One of the reasons we headed to Evripidou Street, besides the spices and the shop Elixir, was a highly recommended taverna named Telis, whose specialty for the last 30 years has been grilled pork chops. But not any pork chops, rather, superbly seasoned and very thinly sliced grilled pork chops. FoodJunkie (Jo) who is based in Greece, had also highly recommended this modest taverna in her list of places to eat in Athens, so we made sure to set aside one lunch to try it out. It did not disappoint. We got to the taverna a little earlier than we expected, so we were one of the first to sit down to lunch….
The place was a bit of a hole in the wall, but well lit and extremely clean. We got a very short menu, but decided to just go for the house specialty and ordered some pork chops and a greek salad without thinking twice. When the waitperson asked how many pork chop orders, we instantly said “three,” and he walked away with this look like, “whatever you say.” Not to mention he was probably thinking “odd Japanese family with a pork fetish.” A few minutes later, he turned the corner bearing three of the most massively piled high plates of pork chops you have ever seen. Each plate had at least four huge, albeit thin pork chops on a mound of french fries! Between the three of us, we stared at the chops in disbelief, and simultaneously burst out laughing. They were very reasonably priced, so we chalked this up to experience.
Even with our best efforts, we only managed to get through half of the chops and I hope they ate the rest of them after we left as I cannot bear the thought that these would have been thrown out. Brushed with olive oil and lots of oregano and possibly other herbs, the thin chops were seasoned perfectly and grilled briefly. They were excellent. A squeeze of lemon over the chops and fries and this was exactly what we were looking for. The Greek Salad, while great in its own right, was just there to alleviate any guilt we had about consuming so much meat in one sitting. Make sure to visit this taverna after a visit to the Central market and a stroll down the spice street…
Telis
86 Evripidou Street
Athens
210.324.2775
22 Responses
The chops look great, nice way of presenting it. It’s this kind of treatment that transforms a dish and brings it to a different level (well, to me at least). I bet you wont say “ay, porkchop na naman!” if that is served to you. =)
looks yummy! how did it taste? what spice do the greeks commonly use?
“odd Japanese family with pork fetish”
that made me laugh hihihihi=D
It looks good though, the porkchops, albeit being very thin.
Forgot to tell you Market Man that I followed you advice about the green peppers and I dont have an aversion for them anymore.=)
Thanks for the tip in buying green peppers for salads.
Those chops look excellent! Have you done a similar recipe in the past? A bbq get-together is being planned (maybe August). And a good recipe would surely be a hit! *hint*
If you want to try making these any butcher in Chinatown anywhere will have these thinly sliced porkchops. Also used for “Peking porkchops”.
MM you have made me a celebrity!
the pics look mouthwatering. hope to get to try them soon! Thank for another great tip
FoodJunkie, getting a lot of new hits are you? :), sister, will just have our butcher slice some up really thinly on an electric slicer, then maybe pound them like a scallopine… Rico, I havent done this yet, but plan to in the weeks ahead… AleXena, good green peppers are delicious, bad ones are awful… asianhorti they tasted great, salty, fragrant with oregano and lots of good greek olive oil, well-salted and pepper. Nice caramelized bits yet still tender. A lot of surface area for added flavor… Also, very fast to cook, I suspect. Don’t forget the lemon for authenticity… Topster, you got it, it just notches things up a level… I am thinking of doing this with the normal soy sauce and kalamansi marinade, but much thinner chops…
the poor pig had to diet.
I love that gigantic slab of feta cheese on the salad!!!!!!!!!
I had the same experience when the waiter at the placa keboberie asked us how many kabobs we wanted and I ordered 6 pieces but after watching the other people order and they were ordering dozens, (it was that good), you just can’t order 6. that’s why the waiter looked at us like we were promdis, ” who orders less than 10?”
what about those chinese waiters in HK, they really take advantage of us not speaking their dialect and doubles or triples our orders for foods.
I’m enjoying your Athen’s posts and mentally putting together a meal of some of the nicest treats you’ve showcased. Mmm.
i love pork chops as well especially with a little fat. sometimes i order from my butcher and request pork chops with still the skin on it. i marinate the pork chops overnight with soy sauce, garlic and a lot of calamansi juice. the next day, i slowly cook them with the marinade until they get tender and has absorbed all the marinade. after that, i dipped them with the scrambled egg, flour and the bread crumbs. i deep fry the coated pork chops until they become crunchy on the outside and tender inside. these pork chops go well with the achara on the side….
