818 King
Street
Alexandria,
Virginia 22314
Tel
703-548-8688
Closed Monday
Open: Tuesday-Sunday 11:30 A.M --2:30P.M 3:00 P.M—10:00P.M
Fridays and Saturday Open 11:30 A.M- 2:30- 3:00 P.M until Midnight
A Greek Culinary Oasis Par Excellence:
One evening while strolling on King Street, my
dear friend and I decided to go for dinner to a favorite Greek restaurant of
mine. There is no better place in
Northern Virginia or the Washington D.C area to experience authentic Greek
cuisine than at Taverna Cretekou---a Hellenic oasis located in Old Town Alexandria,
Virginia. This iconic culinary gem will
celebrate thirty-eight years in operation this year. ---and going for a healthy forty.
The two story townhouse restaurant offers a
very spacious and traditional Greek ambiance.
The owners, Cristos and Denise Papaloizou natives of Cyprus , Greece are the quintessential
hospitable hosts—making sure all their customers have a great time dining. Every day except for Monday, the
restaurant is busy and packed for lunch and dinner. The food is excellent. And
appetizers and entree prices are amazingly reasonable here. Also a very good bottle
of wine from Greece is really affordable to have with dinner or lunch. On Thursday
evenings a live Greek band performs traditional and modern Greek music late
into the evening, and dancing in the aisles is very much encouraged by the
owners: who are great dancers themselves and occasionally participate on the
dance floor with their Ouzo drinking very happy friends, family, and guests.
Seating
capacity in the first floor dining space is for sixty patrons. And a sunny patio garden area open when
weather permits seats about eighty patrons.
Buffet brunch is offered on weekends.
When you
enter the Taverna Cretekou from King Street, on the walls are very aesthetically
pleasing murals honoring the traditions of Greek cuisine. The murals embrace
and proclaim the Greek food culture of the restaurant’s menu going back to 330
B.C. The murals handsomely anchor the two main
dining areas beautifully. This very charming and culturally very beautiful restaurant has been host to many important dignitaries and celebrities like Janet Reno, Newt Gingrich, Greek, English, German, and Cuban ambassadors, Hollywood stars, Andy Garcia, and football coach Bob Phillip.
Once we sat
down to dinner, our waiter Dino came over right away.
Dino was one of the best servers I have had
the pleasure of being waited on. His knowledgeable description of the specials
and his enthusiasm was highly professional.
Throughout our dinner of wine, appetizers,
salad, entrees and dessert and coffee the pace of service was very competent and
friendly. Our waiter often came by to replenish our water glasses and pour the
wine for us. Polished waiters of this
kind are a real treat when dining out.
They should be rewarded handsomely with a very good gratuity. Start your dining here with some delicious appetizers like Dolmadakia-Smirni; Grape leaves filled with rice, scallions, and dill, marinated in olive oil. Or go for a very popular dish , the Manitaria Psyloriti: This Taverna specialty of broiled mushrooms stuffed with feta cheese, spinach and herbs is sooo good . it will have you ordering more and more.
Taverna
Cretekou offers Greek classics like Pastitsio:
A terrine of baked ziti pasta with ground meat-- lamb or sirloin beef in a a silky béchamel
sauce, and parmesan cheese that comes out piping hot and beautifully presented. This dish should not be missed. And the Spanikopita that I ordered as an appetizer is a real delight---a generous
size baked pastry of phyllo dough cooked with Greek olive oil and filled with a
big amount of fresh spinach and feta cheese. Every rapturous bite I took was a
mouthful of deliciousness. My good friend ordered a house salad and the entree
Kotopoulo Kalamata.
The Greek house Salad with gorgeously fresh
cucumbers, tomatoes, bell pepper, feta cheese in a vinaigrette dressing lovingly presented
was to die for. And the Kotopoulo Kalamata-- Chicken Kalamata: The two huge
portions of baked Chicken were moist, tender, and boldly flavored in a well
seasoned herbal tomato sauce. This sensuously aromatic dish cooked with
olive oil, onions, garlic, and Kalamata olives was really super delicious. It is one of the better known entrees of Chef
Nikos Papaloizou.
My entrée, a whole Branzino,-- a Mediterranean
Sea Bass, very simply baked, was a flavorful succulent treat of white meat, tender, moist, and
nicely seasoned to perfection. It was served with cooked carrots, broccoli
and, lemon potatoes.
A
complimentary house wine, made in Greece specially for the owners with the restaurant's name and logo “ Taverna Cretekou”
,Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012, was a lush fruity wine with notes of wild berries, grapefruit,
cherry and oak. It paired excellently with our food.
Owner
Christos , Denise and Chef Nikos Papaloizou proudly mentioned that the restaurant flies in
ingredients from Greece—olive oil, Kalamata olives, Feta cheese, Sea Bass , decaffeinated
Greek coffee and Greek wines. Taverna
Cretekou offers a very good selection of Greek wines. Try the Amythystos: A red blend of
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Or go for Ayios Onoufrios—a full bodied red
that will pair nicely with Lamb, Beef, and Chicken entrees. Other excellent vintages are Hatziomuchalis
Chalkidiki: a dry white Chardonay,
vintage 2011. And the Retsium
Kourtaki-Patras both are excellent with shellfish, fish, and vegetable dishes.
For dessert
we ordered two made in-house specialties.
The Baklava :
A semi- sweet and very tasty boldy robust walnut pastry
concoction created by Denise and the Virikoka Aphrodite: a venerable creamy dessert made with apricot poached in white
wine with orange zest, honey, walnut and yogurt. It was superb. We ended our dinner
extravaganza with the house coffee and a spirited cordial super special house drink called "The Denise Favorite" made with
Sambuca, Bailey’s Irish Cream and Kahlua. It was very good.
At Taverna
Cretekou a very strong festive family atmosphere is endearing to customers who
love Greek food, Greek wine and Greek music.
The hospitality of Denise and Cristos Papaloizou is big and honest. And patrons always feel welcome. You can expect here good size portions of
excellently cooked exotic Greek cuisine masterly done by acclaimed Chef Nikos Papaloizou
who knows very well his craft and will always amaze you with his creative Greek culinary flair.
Rating: EXCELLENT*****
Baron Corso de Palenzuela
von Habsburg: Is a Chef, an international wine and food, beer and chocolate critic and connoisseur. He has written for major food magazines and publication including Bon Appetit, Country and Abroad, The Observer, Sabor. And is creator of Chefography. He resides in New York, and Virginia. He can be reached at 845-706-1244
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