Yesterday, my morning began with a drive to the airport to deposit Boo and The Frenchman, who will soon be making their way to the sunny isles of Greece for their honeymoon. Although back-packing, Boo managed to pack a number of flowy white dresses for the trip. I can already picture my baby and her handsome husband dancing in the sun and smooching across a seaside table. Ah Greece, so exotic and romantic and delicious!

During my own sojourn to Greece, right out of university, I was a timid eater. I picked at the tomatoes and feta, the herb omelettes and spinach pie and managed to never ever taste an olive. I was such a silly girl and long to return to Greece so that I can savour every salty little taste. In the meanwhile, I LOVE Greek food, love all Mediterranean food in fact. I have many favourite little tavernas here in the city but not all are conducive to picking up a healthy supper or dropping in for a quick lunch. That is until Opa! of Greece came along. They’ve been in Polo Park for six years, but since I am not much of a shopper, I have never visited. With their second location (1639 Kenaston) adjacent to my neighbourhood and based on the samplings that I enjoyed last evening, that is going to change.

We started with spanakopita-crunchy phyllo wrapped around spinach, onion and bound together with some cheese.

We were then invited to fill our plates with traditional Greek fare: meat kebabs, roasted potatoes, “peasant” salad, warm pita, hummus and tzatziki and olives! I am so hooked on olives that I ate them all before I took this photo. These kebabs were specially made for us highlighting beef, chicken and lamb on a skewer. I typically shy away from lamb but it was beautifully marinated, tender and sparkling with flavour.

Crispy calamari and spicy falafel came around as we sat down at our tables. Both were excellent.

My foodie friends are a hoot and we enjoyed lingering and eating the calamari morsels like popcorn. Here’s the thing that I learned in Greece those many years ago-all food is made better when cooked with love and shared with friends. Owners of both Opa! Winnipeg locations: Fatima and Klaus Kostas, obviously know this too, as the pride in their offerings and their warm hospitality, shone through like the Mediterranean sun.

Kath’s quote: “A lucky person is someone who plants pebbles and harvests potatoes.” Greek proverb

Live simply, laugh often, love deeply.

J&H’s has been an institution on west Portage Ave (2735) since 1976.  D and I first started dropping in for breakfast there about a decade later in the mid eighties.  Our first home was in the neighbourhood and in those days we couldn’t afford to go out for dinner very often, so we would go out for breakfast instead.  John and Helen Damianakos are the J&H of the restaurant’s name and they have been at the grill and in the kitchen for all this time, raising three children in the process.

In those days, the boys would help in the restaurant by delivering water and coffee cups and clearing away the lighter items.  We loved that the couple had created such a warm family atmosphere in their restaurant and the same is true today.  The exuberant and polite boys are all grown up, but still helping Mom and Pop out.

The little spot has doubled in size since our last visit many years ago.  The décor hasn’t changed though and some might call it “dated”.  In my mind, it is warm and clean and I would dub it more kindly with a description of “authentic”.  One thing has not changed and that is the families’ expertise in grilling up and serving delicious and enormous meals.

The all day breakfast is especially good value at 6.95 with six strips of bacon stacked up like the frame of a log cabin.

Adorning the edge of the bulging plate are the most succulent breakfast potatoes you will likely ever taste in Winnipeg.  Helen shared with my husband that she uses her Grandma’s recipe from Greece.  A potato is peeled and then sliced lengthwise.  I could not determine if they are deep fried, grilled or pan-fried, all I know is that Helen makes then sensational.

I chose a Greek omelet which brought back memories of time spent in Greece.  Our typical lunch while traveling was a big rustic salad of garden-fresh produce, briny olives and creamy feta.  Then a light omelet would arrive with a side of lemony potatoes.

We have never visited any time other than the morning, so we cannot comment on other menu selections, but I cannot imagine that they wouldn’t be anything but expertly prepared using traditional recipes and fresh ingredients.  The menu declares: “Good Food and Soul Warming Friendship”, it’s as simple as that.

Kath’s quote: “I’ve long said that if I were about to be executed and were given a choice of my last meal, it would be bacon and eggs. There are few sights that appeal to me more than the streaks of lean and fat in a good side of bacon, or the lovely round of pinkish meat framed in delicate white fat that is Canadian bacon. Nothing is quite as intoxicating as the smell of bacon frying in the morning, save perhaps the smell of coffee brewing.”-James Beard

Love-that is all.

Hello Readers.  Do you experience times when things become so familiar to you that you don’t even “see” them anymore?  Living where I do in Winnipeg, I take Corydon Ave. on a continuous basis to pick up Sister #3, or head downtown or just because we love to hang out on Corydon or in the Village.  As a result I have driven past Kristina’s literally thousands of times but never, ever stepped foot inside. But that doesn’t mean that I have not imagined what the interior of the restaurant looked like and when I finally met a lunch date there, I was totally surprised.  The décor is sleek and appears to have recently been refreshed.  The place was bustling with diners as well as staff, even though we arrived after the lunch hour.  We accepted a place under the lattice on their sunny patio.  The lattice provided comforting shade but played havoc with my photos.

I anticipated that I was being treated to this lunch so I let my hostess decide on an appetizer that we were to share.  She asked if I enjoy chicken livers and the truth is, I have enjoyed them only on a handful of occasions, even though I persevere and I have tried to acquire a taste for them.  For me, it is a texture thing.  I don’t like the way that the meat “feels” in my mouth.  Does this make sense to you?  I do appreciate them when they are thinly sliced, sometimes coated and quickly sautéed.  I will say that the rich sauce that they had been braised in had deep tones of red wine and I was content to slop that up with the delicious bread that accompanied the appetizer.

We both chose Greek Salads topped with grilled chicken-my version sans romaine.  She apparently liked hers, but I must admit that I wasn’t really paying attention as our business conversation was so fascinating, I was hanging on her every word.  In addition, I was focused on my own plate of sheer loveliness.

At first I was disappointed that the feta appeared to be shaved and not cubed or crumbled into big chunky bites like I make myself at home. This is a testament to how much I enjoy the rich, salty taste of feta.  In fact, the cheese was perfect as I was able to spear a bit of chicken, a veggie and just the right amount of feta with every bite.  Eating with gusto, as I am prone to do, I tore pieces of pita off to savour every dollop of the dressing in the bottom of my bowl.

So now that I know what unfolds once you walk through the doors of Kristina’s on Corydon, I am sure to go back again.  Perhaps not for the chicken livers but definitely to enjoy a sunny salad on their cozy terrace.

Kath’s quote: “Triptolemus, one of the principal figures in Greek religion, is said to be the inventor of the plow and of agriculture, and therefore the real father of what we call civilization.”-M.F.K. Fisher

Love-that is all.