Fun With Carbs

Hummus platter

My stomach is full and happy after lunch at Tapas, my favorite local Mediterranean place. This small Hartford-area chain has the freshest, tastiest Greek and Middle Eastern-inspired dishes, everything from phenomenal Greek salad with famous homemade dressing to gyros, souvlaki and spanakopita. I’ve been craving the light flavors of the Mediterranean since our trip to Greece.

We sampled a hummus platter, a build-it-yourself plate of feta, pesto, capers, tomatoes, hummus, olives, pepperoncini and onion served with warm, soft pita triangles. My dining companion tried the lunch special of tequila-lime grilled chicken, served with black beans, rice and guacamole. I went with my favorite mainstay, falafel in a toasted pita pocket. There’s something so satisfying about the blend of hearty, fresh-fried falafel, creamy tahini sauce and cool lettuce, tomato and onion.

I love you, falafel.

I wasn’t planning on drinking at lunch, but I took a quick look at the cocktail menu and my heart skipped a beat when I saw a Boutari Moschofilero on the wine list. We visited the Boutari winery in Santorini – the biggest one on the island – and thoroughly enjoyed our long tour and intense tasting session (the wine consultant asked us to score the wines and compare our results to professional ratings.) We had asked about the availability of Boutari in the U.S. and one of the managers said it was limited, but more readily found in larger cities and areas with large Greek populations. In other words, I didn’t expect to see it in Hartford.

But just my luck, the wine list was outdated, and no Boutari for me…