L U N A T A L K with Eva Moon

My Big Fat Greek Easter

April 20, 2009 on 2:45 pm | | In Backstage Pass, Food, General Musing

Our band plays monthly at a local Greek restaurant. The food is fabulous so when the owner invited us to his family’s Easter celebration, we hopped at the chance.

Laki’s house is a big, sprawling, home-grown spread that looks like a work in perpetual progress, but it’s warm, bright and comfortable. Maybe a little like being at a really good summer camp hall. It was packed with happy Greeks and friends Sunday afternoon, presided over by Georgia herself, queen and matriarch of the family. She’s retired, but still sweeps into the restaurant late on the nights we play there scooting diners out of their chairs and onto the dance floor. (And she can still bust a move or two herself. I should be so lucky when I’m in my 70s)

The tables in the big covered patio were groaning under the weight of the food: tiropita, spanakopita, dolmades, feta, olives, salads, limoni patatas, and even sushi. A guy in the corner diligently cranked out mojitos but there was plenty of wine, champagne, beer, sodas and homemade rakija (yum). The dining room off the crowded kitchen was jammed with sweets and in the backyard two whole lambs and a goat turned on spits. This is how you do it, folks.

It was JUST like the movie, except without the Greek flag garage door.

I want to give a shout out to Sparta, a big lovable chocolate lab who has a singular talent for insinuating himself between your legs from behind so you suddenly find yourself astride a large happy dog looking up at you with a wet tennisball grin. Go get it, Sparta!

Goat is not one of my favorite meats, but it takes on a certain appeal when a juicy morsel is fed directly to the lips from the fingers of tall, dark Dmetri. Mmmmm…

Yasou!

(The photo is by Kalofagas and licensed under Creative Commons - thanks!)

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