Eats in Greece: Part V, Mykonos, continued…

Here’s the final update from all the amazingly delicious food we ate in Greece. I know you’re sad to see it end, almost as sad as I was when our vacation was over!

Here’s another one of Ben’s breakfasts – cheese, meat, and olives were a common theme. Even though our camera belongs to both of us, Ben often refers to it as “your camera” (ie, “do you have your camera?” every time we were heading out.) And that pretty much makes sense, since he doesn’t know how to use it. He insists he does, of course. But this picture was taken on the night-time setting, even though we were sitting in broad daylight. 

I fixed the settings before photographing my breakfast. Yesterday’s breakfast was a little too heavy and left me feeling like a load all day, so today I made sure to fill up on fresh fruit and skip the desserts.

The strawberries got sliced up and added to the yogurt, along with a drizzle of honey from that cute little jar.

After our hike down to the port in Oia to indulge in the freshest of fresh fish, and getting lost on an ATV in dark trying to find the hippest restaurant in Mykonos, it should be clear we’re not afraid to venture off the beaten path. Our visit to Kiki’s, recommended by Frommers and several local sources, was no exception. Located on a very quiet and secluded beach on the north side of Mykonos, Kiki’s has neither electricity nor a sign. I was pretty proud of us for finding it! Kiki’s overlooks a small section of the beach and has a garden like cover. Simple and gorgeous!

One of the great things in Greece was that you could usually get a half carafe of house wine for 5 or 6 euros. Refreshing white was much needed after this journey.

There are fresh salads to choose from daily, and you can mix and match four of them for a reasonable price. We went with the curried chicken pasta salad and a green salad with figs, sesame seeds and a balsamic vinaigrette…

the carrot-pineapple salad and a chickpea and olive salad. So fresh and full of flavor!

There’s a grill in the corner. There’s our swordfish on it! Who knew one order consisted of two large steaks!

There they are, simply grilled with olive and lemon.

If we had known that would have been enough we probably could have skipped the grilled turkey sausage, which also came with a baked potato from the grill. Oh well! These were tasty but there was no way we could finish them.

On the ride back, although I was stuffed, I couldn’t pass up stopping at a place with this sign:

Look at all that yumminess! I looove checking out bakeries, even though I hardly ever buy anything. It’s so fun to admire all that gorgeous work.

One thing I couldn’t pass up, though, were those mini homemade ice cream cones.

At half a euro, it was the perfect size and price for a little something sweet. It totally hit the spot πŸ™‚

For dinner we were craving more traditional Greek fare and fortunately there are about a million and one tavernas in the heart of Mykonos town. We took a recommendation from a Greek-American family we bumped into who happen to vacation in Mykonos every year.

Even at 10:30 pm, I was still pretty satisfied from lunch (which was probably eaten around 4pm) so I wanted to keep it light, but I still had Greek specialities I was determined to try before, and our vacation was nearing it’s end! I wanted to try the stuffed tomatoes, something I had noticed on a lot of menus in Mykonos. They were all out of them, so we opted for another light and fresh option, the eggplant salad. I think I ate eggplant almost every day in some shape or form, and I never got sick of it. Now at home, I totally can’t wait for the two kinds I planted in my garden to come in!

To satisfy my craving for more fresh veggies, we split another Greek salad.

We went with one heavier entree and another meze to share. The entree is not much to look at, so I apologize. But what it lacked in appearance, it certainly made up for in taste! This is boneless lamb braised with vegetables in a foil packet. Tender and delicious!

And another thing I hadn’t yet tried in Greece, and needed to: the giant white beans. These were cooked in a tomato sauce with plenty of fresh dill. Yum!

After dinner we strolled around a bit to digest, and then I insisted on trying one particular gelato flavor I had spotted earlier in the day. What do you do in Greece when you can’t decide between baklava and ice cream? Have baklava ice cream, of course! I can’t imagine a more perfect flavor!

Ben went for the “Cookies” flavor. I don’t know what kind of cookies were in it but it was a really close second to the baklava.

Sadly, this brings me to the last day of our vacation. I need a moment to shed a tear!

Ok. So there was no way we could get out of Mykonos without visiting the famous Paradise Beach, known for being an all-day party spot. We got there towards late afternoon and grabbed some fruity cocktails and lunch before parking our beach bums in some chairs. Ben had a mojito and I had to pick something with “Paradise” in the name. Peaches, strawberries, vodka, check. Other booze I can’t remember, check! PS, we noticed that in Greece they really love to adorn the cocktails with extra straws and lots of glitzy, sparkly things. This is an underdone example!

And when in doubt, always go for the gyro. We shared a mixed grill plate with chicken and lamb. Looked huge, but we did a really good job on it. I was hungrier than I thought!

For our last dinner in Greece, we wanted to stick with tradition and savor it, nothing fancy! We also chose to stay on the beach near our hotel, rather than head into town, since we were going to have a 5am wake-up call for our flight back to Athens. ouch! Fortunately, there was a great restaurant right on the beach recommended by another local hotel owner that we talked to.

They had a great deal for a traditional Greek dinner for two. For 35 euros, we got a carafe of wine and all of the following…

Greek salad, of course!

Warm, freshly baked bread…

A Greek meze plate with tzaziki, fava, chickpea salad, eggplant salad, and anchovy spread…

And two entrees. One was an order of stuffed tomatoes (yay, I finally got to try them!). They were filled with a vegetarian rice mixture with pine nuts and mint, yum!