Openonymous, be cautious when you you use the word promdis.Since people from the provinces who attend school and go to Manila for shopping is not what you think. They can be sophisticated,knowlegeable and world travelers.
MM, those pork chops do look good. I am going to try it this week.
Hi MM any chance I can get a copy of food guide from food junkie? Looks like I’m changing my planned trip to nepal. Your post on Elixir, pork chops, salads and the rest really got me thinking and dreaming….:)
I can almost taste those pork chops and that salad looks so fresh and crisp,YUM!
Fresh organo has a different zing from dried. I strongly recommend that folks use that. It’s very easy to grow. My mom’s marinada of the month is orgenano, lemon and whatever herbs i planted in pots.
YES YES YES!!!
Hi Glecy,
BTW I am a promdi from the city of malabon, just outside Manila. i was an FOB when i first moved here in Boston in the 80’s, OBTW, FOB is fresh off the boat.
I apologize to all the promdis and FOBs that i might have slighted when i wrote about feeling like a promdi when ordering at that Athens restaurant.
Open Onymous
perdoname MM, but I have some info about FOBS: its supposed to be humorous!
1. Fob 3692 up, 502 down
First of all…Fob’s are immigrants a.k.a. Fresh off the boat. There are many kinds of fobs (i cant really take credit for this becuz i got this off a site. I added some in)
Twinkie
– Besides your nationality, there is little to distinguish you from white people
– Your significant other is not Asian and never has been
– You have few Asian friends, if any
– You are embarrassed at family events because you cannot speak your language and everyone has to switch to English to communicate with you
– You have no idea that the other types of Asians on this list even exist
– You think Hello Kitty is dumb and do not know what Sanrio is
– You are the only Asian on this list that does not know what Bubble Tea is
– You drive a Ford or some other domestic car and if you drive a Honda, it is stock
Asian-American
– You claim yourself as Asian, but real Asians think you’re whitewashed and non-Asians see you as a foreigner. You fit in nowhere
– You have heard of Bubble Tea but have never actually had any
– You are confused about your cultural identity and express this frustration through spoken word performances at your college
– You read A. magazine and think it’s great
– You do not know who Leon, Aaron, Sammi, Hikki, or Kangta are
– You are only vaguely aware of the other Asians below
Yap (Young Asian Professional)
– You are in one of these professions:
a) Medicine / Pharmaceutical
b) Engineering
c) Finance
d) Investment Banking
e) Accounting
– Most of your wardrobe was purchased at Banana Republic
– You go to “mixers” on Thursday nights to meet other Yaps and talk about the Dow Jones.
– You did exactly what your parents wanted you to do and as a result, your life is hella boring
– Your apartment/home is decorated almost exclusively with stuff from Pier 1
– Your parents always talk to their friends about how much money you make. If they don’t, then you’re a dissapointment
Fob (Fresh Off tha Boat)
– You were not born in America
– You know who Leon, Aaron, Sammi, Hikki, and Kangta are. In fact, you have seen them at Atlantic City or Las Vegas recently
– You speak your native language fluently and so do all your friends
– You do not have any non-Asian friends
– Your parents do not speak any English
– When you speak English, you like to make everything plural
– You get extremely good grades in school
– You cannot dance
– Your fashion sense comes from whatever country you’re from and you incorporate nothing from American fashion into your wardrobe
SuperFob
– Your command of the English language is minimal and you don’t care
– You like dim sum chicken feet
– You do not own a single CD, VCD, Video game, or DVD that isn’t bootlegged
– Your only hangout is Chinatown
– All the lights in your house are fluorescent
– You dry your cloths outside your window
– You need a haircut
– You either smell like cigarettes or food
Fobabee
– You are an Asian-American or Twinkie who has recently “awoken”
– You have a newly found fetish of Asian girls/boys
– You have taken the Asian Studies course at college
– You are trying to learn as much as possible about your culture to make up for your lifetime of trying to be white (Twinkie ; Banana) or Black (Chigger ; Tea egg)
– If you are lucky, you will grow to become Fobulous
Gangsta Fob (Fobsta)
– You have shot another Asian
– Your favorite hangout is a pool hall
– When you talk, you sound like a cross between a Fob and an urban black kid
