Kashkaval

Occasion: Last stop in the tapas crawl (after a visit to Tia Pol, an old favorite)
Location: Kashkaval on 9th Ave between 55th and 56th (kashkaval.com)
Edibles: cheddar and ale fondue; some cold salads; salmon wrapped in grape leaves, donated by friendly fellow diners

Musings: I've loved this place since the first time I came here, brought by a Hell's Kitchen resident in the know. From the street it looks like a Greek deli, but there are a number of tables in the back as well as a bar area. It's close quarters - most of the tables will seat a maximum of four. There is a long table with benches that will seat one party of six to eight, which you can reserve.

The dining area is dim and cozy and comes across as very European to me. Kashkaval is open late - until 12:30am Friday and Saturday, 11pm other days of the week - making it a great option for after theatre.

The cold salads (in the case at the front of the shop) are excellent. I like the eggplant, the elephant beans, the beets. The hummus is good, if somewhat more mundane choice. They usually have a few daily specials as well.

For the hot, I usually get fondue. The Kashkaval house blend is good, as is the cheddar and ale. It's a matter of personal taste of course, but I find Swiss fondue a bit plasticky and the gorgonzola, too strong.

Yining and I were eating at the bar. The couple next to us ordered these divine-smelling salmon dolmas. I asked them how they were, and they very kindly gave us one of them to taste. I'm happy to report that they're as yummy as they smelled. I'll definitely be getting some next time I come.

Mmmm... spinach and feta hummus

Maggie brought this positively addictive dip to Mark's bbq.

Spinach and Feta Hummus
1 can (15 oz) of chickpeas / garbanzo beans
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
2 cups fresh spinach (I bet you can substitute 1 cup frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed-out)
½ cup feta cheese
2 tbsp tahini
6 tbsp olive oil
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes for some heat - all to taste

Drain the chickpeas. Add the beans, half the spinach, half the feta, and all the other ingredients into a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the rest of the spinach and feta, and process to your desired consistency (I think it's nice when it has a little texture). Thin with water or more olive oil (or lemon juice or chicken stock) if necessary.

Refrigerate for one hour before serving. Great for parties!

Souvlaki GR

Location: Foodtruck on the corner of 21st and 6th (souvlakigr.com)

It's hard to see in my crappy bb picture, but the guy taking orders had a handlebar mustache, with the waxed curly ends and everything. Made me smile.

I ordered the chicken pita souvlaki, which is a chicken kebab (de-skewered) wrapped in a pita with some sliced tomato, onion, french fries (oddly enough), and tzatziki. It was okay, but not much food for $4. Really just a little snack. Even for lunch, you'd have to get two.

Alternatively, you can get 5 skewers for $7 (or one for $1.75). For a meat-tooth like me, that seems like the better bet.

Part II, 4/28 - I came back and got the mixed skewers. (The truck's really close to the Tribeca Film Festival Volunteer's Lounge.) MUCH better deal. They threw in an extra skewer, so I had six - three each of the pork and the chicken. Comes with little pita triangles and two containers of tzatziki. I was stuffed when I finished!

The pork is a wee bit dry. If you're getting the pita wrap, I'd definitely get the chicken. With the mixed skewers, one or two pork one at most.

Pylos

Occasion: Dinner with Josh
Location: Pylos on 7th between First and A (pylosrestaurant.com)

Edibles: beets; saganaki; octopus; lamb chops; walnut cake and Greek coffee

Musings: Really funky interior - the ceiling is strung with hundreds of clay pots. Very distinctive.

They start you off with some warm pita and hummus, and it was soooooo good. Possibly the best part of the meal, in retrospect. Which is not to say that the rest of the food wasn't great - because it was. But that pita was REALLY amazing. Mmmmm.... warm bread.... one of life's simple pleasures.

The beet salad was massive - definitely good to share. The octopus was not - just two smallish tentacles for $14. It was cooked perfectly, though, not rubbery at all and with the perfect amount of char. Saganaki's pretty uniformly delicious and hard to mess up. Pylos' tasted pretty much like every other one I've ever had, but it did go great with that warm pita.

Since we got so many apps, we just shared a single main. The lamb chops we got were yummy. Also perfectly charred, and they got the doneness spot on.

I really just had a bite or two of the walnut cake. It doesn't say anywhere in the description, but it's got tons of cinnamon. Gag. The Greek coffee was tiny but incredibly potent - the kind of stuff that's often described as being able to float a horseshoe. I'd get the unsweetened, and try to do it myself next time; the pre-sweetened version was too much even for me, and I put about five sugars in my regular coffee.

Pylos is a good option for fancy Greek. I'd definitely come back to try some of the other things on the menu. And hey, if you want to keep it economical, just load up on that maaaaarvelous pita....