Kentrikon

Kentrikon

Wow. I hadn’t been to this totally historic restaurant in the stoa off Kolokotroni Street since the newspaper I work for moved from the center several years ago. It was like stepping into a time warp: hugely busy at midday when we went, with a constant flow of diners coming and going, waiters who were rushing and busy but also friendly and accommodating, and a comforting array of familiar faces, families, business people, and neighborhood locals in the crowd of hungry lunchers, all of whom obviously come here for the straightforward, classic Greek fare. You enter the wrought iron black gates that lead into the arcade where Kentrikon has been housed for decade and it reminds you of another Athens. The restaurant, although renovated, still has an old-world feel to it thanks to the wood paneling that comes half way up the walls and the old oversized black and white prints of Athens’ main attractions (Parthenon, etc.). The waiters know half the customers by name, including my dining companion. It’s a place not to talk too loud if you’re doing business, lest someone overhear you! It’s also a restaurant where dads feed their two year olds fried potatoes without seeming out of place amidst the suits and cell phones. The menu is huge and totally classic and that’s what is so great and comforting about it. All the food our grandmothers used to make on Sundays is on the menu: giouvetsi, soupies me spanaki, revithia me melitzanes, a whole range of ladera, of meat stew, of classic Greek pasta dishes and more. We stayed simple with a Lenten dish of seafood giouvetsi, which was very good (it needed a touch more sauce). My tsipoura riganati was excellent, tender, juicy and filled with the aromas of classic Greek cooking—that timeless triad of roasted tomatoes, lemon and oregano, all swimming in just enough oil to leave a delicious pool for dipping the bread at the end. The boiled vegetable salad is a generous portion of zucchini, broccoli, beets, cauliflower and carrots, the olive oil on the table is emerald green and the simplicity reassuring in these complicated times. We opted out of the other classic, a tuna salad, which I was tempted to order. The waiters, despite the lunchtime rush, were attentive. The end came with another classic, at the insistence of my dining companion: the crème caramele, made on the premises and really very good. Light, not too sweet, and with the perfect texture caramel on top and around the little mound of soft, cold, set cream. The throwback to another era is something I like. If I worked downtown, I’d definitely come here a few times a week. It’s everything most of us don’t bother to cook anymore ourselves, and everything we miss about this ever more violent, confused city: good old-fashioned values.

Cuisine: Classic Greek Home Cooking

Athens Area: Downtown Athens, near Syntagma

Decor: Oversized prints of the Acropolis and other classic touches in this simple, bustling lunch time favorite

Service: Good, fast, efficient

Wine list: Everything you need

Price: 15-20 euro a person

Address: 3 Kolokotroni str., Athens, Tel.: 210 3232482