Update: This spot is sadly no longer open.
Last summer, we took a look at the popularity of Cretan cuisine in Athens and noted that Alatsi, which introduced the island’s cooking to the city in 2005, had since seen a decline in fortunes. Until now.
In early September, Pericles Koskinas took over at the helm and steered the restaurant back on course. The former chef of Milos Athens, Koskinas is famous for his simple and seasonal approach to cooking. He has a talent for bringing out the best in his raw materials with the least possible manipulation and tangling of flavors. Leaving behind a high-end restaurant to resuscitate another whose reputation had tanked was no small undertaking. His first move? He jettisoned the strict Cretan theme, looking beyond the island to all of Greece – and further still. He sources ingredients from small producers, and the majority of them have a protected designation of origin, including wild greens from Messinia, beef and xinotiri (sour cheese) from Naxos, apples from the Taygetos Mountains and eel from Arta.
Among Koskinas’s many talents is his mastery of fish cookery and fish, well, non-cookery. On a recent visit, we began with sea bass carpaccio with kritamon (samphire) blossoms and lemon from the “raw” section: dainty and delicious. We also loved delving into the deep-sea mysteries of the velvety squid ink risotto, brightened up with spring onion and dill. A fish sandwich was on offer as a daily special, combining fried and crispy slices of bread with tender ligdopoula, a kind of small bream.
Koskinas also has his feet firmly planted on land. There are wild greens from the Greek countryside all over the menu, which was almost an incentive to skip the salad course. Thankfully, we couldn’t pass up the salad of chicken, apple, beet, celery, walnuts and raisins, which captivated us with its lively crispy-crunchy textures. We also recommend the baked-to-order pie: the thin, crackling dough enclosed a zesty filling of wild herbs, spinach, herbs and feta cheese. A stripe οf yogurt on the side of the plate recalled the way these pies are traditionally served in northern Greece.
The most popular dish of the season – with good reason – is a soup known by regulars as “Greek ramen,” which combines a light spicy broth with a soft-boiled egg, chicken, syglino (cured and smoked pork from the region of Mani), smoked eel and vermicelli into a miraculous, soul-warming bowlful.
From the mains, we chose a roasted pork shank from a rare Greek breed of black pig, its succulence given the spotlight by the accompanying wild greens and mashed potatoes. We also ordered grilled veal liver, cooked to a perfect rosy medium-rare and served with stamnagathi greens. Koskinas doesn’t ignore Crete entirely; on offer that evening was a hearty classic from the island, eggs with staka, Cretan butter and chunks of syglino – tasty and quite substantial.
The wine list is small but current and well edited, with an emphasis on Crete and bottles from many well-known Greek producers (Gerovasileiou, Sigalas, Lazarides), as well as some of the finest raki around.
A few of the desserts are obvious about their pleasures (we’re thinking particularly of the aromatic cheesecake with the bavaroise-like cream topped with sour cherries and the rich chocolate mousse with smashed almonds). But do yourself a favor and make sure you order the much more modest-sounding bread with butter and honey, kaimaki ice cream and walnuts.
We were lucky enough to visit Alatsi with a big group, so we got to taste the whole range of flavors. And if there was something else we wanted to taste, a specific traditional Greek dish or a certain meat or fish that was in season, we could call two days ahead to request that the chef prepare it specially for us. Most remarkably, Koskinas has made all his culinary wizardry affordable: dinner at Alatsi costs just €25 to €35 per person. We call that democracy in action.
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