I have the rooftop to myself. Anybody in the 7-story building can come up here, but nobody does. I am fortunate ― a different apartment or neighborhood, a vindictive landlord (they exist), could have made this a very different trip. Watching the rain come down on a cool evening knowing that I can pop out and get a dark Fix beer and chicken souvlaki at the same place, be back home in less than 5 minutes and unwrap the sandwich while it's still hot has made this the perfect getaway. Urban density at its best.
My thought after visiting any taverna or ouzeri in Athens (aside from wow, my stomach is really distended) is that the cookery exudes a mature confidence. The menus tend to look similar, with kitchen staffs more interested in honing than experimenting. I can't remember ever eating this well in Europe. Granted, in the more expensive northern cities I tend to throw together quick meals on the stovetop ... but still. There's something about the intersection of sun and sea: vine-ripened vegetables, fish just pulled from the Mediterranean, and always these damned flaky cheese pastries leading me to my destruction. While I dine, I jot down observations in a notebook ― the old habit of a newspaperman. I have caught chefs and servers noticing this; it seems to gratify them. Maybe they are just amused. In a Thanksgiving act of solidarity with my countrymen, I went in search of something resembling a turkey dinner. The closest thing I could find was this slowly braised rooster in a fr...
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