And an order of moussaka. We laughed a little at the description on the menu: “Moussaka, done in the correct way.” It certainly seemed right to us!

There was also fresh fruit and coffee for dessert but I guess they were camera shy. Though we were sad about  leaving in the morning, this meal (enjoyed right on the beach, quiet and relaxing!) was the perfect ending to our vacation.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these updates, and that someday you get to go to Greece too and enjoy all the delicious food!

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23 Responses to “Eats in Greece: Part V, Mykonos, continued…”

  1. 1

    Dawn — June 23, 2010 @ 1:25 pm Reply

    What an AMAZING trip. Thank you for taking us with you!

  2. 2

    Ashlee — June 23, 2010 @ 2:01 pm Reply

    All the food just looks so amazing. Especially the beans! And I love the giant slabs of feta on the salads. Looks like you guys had a delicious vacation πŸ™‚

  3. 3

    TJ — June 23, 2010 @ 3:21 pm Reply

    Not only have I enjoyed these posts with all of the food- but I have salivated all over the keyboard! I think you are to blame! lol πŸ™‚ Love all of the pics- those salads look amazing…wish I knew the ingredients of that chick pea one!! YUM!

  4. 4

    ChubbyNewlywed — June 23, 2010 @ 3:30 pm Reply

    I have loved the Greece posts and I'm so sad they are over. The food, the wine, the scenery… heaven. I really want to go there now! Thanks for sharing!

  5. 5

    Athena — June 23, 2010 @ 4:01 pm Reply

    Definitely some awesome adventures in food! =D I really liked the cooking ideas I picked up from this trip to Greece–like stuffed tomatoes! That's definitely something I've got to give a try. Thanks for all the lovely posts!

  6. 6

    vdubb — June 23, 2010 @ 9:32 pm Reply

    yumm looks amazing! I was in Greece with the fam two summers ago and it was so delicious! enjoy the last of it and have a good trip back!

  7. 7

    grace — June 23, 2010 @ 10:47 pm Reply

    baklava ice cream? and i'm down for the count. i must have some of that and i must have it soon.

  8. 8

    Joanne — June 24, 2010 @ 12:29 pm Reply

    With all of this amazing food, I'm pretty sure I would have handcuffed myself to one of these food establishments and refused to leave. Everything looks delicious.

  9. 9

    dinnersanddreams.net — June 24, 2010 @ 6:32 pm Reply

    The chickpea salad looks wonderful. I demand some recipes when you're back!:)

  10. 10

    preventionrd.com — June 24, 2010 @ 7:37 pm Reply

    Interesting! I don't remember so much eggplant. Now I want to go check out the menus again πŸ™‚ We never made it to Mykonos πŸ™ Another good reason to go back! We drank wine at every meal after noon – I loved that πŸ™‚

  11. 11

    Shannon — June 24, 2010 @ 7:44 pm Reply

    oh that food looks amazing, and i'm totally craving eggplant now πŸ™‚ glad you had a fabulous trip!

  12. 12

    Debi — June 24, 2010 @ 7:45 pm Reply

    Really nice shots of the food. I almost feel as if I'm right there about to taste it all! But alas, I'm not. Someday… πŸ™‚

  13. 13

    Jen — June 24, 2010 @ 10:26 pm Reply

    Such a great trip with great food! Thanks for sharing it with us.

  14. 14

    Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) — June 25, 2010 @ 12:21 am Reply

    your last recipe w/ pineapple avo and cashews..omg that looks soo good!this post, the trip, wow is all i can say. MORE pics of you please, that one pic is such a tease! More, Cara pics please! πŸ™‚

  15. 15

    Mary — June 25, 2010 @ 5:02 am Reply

    What gorgeous food. It all looks spectacular. I hope you enjoyed every minute of the trip and are having a great time today. Blessings…Mary

  16. 16

    mr. pineapple man — June 25, 2010 @ 5:12 pm Reply

    DROOOOOOL!

  17. 17

    Liz — June 27, 2010 @ 10:15 am Reply

    Yay vacations! Looks yummy … those are exactly the kind of photos I have when I come back from a trip, too.

  18. 18

    Kerstin — June 27, 2010 @ 5:18 pm Reply

    I'm glad you had such an amazing trip! Those stuffed tomatoes look so yummy.

  19. 19

    Lizzy — June 28, 2010 @ 6:55 pm Reply

    I miss those gyros and those GREEK Salads!!!!!! YUM!

  20. 20

    Liz — April 5, 2011 @ 1:21 am Reply

    Yay vacations! Looks yummy … those are exactly the kind of photos I have when I come back from a trip, too.

  21. 21

    Jen — April 5, 2011 @ 1:21 am Reply

    Such a great trip with great food! Thanks for sharing it with us.

  22. 22

    ChubbyNewlywed — April 5, 2011 @ 1:21 am Reply

    I have loved the Greece posts and I'm so sad they are over. The food, the wine, the scenery… heaven. I really want to go there now! Thanks for sharing!

  23. 23

    Athena — April 5, 2011 @ 1:21 am Reply

    Definitely some awesome adventures in food! =D I really liked the cooking ideas I picked up from this trip to Greece–like stuffed tomatoes! That's definitely something I've got to give a try. Thanks for all the lovely posts!

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