Gourman: Mediterranean Grill

To speak of Mediterranean cuisine is to speak of the cradle of western and, in part, eastern gastronomy. It covers almost twenty countries along a coastline of more than 4,000 kilometers: Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, France, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt and Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Despite the fact that the term is broad, and the differences between cuisines, important, there are several common factors in them as the agriculture of all this territory is under the influence of the Mediterranean Sea.

Among its characteristics: the abundance of seafood and fish, little of beef, and more of lamb or pork. From the land, the main products are olive, wheat and vine. Thus, in many of these countries, wine is almost part of the basic food basket. Bread will be present in a thousand ways, and the inevitable olive oil. The Mediterranean diet is also rich in vegetables and greens, the frying being unusual.

Georgios Mediterranean Grill It is located on the first floor of the Buena Vista Shopping Center, at km 1 of the road to Samborondón. Your host gives us the explanation of the type of food that we will try, as well as its origin, mostly Cypriot and Greek.

I recommend going with several people and ordering dishes to share.

We start with a snack, a spanakopita, which is a very delicate puff pastry filled with feta cheese, ricotta, onion and spinach. Other good snacks were the keftedes and the shefttales: different types of meat formed into balls or cakes, marinated and spiced. A Greek specialty.

A dish that has unusual combinations for our palate was the fondue of cheese and olives, by way of dip hot, with olives, peppers, ripe and fresh cheeses seasoned with spices, accompanied with baguette bread.

We were unable to try two specialties from this cuisine. The moussaka, layers of baked vegetables: zucchini, eggplant, potatoes; beef, thyme, and paprika; topped with bechamel sauce. And the mess, rigatoni, ground pork and seasoned with spices, fresh tomatoes, cheese and béchamel sauce. They weren’t available, but they are delightful, and it’s probably the only place in town that makes them.

You can not miss the plates Greek, with gyro and souvlaki, to choose, between chicken or meat. This dish is the perfect combination of protein with vegetables. Chicken or meat, with cucumber, parsley, onion and a fantastic spiced yogurt sauce; or, if you prefer, with hummus or tyrokafteri, which is a red pepper sauce with feta cheese and olive oil. The latter lacked a bit of feta.

Georgios’ beer selection is enviable. Quite expensive, but spectacular. The westmale trappis and the chimay. (O)