From Discovery News: 

 

"Either the ancient Greeks loved grape juice, or they were making wine nearly 6,500 years ago, according to a new study that describes what could be the world's earliest evidence of crushed grapes.

If the charred 2,460 grape seeds and 300 empty grape skins were used to make wine, as the researchers suspect, the remains might have belonged to the second oldest known grape wine in the world, edged out only by a residue-covered Iranian wine jug dating to the sixth millennium B.C."

 

DF: Amazing.  While older than previously found Roman wine, the Chinese hold the record for the oldest wine -theirs being of the rice variety.

 

Just hours before Russian President Vladimir Putin was to eat at the luxury Dionysos restaurant under the foot  of the Acropolis (he was in Greece to sign the 1.2 billion oil pipeline deal), the Hellenic Food Authority seized some bad meat from the restaurant, and it was followed by a stiff fine.

 

The food authority seized 51 pounds of beef, 168 pounds of pork and pork cutlets, and 11 pounds of cheese croquettes; which were all considered unfit for consumption. The price tag? Nearly $67.000 in fines.

 

DF: Regardless, we still recommend this restaurant....if only for the view and frappe.

 

 

Dakos, the famous Cretan bread salad, has inspired at least one company in Greece to create a fast-casual concept restaurant. Dakos Restaurant, opened in Kolonaki late last year, and by the sound of things, has been a smashing success. Eurocreta, an affiliate company of Greek listed processed meat firm CretaFarm, hopes to capitalize on consumers' growing demand for healthy, low-fat fastfood.

 

"Modeled after Britain's Pret-a-Manger and Spain's 100 Montaditos, Dakos'soffers organic salads and sandwiches and some unusual dishes such as pies filledwith Cretan cream cheese or herbs, garnished with honey and walnuts. Beverages include several kinds of Cretan herbal tea."

 

Check it out after the jump.

 

As we enter the second week of lent, many of you are fasting and trying to constantly come up with different, tasty alternatives for your diet.  There are solutions out there to fill your needs.  Here is a recipe that not only tastes great but is healthy too.  It is our favorite recipe for "patatosalata."  (And super easy to make too!)

 

Ingredients:

-Baked Potatoes

-Carrots

-Tomatoes

-Onions

-Oregano

-Olive oil

-Lemon

-Garlic (Optional)

 

Instructions:  Bake potatoes.  Cut them up in large pieces. (You can leave the skin on if you like.)  Cut tomatoes and onions.  Mix in a large bowl with oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour a little bit of lemon juice and cut up carrots into small pieces and add to bowl. If you are not going out for the evening, dice up small pieces of garlic and it to the mix.  Get some nice bread for dipping and you are set. Enjoy!

 

Currently, Daphne's has 69 locations throughout California and Arizona. Known for Fresh, Greek and Delicious food, Daphne's features a variety of classic Greek dishes served at reasonable prices in a warm and friendly atmosphere.  The business began in 1991 in Del Mar, California; and has exploded since. According to the CEO, 'Since the first Daphne's opened in Del Mar, California sixteen years ago, we've continued to receive an overwhelming amount of requests to bring Daphne's to other areas of the country.'

 

DF: Who's been?

 

Travel anywhere in Greece and you'll likely run into an olive grove sooner or later.  But where can you find the best?  Olive trees need a long dry summer climate, with rich soil (hard to find in many parts in Greece) to get the best quality available.  According to the Olive Oil Exporters of Greece, there are three regions in the country which can proudly share the title as having the best quality olive oil.

 

The first region is located in the Sitia area of Crete. This is the eastern most part of the island, and the least developed for tourism. Agriculture still plays a large part of many of those who live there.

 

The second region is on the east side of Mount Tagetos in the nomo of Lakonia in the southern Peloponissos. (Think Sparta.) The winter rains create great sediment deposits in the many numerous rivers, allowing the trees to have strong nutrient supplements during the sumer months.

 

The last region is the Kranidion area of Argolida (also in the Peloponissos area , but on the northeast side of the penisula.)  This area used to be one of the most fertile parts of Greece in ancient antiquity and was well known for its olive oil.

 

DF:  How does the olive oil in your region fare?  Here is some info on the world reknowned Kalamata olive oil.

 

On Tsiknopempti the first masqueraders make their appearance and the first carnival parties are held.  It is common for many men to dress as woman on this day. (Nice sight eh!)

 

The festivities continue into the third week with “Tyrini” (Cheese Week), where people can eat dairy products and fish but not meat.

 

DF: They say all of Athens smells like a barbecue during this day!

 

Californians, a people more familiar with sushi than saganaki, are certainly no strangers to Greek cuisine.  For years the restaurant Evvia offered a unique Greek dining experience in the South Bay area of California, stood alone, drawing huge crowds to taste the best Greek food had to offer.

 

Now a group of five former Evvia managers and staff are working to create the same kind of enthusiasm for Dio Deka in Los Gatos. The managing partners, backed by VeriSign CEO Stratton Sclavos, opened their new venture this fall in the ground floor dining room of Hotel Los Gatos, a spot last occupied by Kuleto's.

 

Dio Deka -- named after the restaurant's 210 E. Main St. address number, which also happens to be the telephone area code of Athens -- was three years in the planning. It opened officially on Nov. 1.

 

 

DF: So far the reviews have been good. Busy all the time..good food...great atmosphere.  Have any of our readers eaten there yet?

 

With dozens of Greek themed restaurants, cafes and fast food eateries; finding a spot to eat in the heart of Astoria, New York, can be overwhelming.  With so many places to choose from--all offering a wide array of dishes and delicasies--choosing where to dine often comes down to convienience.  Luckily for us, convienience and good food came together over the weekend at Zenon Taverna.

 

Zenon has been operating for over 20 years, and offers Cypriot dishes, giving it a bit of a different flair than other Greek restaurants. This narrow  yet comfortably laid out restaurant is very warm and inviting. From the moment the owner welcomed us in, we knew we were in for a treat. 

 

Our favorite way to eat at a Greek restaurant is through sampling as many mezedes as possible. Zenon offers smart Meze combo platters (a veggie combo, a meat  combo and a "nistisimo [fasting] combo" for varying prices).  We went with the Meat Meze Combo Platter, which only costs US$17.95 per person.

 

The meat Meze Platter was perfect, offering a variety of cold and hot mezedes, ranging from dips to salads, seafood to meats.    We won't list all of the appetizers but here is a run down of some of the things that you get with your combo meal: tzatziki, beat salad, tahini, bean salad, scordalia, melitzanosalata, seafood pasta salad, a small Greek salad, haloumi (the haloumi here was to die for), souvlaki, fried calamari, Cypriot meatballs and more.

 

Make sure to come here hungry because you will leave here full and content!