Ask the expert
Authentic Crete on a plate
RETHYMNO
Cabbage roll
7 June, 2020
Christos Drazos, Kostas Moustakas, Stavros Alexandrakis 5+1 dining experiences in Rethymnon you can’t miss, chosen by the fine dining enthusiast, famous foodblogger and tv show presenter, Eva Parakentaki.
Anchovies marinated
My own Rethymno! It’s been fifteen years since I decided to live here forever and I still walk around with my smartphone at hand, ready to capture some corner that I hadn’t spotted yet, or to take a picture of some new coffee shop on the villages that are built on the slopes of Mount Psiloritis. There’s always something to discover here, feeling like a lifetime tourist in a place where I wasn’t born but I definitely want to grow old. Rethymno may be the most authentic part of the old Crete; especially the inland, where smooth and rough landscapes meet. And when I swim in the Libyan Sea, the southern part of the region, I feel part of a postcard from the ideal vacation. The gorges and the mountains of Rethymno are simply breathtaking, while the aromas and flavours of the regions have captured my heart forever. Let me take you to the secret paths where I chose to live.
Kapsaliana Village / Everything is cooked with olive oil here. Visit this hotel and restaurant if you want to enjoy a sheer olive paradise. Τhe olive tree is the symbol of Rethymno and the olive oil is its nectar! kapsalianavillage.gr
Yeni Gave, Flouris / At the village of Yeni Gave (Drossia) there is the tradition of the spit roasted suckling pig –every bite is juicy and rich–that weighs maximum 10-12 kg. The rest of the dishes, made with fine ingredients, complete the menu to the reason why you decided to climb up all that way. That is also where Father Porfyrios lives, in a monastery whose views are simply breathtaking. Ιt’s very close to the taverna, and definitely worth visiting, for a once in a lifetime experience. Family tavern, +30 28340 71202
Kapsaliana Village / Christos Drazos
Skioufichta
EVA PARAKENTAKI
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WHO IS WHO
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EVA PARAKENTAKI IS A COOK, PRESENTER OF “MAMA MIA”, A DAILY COOK SHOW ON A LOCAL CRETAN CHANNEL (NEA TILEORASSI KRITIS), A FOOD BLOGGER (EVAINTASTELAND.COM), A FOOD LOVER AND A FOOD WRITER, A FINE LIVING AND FINE DINING ENTHUSIAST, A CRETAN NATURE LOVER AND A PROUD AMBASSADOR OF THE CRETAN GASTRONOMIC CULTURE. SHE GREW UP IN THE FAMILY’S PASTRY HOUSE, SHE WOULD STUDY NEXT TO THE BAIN MARIE ON AN INOX WORKSTATION SURROUNDED BY THE MAGIC OF CHOCOLATE, AND SHE WOULD SPEND CHRISTMAS EVE SLEEPING ON POWDER SUGAR SACKS, AS THE HOLIDAY RUSH WOULD NOT ALLOW THE FAMILY TO BE ANYWHERE ELSE.
WHO IS WHO
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EVA PARAKENTAKI IS A COOK, PRESENTER OF “MAMA MIA”, A DAILY COOK SHOW ON A LOCAL CRETAN CHANNEL (NEA TILEORASSI KRITIS), A FOOD BLOGGER (EVAINTASTELAND.COM), A FOOD LOVER AND A FOOD WRITER, A FINE LIVING AND FINE DINING ENTHUSIAST, A CRETAN NATURE LOVER AND A PROUD AMBASSADOR OF THE CRETAN GASTRONOMIC CULTURE. SHE GREW UP IN THE FAMILY’S PASTRY HOUSE, SHE WOULD STUDY NEXT TO THE BAIN MARIE ON AN INOX WORKSTATION SURROUNDED BY THE MAGIC OF CHOCOLATE, AND SHE WOULD SPEND CHRISTMAS EVE SLEEPING ON POWDER SUGAR SACKS, AS THE HOLIDAY RUSH WOULD NOT ALLOW THE FAMILY TO BE ANYWHERE ELSE.
The taste’s turn, Vyzari / The family of Papa-Manolis Stavroulakis welcomes you with a heartwarming smile in a beautiful terrace with view to the Psiloritis Mountain, resembling grandma’s backyard at the village! The priest’s wife prepares excellent sourdough bread for her estimated guests, as she likes to call everyone, tasty bulbs that they have collected with their own hands, olives from their own produce, own-made mizithra cheese and lots more. They fry potatoes on a wood stove, whose fire is boosted by pine cones! Need I say more?
Pighes (Springs) Argyroupolis, Argyroupoli / Rethymno has it all anyway, but this is its fairyland! Platan trees, spring water and small ponds, small cascades, and the incomparable smell of the “antikristo” spitfire lamb from the nearby taverns! Cool breeze and great food, an oasis for the hot summer days in Crete! As for the winter, the fireplaces spread their aromas in the air.
Gidospito / A coffee shop that also serves spirits and finger food, at the impressive lake of the River Dams. The menu simply consists of the daily dish and cheeses from the greater Amari region, while the balcony at Gidospito is filled with flowers. Winters are also warm and cozy here, when the fireplace and the wood stove in the center of the small room with the wooden windows warms guests’ hearts. +30 28330 61232, gidospito.gr
Apsida / Once we reach the village of Yerakari, we take our first stop at the coffee shop of Apsida. “Time for a shot of tsikoudia”, as locals say. Any product that does not come from the village simply comes from small producers of the greater area. Meat, vegetables, bread and pastry, honey, cheese, wine, raki, olives, wild greens, all straight from the rich soil of the Amari region! +30 2833 051402
Chochlioi
