There is a really cute part of Indianapolis that reminds me a little bit of some of the neighborhoods we have visited in Portland, Oregon. You know what I'm talking about...hipsters, wine bars, non-descript music venues with neon signs that don't necessarily indicate that there is a music venue there. Well, in Indy, this section of town is called Fountain Square. It is a part of our city that has gone through quite a bit of revitalization over the past several years, and happens to be a part of town Erica and I frequent.
For years, I had heard that Indy had an amazing Greek restaurant in this neighborhood, called Santorini. I dreamed of trying it someday, since so many people raved about the food.
Now, I must disclose that for about a month in college, I probably watched the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" twice a week. I don't know why, but I loved that movie. I think it was the simplistic and light hearted humor about falling in love a little later in life and of course, the portrayal of the Greek family. The movie always lifted my spirits. After a while, I caught on to how big a presence food was in the movie and presumably, how amazing Greek food must be.
So, on that chilly autumn evening, Erica and I parked the Jeep and ducked in, all under the glow of a ridiculous amount of blue and white neon signs. Seriously...you couldn't miss this place if you tried.
Our dinners were incredibly delicious, as almost anything smothered in real Greek olive oil is. I had a chicken gyro, which came with about 10 sides, including a salad, green beans, and potatoes, all cooked Greek-style. Erica had Tiropita, which is feta cheese encased in delicious phyllo. We had some wine, and enjoyed the nice family atmosphere where it seemed that everyone was enjoying their meal.
Also of note, there was a woman in the restaurant who was belly dancing for tips. I'd say she was in her mid-50's and not in bad shape, but I still thought she had a lot of guts and maybe a lot of wine in order to do this every night. I didn't quite know how to react to this. I'm the kind of person that would never ask for a string quartet to serenade us during dinner. In fact, when it comes to places where I'm eating and being entertained at the same time, I get a bit awkward. I don't know where to place my attention...I didn't know, for instance, if it was rude to ignore the belly dancer or actually watch her. I defaulted to ignoring her for the most part when she was close to our table, then looking at her when she was further away. I never know how to react in those situations. This is probably the best resemblance of the face I make when confronted with this scenario:
Oh, and I should mention, that should you ever go to this restaurant, you'll notice no smoke detectors or sprinklers on the ceiling, and that the ceiling tiles and a bit charred. Santorini has a famous appetizer called Saganaki, which is flaming cheese, complete with oil fueled flames licking the ceiling as the server brings it out. Everyone in the place yells "Opa" when the servers bring out this dish!
All in all, it was a great experience. And, my parents have decided to try new things and foods, so I'm thinking about bringing them to Santorini for something different. It is sure to be entertaining.
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