It’s disconcerting when things change overnight. This is especially true when you live on an island that is supposed to be all about tradition, consistency, hospitality, and a paradise experience. At least, this is how I’ve been describing Crete for over a decade. Then, a cold €29 ribeye steak dish finally hit me like a $2 shoe. Crete is changing fast, and not for the better. Here are a few good, bad, and ugly experiences since COVID.
What do you do in Heraklion when a friend’s restaurant, the most famous traditional eatery in Greece, is booked solid when you and guests from out of town are starved? Well, you keep calling since there are dozens of very lovely tavernas and restaurants about. Peskesi, which we’ve written about and bragged about to no end, is just too famous now. You can even message the owner on Facebook and be ignored these days. It’s a common thing, most notably at places we helped (just a little) to make more famous.
Cold Cuts Replace Filoxenia
But, as I said, there are other fine choices like Apiri, the Greek eatery we’ve frequented many times. The food at this classy little spot is fabulous—no, truly fantastic. And then, when a local expert on everything Cretan sits down with his wife and mother-in-law, suddenly…. Apiri chooses to no longer be awesome. Let me explain.
I wrote the first Google local expert review about this restaurant in Heraklion’s center in April of this year. (Click the Google map above to find me there.) The place, the people, and especially the menu were five stars down to napkins on the tables. Our dishes were so delectable on our first visit that we stuck with them on four other occasions.
Each time, the hot appetizers were perfect. The wine list is still excellent. The atmosphere is still comfortable and classy. Etc. etc., and then a fantastic ribeye speciality of the restaurant I love arrives half an hour after the starters and twenty minutes after the other mains ordered by the group. Well worth the €29 price tag when it’s still warm, one of the best dishes at any restaurant in Heraklion sucks hard when it’s cold as chilled canned dog food.
On reflection, what bothered me even more than waiting like an idiot for a cold steak was that I had to signal like a traffic cop to get anybody’s attention the entire evening. Perhaps it was the shade of the trees where we were stuck on our arrival. There’s nothing more humiliating than waving your arms great big for all to see – except the staff!
I’ll admit, though, that my Cretan Hound Mojito (below) loved the pieces I brought home. Late appetizers, a late dessert, a late bill, and a solemn apology from our kind waitress later – and I’ll never return. I could have died from thirst, and no one at the restaurant would have taken notice that night. (Please insert the excuse “they’re busy” here.)
What a horrific fall from grace this most recent experience at Apiri is. I only hope that the critique here spurs the management to get on top of the day to day, dish by dish experience their clients expect.
Perfect Ruination
Have you ever visited a restaurant or bar you never wanted to leave? Well, Almyra Seaside Food and Cocktails on the beach in idyllic (formerly) Agia Pelagia has been my favourite place to hang out in Summer for years now. When we’d take friends visiting from America, Europe, and Russia there, I’d always refer to the place as having a 007 Bond vibe, an incomparable location, and the best staff on Crete. The place was perfect. No, really, perfect.
Then, the owners got the genius idea of splitting the dining area right on the sea to make some cracker box seafront apartments. Though I still love our friends who manage and work at the place, their attitudes also reflect drastic changes.
I recall this experience a few Summers back when a Romanian friend and his partner spent the whole day with us at Almyra. We had the best time, and he (Robert) and I ordered six plates of shrimp tempura. The dish was so fabulous. Now, somebody got the genius idea to save a few pennies on cooking oil, leading to crackly, crumbly, dark brown shrimps that bear no resemblance to the light crispy ones of days gone by. The food quality at Alymra has changed drastically. Even my friends’ demeanours seem grim nowadays, and having half a seafront restaurant instead of one, you’d expect Daniel Craig (Bond, James Bond) to sunbathe at – well, talk about perfection being ruined. I am so sad about this one. What was the most excellent dining in Crete proposition has been turned into a bar and Airbnb-ish place for the 20-something crowd.
