication barrier has made for some interesting situations during our past few visits...
I am going to estimate that Kostas is about 63 years old with the maturity and self restraint of a 13 year old. His business partner, Minos, will sit back with a smirk on his face while Kostas will flirt with every woman who walks through the door. Whenever Kostas gets a little too close, you just say "Noooo Kostas, Nooo Kostas," and he will paste a guilty grin on his face and sit back in his chair and creepily laugh.
After Minos and Kostas tire of listening to our broken Greek, the food begins to pour out of the kitchen. Plates upon plates of Greek Salad, sausages, yogurt, and countless other Greek delights are placed in front of us (free of charge, I might add) and we are ordered to consume all of it. If we don't finish what has been presented to us, our hosts are highly offended and think that we don't like their cooking (this seems to be the case in Greek culture as whole).
Finally, to conclude the meal, Minos will bring us a small pitcher of warm Rakomelo. I'm telling you right now, forget everything you've been told about Ouzo....Raki and Rakomelo are the drinks of choice in mainland Greece. Raki is a pomace brandy produced in Crete and exported all throughout the Balkans, and Rakomelo is a combination of Raki, cinnamon, honey and cloves. It took a little getting used to, but I must say I now prefer these Greek beverages to anything I've tasted in the U.S....and I definitely like them much better than Ouzo.
Minos and Kostas will keep the Rakomelo flowing as long as you are sitting at their tables, and they will not accept polite declination. You must actually get up, and walk out the door before they will stop showering you with free menu items.
We've been to Minos' every night for the past week, and we don't plan on stopping anytime soon. I'm sure Kostas will provide me with many more stories to share with you in the coming weeks.
Until next time, I leave you with the Greek toast (which Minos taught us last night) "Yamas!"
