Sometime when you have been travelling you crave a return to the country you fell in love with. Most of the time this is just not possible but you can get a little tast of the country by visiting restaurants. If you are missing the Greek Islands or the buzzing city of Athens then you can re-visit it by checking out a Greek restaurant.
Cincinnati is a wonderful city located on the southern border of Ohio and is the home of 3 major sports leagues. It has more of a German influence than that of other cities in the country due to many German immigrants settling the area along with a colorful array of frontiersmen and keel-boaters. It was once hailed as the Paris of America.
Present-day Cincinnati is once again on the uptick with new development and private investments. There are great venues for entertainment and wonderful restaurants of every type. There are some great Greek restaurants in Cincinnati that you should check out. Some of the best Greek dishes have exquisite flavor combinations. Here are some flavorful dishes you really should try or repeat:
Olives and Olive Oil- Olives have been a Mediterranean mainstay for thousands of years. Greek meals are often served with local olives cured in a hearty brine of sea salt and others are eaten uncured straight from the tree all wrinkled. Olive oil is drizzled liberally in many dishes for cooking, dips, and salads. Some Greek taverns even serve their own specialty house olive oil.
Dolmades- Delectable are stuffing and often minced meat with long-grain rice stuffed into hollowed-out vegetables or wrapped in grape leaves. The vegetarian versions contain aromatic herb combinations with pine nuts and different vegetables. The hollowed-out vegetables that get stuffed are tomatoes, peppers, or courgettes. This is then all placed in the oven and baked until perfection. Dolmadakia are miniature dolmades made from grape leaves stuffed with rice and ground lamb or beef.
Sweets– Baklava is a delicious pastry made with phyllo dough surrounding olive oil, nut, and honey combinations. Galatobourka is a delectable pastry that is custard-filled. A sweet pie made of phyllo pastry and semolina custard is Bougatsa, it often has sugar sifted on the top. A popular gluten-free almond cookie is Amygdalota. Halva is a humble pudding cake made of a wonderful easy mixture of these main ingredients: oil, semolina, sugar, and water. It is sweetened with tasty syrup and garnished with nuts. Revani is a moist mildly sweet dessert that is nutty with a grainy texture and lemon flavor. Simple syrup and orange zest finish the mouth-watering dish.
Grilled & Baked Meats– Moussaka is a classic Greek dish. It is layers of sautéed aubergine, minced lamb, fried puréed tomato, onion, garlic with cinnamon and allspice, some potato and topping of béchamel sauce and cheese to add some fluff. Souvlaki is a delicious meal of diced-up pieces of beef, chicken, or skewered pork. It is served on chopped tomatoes and onions in pita bread with drizzles of tzatziki sauce. Gyros are a popular dish served in the same way. Fresh fish and calamari are often grilled whole and finished with ladholemono a tasty lemon and oil dressing. Fish such as barbouni, which is a red mullet, and marida, which is a whitebait fish are tasty as they are lightly fried.
Coffee- Ellinikos is the favorite style of coffee in Greece. It is served in a copper coffee pot which is long-handled and known as a briki, a tradition unique to Greece. It is available in three different ways. Vari Glyko is strong and very sweet like honey, Metrios is medium sweetness and Sketos is without sugar. A Frappe is an iced coffee that helps one feel refreshed and hot summer days a bit more comfortable.
Cheeses- Greeks love their cheese just as much as other ethnic groups. Fresh cheese is enjoyed. Feta is available fresh from market counters where it is kept in barrels of brine. A golden-white cheese called graviera is often eaten cubed or fried as saganaki. Bakeries offer tyropitam, which is a cheese pie. Greeks like cheese on their salads. Cretan dakos is topped with soft, white cheese crumbles of mizithra. Feta Me Meli is a great sweet and salty dessert made with Feta cheese and honey wrapped in phyllo dough finished with honey drizzled over it.
Sagnaki – Refers to an assortment of appetizers. Sagnaki cheese is usually served as an appetizer made of just cheese and flour fried to a golden brown. Sagnaki can be made with mussels and shrimp respectively called Shrimp Sagnaki or Mussels Sagnaki.
Vegetables – Courgette Balls are flavored and have a nice texture. It is salty with tasty feta cheese and some fresh mint that offers something different to your taste buds. They are crispy on the outside and creamy inside. Spanikopita is a Greek spinach pie that is a traditional and delicious dish served with dinner, as a snack or starter. Tomaotokeftedes are tomato fritters that are often served as a main course vegetarian entrée in Santorini and Syros. Yemista is a traditional dish of stuffed tomatoes that has beautiful vibrant colors and is juicy and flavorful. Other vegetables can and are also used. Yemista is baked until it turns a brownish color. This is stuffed with rice and various herbs or it can contain meat.
Pasta- Pastitsio is a hearty baked pasta dish that includes fresh ground beef and béchamel sauce. This entree is served with a mixed green salad usually dressed with wine vinegar and virgin olive oil. Keftedes is a crispy Greek meatball that is mainly an appetizer usually served with creamy sauce and golden brown pita bread
Wine- Retsina Wine has been consumed in Greece for more than 2000 years. The unique taste comes from Pine resin and goes great with dishes containing mint, rosemary, dill, and other culinary herbs.
Cincinnati is a great city and these are some of the best Greek dishes to enjoy when you are eating out. These are some of the best Greek dishes you need to try at a great restaurant. There are several Greek restaurants in Cincinnati to choose from. One is sure to become your favorite while you enjoy the atmosphere of one of the great American cities that offers a unique mix of history and modern charm.