Some Things Never Change
I will never forget my friend Aristidis, who owns Giorgos’ Fish Taverna right on the beach at amazing Kalamaki. Whenever I think of the true spirit of this island, his face comes to mind. My opinion of him, his wife, and the son he named the taverna after are as unwavering as their hospitality and the great food they serve, and that is something special true Cretans still possess. Just so you understand, let me tell you about steadfastness, kindness, and reciprocity.
Several years ago my wife Mihaela and I ended up in Kalamaki while exploring the fabulous beaches from Kommos to Kokkinos Pyrgos. Starved after walking the dunes at the ancient Minoan ruins of Kommos, we parked our little car on the promenade in Kalimaki to find a taverna. And, like many things on this island, God introduced us to something and someone extraordinary. I don’t care to talk about the freshest salad in the world, or a view like no other, I’d rather explain the kindness of a man who will offer to cook you something when you arrive at his closed restaurant out of season. It will be more informative for the reader to know that one visit from us, and one mention in a story about the area, has met with unwavering kindness from Aristides. Imagine this.
A writer such as I can peck out 5,000 words in a few hours, but a couple hundred and a few dining experiences motivate Aristides to follow every Facebook post every Instagram share, and especially when the subject is about something meaningful. Most recently, a fundraising campaign I made to help rescue the Cretan Hound, one of the rarest and oldest dog breeds in the world, saw dozens of Cretans I’d given hundreds of thousands of euros in free publicity do absolutely nothing.
Most people in Crete that I know (about half the island) acted like the man in that Phil Collins song “Another Day in Paradise.” Almost all turned their social media musing heads, pretending not to see something that really matters. But Aristides did not. I have not seen him since last season when we took our wonderful friends Lili (at left with Mihaela), Tommy, and Alicia there. I do know this: when a “like” “or a “heart” meant as much as a donation to a worthy cause, he was there at every post. 250 words. A smile and a sincere handshake and hug. And a tiny patronage created a true friendship. I know Aristedes will never change. And this is how all of Crete used to be.
Finding the Sacred Stone
The other day, my dear friend, cardiologist Manolis Kanoupakis, sent me a cryptic message about being at the “sacred rock” for his well-deserved vacation. Later, he asked me if I got it, which, of course, I did. Ieapetra, Crete, is Europe’s Southernmost city and my friend’s hometown. You see, my cardiologist is always recommending places to go and things to see for me. And he is NEVER wrong.
When I travel, as he suggests, there is always an unforgettable experience. I’ve written about this before, but a fantastic eatery in this ancient city on Crete’s South coast is worthy of endless praise. Vira Potzi (or Βίρα Πότζι) is right on the harbour next to the old fortress in Ierapetra. My new friend George (via Manolis) and his partner operate what I consider the best dining in Crete experience possible. The food, the people, and the spirit of the place are just that wonderful.
No, I know what you are thinking. George is not paying me. I am happy to pay him for delectable traditional meals delivered with kindness, a huge smile, and the most valuable commodity on our planet – a person’s time. By way of proof of what I say, consider how magnificent your establishment has to be to garner 5-star reviews from all 785 Tripadvisor users who have eaten at your restaurant. Vira Potzi was voted the best restaurant in the city, and has received its share of accolades. The best praise George’s wonderful restaurant will ever receive is the fact my life Mihaela would swim there from Heraklion (North Crete Island) for the fresh Red Mullet. As for me, the catch of the day and a remarkable fava (above) makes me want to leave for “the Sacred Stone” right now. I may just call George for a table by the sea. I know he will enjoy one of my 25,000 stories – what great people listeners are!
While a lot has gone wrong in Crete since COVID ruined hundreds of thousands of people’s attitudes, there are still those people and places a traveller, local, or friend can count on to deliver delight. It makes me sad to even think about reporting on favorite places gone to hell, but what more bitter disappointment is there in life? Thankfully, things tend to balance out when we find the rare gem of friendship, excellence, and reciprocity in Greece’s biggest chunk of paradise.
