As Aspen gears up for the silver anniversary of its Food & Wine Classic, the magazine’s publisher, Dana Cowan, already predicts Greek food as the next hot food trend – as if Denver needs a heads up.
So save yourself $1,000 and see what the fuss is about at one of our own authentic Greek eateries.
And do it the way the Greeks do. Settle into a cozy table at Pete’s Central I (do all restaurants in Denver belong to Pete? And who is “Pete” anyway?) and go for mezes, the Greek equivalent of Spanish tapas, or little plates.
At family tavernas all over the Greek islands, friends regularly gather for conversation and snacks over a glass of ouzo – or a favorite Greek wine.
Dining is a leisure social activity, not food grabbed on the fly or indulged in as an alternative to eating at home. It might take an hour and a half to knock off a platter of cheeses, sausages, grape leaves and olives, during which everyone catches up on the news of the day or the latest gossip.
At Pete’s, because it’s small, a 90-minute lounge over the Greek-Style Platter ($7.50) might not sit well with the couple waiting for a table. But follow it with an order of marinated octopus or fried calamari (each $7.75) and spanakopita for two ($6), and you’ll have plenty to stretch out your meal time.
Do get a side order of tzatziki for dipping the fried fish if it becomes part of your snacking plan. This marvelous dipping sauce is a blend of yogurt – real Greek yogurt – cucumber, onion and lemon juice and goes well with almost anything but ice cream.
Meanwhile, those waiting for a table can relax and have a drink at the full-service bar. A slowly sipped glass of ouzo does wonders to make the wait go quickly.
Ideally, you sit for hours over little plates, launched, say, by a platter of saganaki, a pan-fried plate of Kaseri – the Greek answer to mozzarella – dipped in a butter-parmesan sauce, flamed with ouzo and doused with lemon juice.
The budget-conscious need not restrict choices to serial appetizers, however. Vegetarians can choose from four entrees, all under $12. Accompanied by a dinner salad, the Vegetarian Combination II ($11.95) includes dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), a vegetarian moussaka, and spanakopia (spinach pie baked with layers of flaky phyllo dough.) But the vegetarian moussaka ($10.95)is a real treat. Layered with potatoes, eggplant, zucchini and a lentil puree in lieu of ground meat, it is topped with the same tomato sauce and parmesan bechamel that finishes the meat version.
And don’t giggle at Mediterranean spaghetti ($10.95) on the menu; Greeks love their pasta. They just don’t cook it al dente, the way we’re used to. Topped with melted feta, this entree is served with a salad and avgolemono, the ubiquitous chicken soup made with egg, lemon and rice.
Opa!
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Pete’s Central I
Greek pub|300 S. Pearl St., 303-778-6675|$6.95-$13.95|
Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m, 5-9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 5-10 p.m.; Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; most major credit cards.
Front burner: Full bar, including ouzo; generous portions; food reminiscent of that from the owner’s island of Crete.
Back burner: Parking will make you nuts when this little restaurant is busy.
