Aswtos: Michalis Merzenis makes cabbage rolls on the fire and a delicious bolognese
I can't be sure how they perceive the deeper meaning of the parable of the Prodigal here in Asotos. Besides, abstract concepts are common in religious parables, as well as in art and other forms of human expression, this je ne sais quois is part of the charm.
The "performance" begins as soon as you pull aside the curtain, a dark velvet curtain that half-hides the hall from the entrance. The menu prepared by Merzenis –who until recently we met him at La Meat Maison–, and executed by head chef Dimitris Papadopoulos and sous chef Vangelis Kostarelos, expresses Aswtos's inclination towards creative Greek cuisine without many gastronomical follies. It is based mostly on ingredients from small local producers. The goal and central idea of this restaurant, which aspires to become a hangout, is to eat well and affordably. The handmade, sourdough bread with trahana is hearty, heavy and filling, and is accompanied by their own fragrant sour milk butter, the beetroot salad is made with Karpenisi tsalafouti, honeycomb and onion and together they compose a mouthwatering whole, the cabbage stuffed with fire is a wonderful version, like a pan pie, and is served cut into portions. Asotou's bolognese is delicious, a little more brutal and with large, chewy pieces of minced meat that are deliberately not broken up during cooking, while the chicken with wild mushrooms is perfectly cooked, juicy, with a nice jus, thick enough to soak up the deliciousness of the pieces of chicken that we cut into bites and dip into it. For the next visit I have stamped the pastitsio in phyllo, with a cream of arsen and truffle, and the rack of lamb with korkoto and smoked yogurt. The fed calf, for those who want to experience it literally, is expressed through a beef shoulder steak, fed for 30 days.
The serrano with tonka is very nice for the end, relatively light, but prefer to share it because it is a whole paste. Alternatives for dessert are the olive oil cake with aged tsipouro syrup, and the pumpkin cheesecake with pollen and pumpkin seeds.
We find several interesting labels from Greece and around the world at good prices on the wine list curated by sommelier Petros Mylonakis, although there is no shortage of moderate choices in the effort to include several "mildly vinified" wines.