Athiri

We visited Athiri on a pre-holiday night, when the weather was uncannily balmy and the anger over a smoking ban no one is enforcing hot (at least to me). That said, I was delighted to see that Athiri, a small restaurant for which abiding by the antismoking regulations must have cost a chunk of cash (building a separate glass-enclosed, well-ventilated room), was totally legal! The room is in the garden, quasi attached to the rest of the restaurant, with a view of the door leading to the kitchen.

Greece is the  bad boy of Europe when it comes to enforcing the smoking ban. Restaurateurs egregiously dismiss it and use the economic crisis as a crutch. Enough said. What most of us are concerned with are the food, service, ambience, etc. Athiri gets lots of brownie points in all those areas, since chef owner  Alexandros Kardassis is one of the most talented young Greek cooks around. 

Athiri is pricier than I had expected at about 50 euro a person. There is a definite artfulness to everything presented here and some things appear on the plate with a delicacy that belies their rustic roots or hearty, robust flavors. The fava (split pea purée) is a prime example, gorgeously plated with slivers of silvery anchovies and strips of red pepper waiting to be mixed into the velvety purée. The taramosalata (carp roe salad) with skate (salahi) is a plate worth photographing, so beautiful and refined in its appearance, so delicate in flavor. The dill oil marries it all together like silk thread on a fine cloth. We loved the giant beans with herbs and mushrooms and especially loved the fact that the kitchen was willing to serve them forth without the kavourmas (cured beef, like confit) that’s listed on the menu (one of us in the group was a vegetarian). The trahana was another winner, with crabmeat, chives and another flavored oil, this one bright green with parsley.

The main courses were not as strong. The scorpion fish (skorpina) risotto with lime and ginger seemed to have a slight identity problem, cool with the lime and ginger but lacking in the comforting tones of a more traditional Italian risotto. I ordered the marinated duck leg crusted with figs and served with apple salad, which was very tasty, rustic, but also elegant. The lamb leg sous vide in thyme sauce was tender but not as exciting as I anticipated.

Desserts are a delicious blur! Well, not really. The three flavors of crème brûlée, a restaurant signature, is as tasty as ever, with caramel, Greek coffee, and orange cardamom options. The kormos (chocolate ‘trunk’) is what every child dreams of at the age of 50…

I like Athiri. For all the compliments, though, I couldn’t help but feel that the restaurant had somehow plateaued—reached a certain level and is a little bit stuck there. Maybe it’s time to spend a season away behind the stoves near one of Europe’s or America’s many masters, to renew the spirit and give a jolt of freshness to a menu that has changed a little too cautiously, if at all, since this lovely restaurant opened its doors a couple of years ago.

Cuisine: New Greek cooking by Alexandros Kardassis and his able team

Athens Area: Kerameikos (metro station)

Decor-Atmosphere: lovely old house off Piraios Street, the kind that makes urban life…livable

Service: Competent and attentive

Wine List: Good

Prices: A little steep for these times, at around 50 euro a person

Address: 15, Plataion str., Kerameikos

Tel.: 210-3462983