Nikolas

Nicolaus
We drove into Fira for lunch this afternoon.  Nikolas is the place.  We have been hunting for a local place like this. 

Nikolas is down one of the many streets in Fira above the square.  A blue and white taverna with the menu of the day, all in Greek, not a word of English in the place.  Although the owners speak fluent English.  You can see the black board in the picture (menu) and Nikolas. 

We sat down and the food started coming.  If we didn’t need to get back for our afternoon activity, I would have continued to order more food.

We started with some veggies.  Eggplant like no other.  Cooked in a small clay pot.  I asked three times how he cooked the eggplant but each time he laughed and said I had to be Greek to know the secret ingredient.  Here is how I believe it is prepared although the girls think differently.  White eggplants, sliced slathered ( and I mean slathered ) in olive oil and a tomato sauce with onions and oregano and sugar.  The girls thought there was some type of sweet and sour sauce in there but I am not so sure about that one.  I believe that the eggplant just tastes different over here because of the soil and the Greeks are into organic too.  We ordered the dish once and then we ordered it again.  We also had artichoke bottoms that were like butter roasted in olive oil and lemon – delicious.  Our other starter was sliced small pieces of octopus also lathered in olive oil. 

For our main courses we split a whole sea bass grilled and filleted and grilled calamari.  The calamari here is seriously huge.  The rings are like no other. 

I really liked Nikolas.  Total cost $50 euros.  Good, local and the right price.