Editor’s note: We’re sad to report that Aigaion has closed. Loukoumades! In the long, slow afternoons that would follow the enormous Sunday lunches with the full complement of our parents’ friends, all one had to say was that word, and the calm would be broken. Women (and sometimes men) would instantly bustle into the kitchen, haul out large plastic basins and begin the preparation. After what always seemed an interminable wait, plates loaded with golden, deep-fried balls of dough, crispy and drenched in honey, would appear from the kitchen, followed by a yelping array of children.

Editor's note: We're sorry to report that Kelly's Cookbookstore has closed. Thinking we’d find something like New York City’s Kitchen Arts and Letters or London’s Books for Cooks, we paid a visit to Kelly’s Cookbookstore near Omonia Square. Like them, the shop is warm and inviting, its owners encyclopedic sources on all matters culinary. Unlike them, it also doubles as an emporium for select kitchen accessories, chefs’ outfits and especially knives. In fact, displayed on the wall opposite the bookshelves, the knives seemed to outnumber the books, most of which are in Greek.

In Athens’ western suburbs, near bustling Bournazi Square, sits Base Grill, a steakhouse where regulars converge from every part of Athens. At their restaurant, twin brothers Spiros and Vangelis Liakos have taken the art of grilling to new heights. Base Grill has the atmosphere of a modern tavern: old posters on the walls, soft colors, nothing extravagant. The space is often packed, so we recommend reserving – especially on weekends.