Peccati Di Gola

I have to stop going out with the wrong people! People who are a head taller than me, the same sex, and who have stayed steady at around 50 kilos (100 pounds or so) for most of their adult lives. These same people who can indulge in seemingly endless quantities of carbohydrates with no obvious affect on their silhouette.

With one such person I made the mistake of dining just a few nights ago, at a trattoria of her choice, one I had not been to before, in downtown Glyfada: Peccati di Gola. All said and done, it was a carb overload of a night with mixed reviews and a finale for dessert that made me fear the scale the next morning.

Peccati de Gola, is a small, modern trattoria run by the daughters of the late (and great, for those who remember him) Vincenzo. The pace is light and airy, simply but tastefully appointed, and, so far, law-abiding. We sat in the NONSMOKING section! Dear readers, understand, this is a first for Greek restaurants. The law baning indoor smoking is actually effective. It was great.

The menu here is a who’s who of beloved Italian dishes, from pizza to pasta to risotto, as well as a few newcomers with an Italian passport. We started with a filling, classic salad of arugula, lettuce, walnuts, green apple and Parmesan. I was pleasantly surprised with the dressing, which was balanced and not cloyingly sweet. So many chefs in this town over do it on the balsamic reduction, serving forth salads dressed with syrup. The involtini di melitzane (stuffed, rolled eggplant slices) is another classic. It is rustic here, a full plate, not particularly artful in its presentation but comforting and tasty. Most of the rest of the antipasti were in the carpaccio, salumi, and bread categories (focaccia etc.).

Starch came first in the form of a pizza and we opted for another classic, the simple margarita with fresh buffalo mozzarella. The crust was very good, the pizza light despite the oily runoff from the melted cheese, and the tomatoes fresh, small, and sweet. My dining companion had way more than she should have! The next dish wasn’t such a success: I ordered the black, squid-ink risotto with radicchio and shrimp. It was so salty I couldn’t eat more than a forkful and so black it was a little scary. There was way too much ink in there. I expected to see the radicchio braised or sautéed, which would have added a nice bitter counterpoint to the rice, but instead it was raw and finely chopped, which meant it just got lost in a black mountain of Arborio. My friend’s papardelle with sausage, mushrooms, and cream was much tastier. The sausage was very good and the cream sauce light.

Then came dessert. It weighed about the same as a small child and looked to be about the same size. A jumbo calzone stuffed with Nutella and topped with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. I am embarrassed to say that we finished it, despite the pangs of guilt. But then, I washed that all away with my last sip of Prosecco, which was what we opted instead of still wine.

Cuisine: Viva Italia!
Athens Area: Southern suburbs, Glyfada Decor-Atmosphere: Simple, modern, cozy trattoria
Service: Friendly and competent
Wine List: Decent Prices: 30-45 euro a person Address: 50, Kyprou str., Glyfada, tel. 210 898 1511