From the towering inland mountains to the starkest white rock of an island, Greece has a well-defined and, for the most part, well-respected rustic style of cooking. But in recent decades, only a handful of Greek chefs and restaurateurs have attempted to do what Nikiforos Kehayiadakis is doing at Aleria in Athens: letting the inspiration and techniques of the world’s diverse cuisines come streaming in.
What Kehayiadakis, working with his chef at Aleria, is up to should be familiar to those who’ve followed modern cooking, from the nouvelle cuisine of France in the 1960s to the molecular gastronomy of Spain in the past decade. Yet it should be most familiar to those who’ve enjoyed California cuisine, where the quest for the new and arguably bizarre has always been rooted in traditional flavors. That’s true of Aleria’s codfish brandade balls in the top photo, positioned atop spinach rice with spicy mayo, as well as its scallops with spetsofai and agioli from beans and sumac. You could fill a notebook page noting the old-school Greek elements in these two appetizers.
The same kind of thing can be said,in spades, about Kehayiadakis’ spin on octopus - surely one of the “most Greek” foods on the face of the earth. Tenderness always being a challenge, the octopus itself is braised until the job is done, then it’s paired up to an inspired degree with delicious porcini gnocchi. The idea, as with California cuisine in the 1970s, is that anything good is free for the taking - whether it’s Italian or French or Spanish. Or Greek.
Aleria, located in a lovely old building “far from the madding crowd” gathered around the foot of the Acropolis, is a “small plate concept.” Each item is available individually, but unless you have four to six people to share with, each diner should order at least two or three things. Texans in particular may find the idea of a small plate of beef baffling, but this short rib with fennel, lemon and chard-kissed mashed potatoes is the most sophisticated taste of Greece you’re likely to discover anywhere. It’s country food gone uptown. And best of all, it works.
If you’ve been to a Greek Festival in Texas or anywhere else in the far-flung world in which Greek immigrants have settled (usually to open restaurants) then you know something of Greek desserts. Old standards include baklava, kourambiedes and kataifi. But you’ve certainly never tasted anything quite like the halva mousse pictured above, with tahini and spearmint, lemon sorbet and caramelized peanuts. Or like the millefeuille with galaktoboureko cream, paired with orange confit and spicy herbs that’s pictured below. No one’s Greek mother or grandmother could possibly prepare such complex desserts to enjoy with that bitter-and-sweet Greek coffee. That’s why we’re so lucky Nikiforos Kehayiadakis of Alerio is up to the job.
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