Greece--Day 3 part 2

Headed up the steps to the restaurant

After our morning adventures, we chilled a bit because our evening entertainment was to eat at Soil, a one star Michelin restaurant. To arrive, we took three different taxis. While we left from the same location and arrived at the same location. two of us paid five euros for the ride and one of us was charged fifteen euros!!! Sometimes, tourists get ripped off! 

Napkin and welcome tag

Once we arrived, we were greeted by the staff who showed us the kitchen and garden. The staff was proud to show us all the edible flowers and herbs planted in the garden. The chef's mother, on her acreage, grows the majority of edible items used in the recipes which was fun to learn. 

Table accents

After we were seated, we learned about their no waste philosophy. Our taste buds enjoyed 13 courses of fancy, tiny, and delicious food. Amanda, James, and Nicole opted for the wine parings that accompanied 11 of the courses. It was an interesting experience.

Listening to the description of the wine

Watching the courses arrive, watching as each dish was carefully served, listening to the description of each and watching the empty dishes being removed was an art form in itself. As you look at the photos, many of the decorative finishes came from flowers grown especially for the restaurant. We noted how the plating complimented each dish.

The dance of placing our course

It took us three and and a half hours to eat our meal. We were fortunate to be seated in the private dining room. Although, I imagine staff were aware that a 15 month old's antics could cause other diner's to have a less than stellar experience. It is doubtful they get many young children dining there as there were no high chairs. I also imagine that staff were dubious of a nine and an eleven year old eating each course!

An initial taste test

All of us sampled each dish. Sometimes, someone else finished the dish. Miss A and Miss J ate a lot of the offerings. Miss K was the least impressed with the menu. We all thought that she would be the one to name all the flowers and spices used because she has a sensitive pallet. 

Our menu complete with the chef's signature

The menu:consisted of seven courses of fish/seafood, two courses of meat, one course of bread, two courses of fruit. and three courses of dessert. Note the chef signed the menu!

Shrimp pate with orange and marigold

Shrimp with orange pecan and marigold

First course: the shrimp came two ways--in a spoon as a pate pate accented with marigold flowers. The second way was with a segment of orange on a pecan slice accented with marigold petals. These and the other flowers and herbs were grown specifically for the restaurant.The decorative sauce was sweet. 

Oyster: ossettra caviar, fermented cucumber, unripe fig

Second course: The dish was a take on an oyster. Note the serving dish. It reminded me of an oyster; but instead of containing an oyster, it contained ossettra caviar, fermented cucumber and unripe fig. This was my favorite looking dish. The taste of the unripe fig was delicious.

Amberjack: pickled lemon, clams, kohlrabi

Third course: This dish was clam with pickled lemon and kohlrabi. The dish it arrived in was interesting. The red marigold flower petals brought out the pink in the dish! The artistry in each dish was amazing. We each hated to disturb the surface to eat it! I liked the lemon broth that accompanied the clam.

Tomato: strawberries, basil, pistachio

Fourth course: This was my favorite tasting dish. In addition to the beauty of the dish, the flavor was amazing. Who knew basil, strawberries and pistachio would work so well together.

Eel Mini Burger: guanciale, vadouvan, burnet

The two dishes served together

Fifth course: Amanda liked this eel in teriyaki and miso. Miss J thought the mini burger was the best dish of the night. Guanciale is cured meat from pork jowls. Vadouvan is an Indian curry spice that is mixed with aromatics like onion and garlic. Burnet is a salad green.

Beef: cherry plum, horseradish, ramson caper

Sixth course: Cherry plum, horseradish and ramson capers with beef accented with marigold petals. The Ramson capers are wild garlic seeds although, this dish was decorated with the garlic flowers. Again it was a beautiful dish and the meat was fork tender.

Scallop: lime, grapefruit, kumquat

Seventh course: This scallop was delicious. 

Cod: kombu beurre blanc (photo by N. Knott)

Eighth course: Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the beurre blanc (white butter sauce) that we poured over the dish. The butter sure enhanced the flavor. This is what Miss K and my husband Bob are eating in photo above the menu.

Miss A loved the cod

Miss A thought it was tasty. Although, she thought most of the dishes were good.

Goat: Aspromitko bean from Limnos, wild garlic

Ninth course: Nicole's partner looked forward to his course. The goat was mild and a little tough; but, it was cooked so it contained a tiny bit of pink. The Aspromitiko bean is from Limnos and it isn't easy to produce. Wild garlic was added to the bean mash. 

Lemon: Apple, lemon verbena, citrus leaves

Tenth course: Two dishes were served. A custard like dish featured apple, lemon verbena and citrus leaves. It was mild with some of the flavor coming from the flower garnish.

Bread: caramelized yeast, pumpkin seeds praline, buttermilk

The bread was Miss A's favorite dish. She ate at least a roll herself. . .her mom, her dad and her papa all contributed "bites." Caramelized yeast, pumpkin seeds praline and buttermilk were the ingredients. 

Bread and "custard"

The bread was hot. The crust was chewy. I was surprised to get it at this stage of the dinner as I think of bread coming at the beginning of the meal. I did look up caramelized yeast and how it was made. I found a link describing the process.

Pate de Fruit: chamomile, lime

The eleventh course: This was served before the macaroon. It was fruit with chamomile and lime. Miss K thought this was the best dish of the night. It was light and flavorful.

Macron: cocoa, mint

The twelfth course: This was a macaroon filled with cocoa and mint on a bed of bachelor button dried flowers. I tried the flowers. While edible, they served better as a garnish. The wooden spoon had a bite of gelatin made with Greek honey. There was also a small piece of chocolate. Each offering was good.

Note the setting. In the upper left of the photo is a copy of menu for us to take home. It was tied with a piece of string with a small piece of lavender inserted under the string.

The chocolate box

The thirteenth course: I thought the last course was it. A number of us ordered a cup of coffee. We were surprised when the head waiter brought out a chocolate box! Each person was invited to take a piece. The top row was pepper infused chocolate. I don't remember what the green row was. The third row was different types of chocolate and the bottom row was chocolate infused with fruit. I ate the variety of chocolate piece. While good, it was so rich!

Front cover of the Soil booklet

Before the group left. . .part of us took a taxi and the other part of the group walked, the staff shared a booklet about the philosophy of the restaurant. While I didn't hear the discourse as I was the group that left in the taxi, the report was how important each staff member felt about the sustainability, no waste, farm to table practices the restaurant employs. Nicole's partner actually scored the copy of the booklet telling the staff person that I would be writing a blog about our dining experience!!

What a night. What an experience! I thank Nicole for finding the place and making the reservation.