– Your hair looks silly, but no one will tell you because you’ll shoot them
– You have a serious gambling problem
– You are a Rice-boy, but your mods are cheap and are never painted to match the rest of your car
– No one tells you your rice ride looks cheap because you’ll shoot them
– You want to have a Tab girlfriend, but can only get Hoochie Tabs
Tab (Trendy Asian B*tch)
– You shop at A/X, Bebe and Club Monaco
– You only wear black and will occasionally wear white to “mix it up”
– You do not weigh more than 105 lbs
– You have never paid for dinner at a restaurant in your life
– Platform heels are your favorite
– You are a makeup expert, in fact, you appear completely flawless
– You do not smile in public
– You are the object of desire of all Asian men and you know it
– You smoke
– Your cell phone is completely customized
– On the inside flip of your cell phone is a sticker pic of you and your man
– Somewhere in your purse is a Sanrio item
– You only date Asian and will only date a boy with a nice car
– You are often seen with Rice-boys
– You never travel alone. You are either in the company of other Tabs or your Rice-boy boyfriend
Hoochie Tab
– You are an import car model
– Your boobs are not real
– There are naked pictures of you floating around on the internet somewhere
– Stiletto heels are your favorite
– Your role models are Francine Dee and Kaila Yu
– Your boyfriend is a Gangsta Fob
– You cheat on your boyfriend
– Unlike most Asians, you do not do well in school
Rice-Boy
– You drive an Asian import. Usually a Honda or Acura
– Your souped up car (known as a Rice-ride or Rice-rocket) is unrecognizable from it’s original stock form
– Your exhaust pipe is big enough for your head to fit in
– The spoiler on your car looks like it was made by Boeing
– The interior of your car also looks like it was designed by Boeing
– You always drive like you are racing someone
– You are not afraid of dying in a crash, but you are afraid of speed bumps and parking lot on-ramps
– The only other person besides yourself who can sit in your car is your 105 lbs Tab girlfriend. If anyone else sits in your car, the entire bottom of it will be touching the ground
– Even though your car is a Honda, it goes faster and is worth more than a Lotus Esprit
– If you drive a Civic, your dream car is a Supra. If you drive a Supra, your dream car is a Skyline (which you can never have). Poor Rice-boy.
Fobulous
– You speak perfect English and you are fluent in your native language
– You have Asian friends as well as non-Asian friends
– You listen to Asian pop as well as American music
– You are equally aware of both popular American culture and Asian pop culture
– You are a good dancer
– You date Asian by choice even though you could rock the opposite sex of any other race
– You are a good designer and have superior Html skills
– You have an Apt107 page AND an AA page and the guest books in both are packed
– For you, FOB stands for Fabulous Oriental Being
– You have lots of Asian pride
Pob
– A Filipino fob.
– Words that start with F tend to be pronounced with a P. (Fuck you..Pobarized version: PUCK you)
– FUll accent
“Lets go take some sticker pickiez la! xD Kekezzz”
“Puck You mother pucker!”
by Rebecca May 13, 2005 email it 5 comments
2. Fob
FOB – is a degrading term for people not up to date on the culture which is an abbreviation for (Fresh Of the Boat.)
meaning you still carry your sense of fashion from your country which clashes with the current countries cultures.
Origin: Hawaii 60’s
Local Hawaiians used it to refer to white people who came from mainland US to Hawaii. Its was used a lot by locals and surfers. it was to refer to white people who wasn’t up to date on the culture.
It is now used a lot by Asians to refer to immigrant Asians of the same sense.
“Man! whats up with your shoes? thats fob!”
“Dood! check out the howlie with the yellow hat. what a fob.”
by Lec2 Feb 9, 2003 email it 1 comment
3. Fob
Fresh Off the Boat
“I no FOB, I having good Engrish!”
Openonymous…THANK You for making my day with your commment above…I almost fell off my chair laughing which is NOT a GOOD THING for me anyway….just got back from physio and I am HILO to the max (as MS. DADD-F would say!!!)…Hmmmm…You are not SILLY LOLO, are you?
Oh, just so you know, guys…I have lived outside my homeland most of my life. I practically grew up here …and yet, some of Openonymous’ or rather other people’s views up above applies to me!…I had a GOOD LAUGH AT MYSELF though!!!! Life is hard enough as it is (like my good friend Larry says) so it helps to laugh at oneself from time to time to keep one’s sanity!!!