Ziziki's Big Opa! By Chef Costa

Every Greek says their YaYa (Grandma) makes the best Keftedes (meatballs).  It seems like this debate has been going on since the time of Socrates.  I can assure you though; my YaYa’s Greek meatballs are the best!  YaYa Katina grew up in Thessaloniki which is in the Northern part of Greece known for its farming and raising of sheep and goats.  YaYa always made meatballs with 100% lamb unlike most keftedes recipes that call for a mixture of beef, pork and lamb or some combination thereof.  Since Ziziki’s meatballs are made with lamb, it was my idea to add French Feta and a bit of Mozzarella for moisture.

When YaYa Katina made Keftedes, she always made a lot of these as my family would eat these as an appetizer, on flatbread like a pizza, with pasta for dinner or just eat them cold, straight out of the refrigerator as a snack.  Ziziki’s country-style Keftedes are flavored with oregano, mint and a bit of crumbled French Feta and Mozzarella.  Our hand-rolled meatballs are baked and served on a simple plum tomato sauce.   After you try Ziziki’s Keftedes appetizer, you judge and let me know if they aren’t the best Greek meatballs you’ve ever had!

Visit us for the very best Greek food in Dallas!

Mary's Wine PIck

I am always looking for that new unique wine to offer at Ziziki’s and…WOW…you will fall in love with the two wines that we are featuring this week from Patagonia Argentina.  Argentina has been making wine since the 1500s, tracing its wine heritage back to Spain, France and Italy.  Located in the province of Neuquen, is a young and innovative new winery…Bodega NQN…which was established in 2001.  The winery is situated in a modern, chic, low-lying building set into the Patagonian landscape…a setting truly representative of the creativity of owner, Lucas Nemesio, who has an architectural background.  The unique wines NQN is producing from this cool climate in the Southern Hemisphere are truly superb.  When I tasted these wines last month with Lucas, I thought they would be a great match with our flavorful Greek cuisine.

Malma Sauvignon Blanc 2010    $8/glass

This Sauvignon Blanc rivals the best from Marlborough, New Zealand.  It is fruity and crisp with a more rounded mouthfeel and nice acidity on the finish which makes this wine a perfect food wine or just great on a hot Dallas summer day.

Malma Malbec 2009    $8/glass

This malbec has intense red color and aromas of red fruit, fresh raspberry, plum and cherry.  The bright fruit has vanilla hints from its oak aging.  This Malbec has good structure and a slight spice on the finish which stands up well to our great lamb dishes, including our Greek meatballs.

NQN brings the kind of passion to wine that gets your attention…these two wines certainly got my attention!

Reds, Whites and Blues this Fourth Of July

It's July 4th weekend - and what better way to celebrate than to celebrate Old Glory, her colors - and all things red, white and blue? Certainly, being Dallas Best Greek Restaurant - we'll need to keep it to red, white and blue FOODS, but you get the idea!

Red Foods

Reds are typically REAL healthy foods - lots of fruits and veggies are in the red family of foods.
Fruit and sweet vegetables: cherries, cranberries, red raspberries, strawberries, watermelon.
Meat: elk, ostrich, pepperoni, rare beef, salmon, summer sausage.
Vegetables: red beans, red peppers, red radishes, tomatoes.

Wine: red wine of course!

White Foods

Well, we hope you aren't lactose intolerant if you're wanting to celebrate with colored foods this Independence Day.  Most white foods are dairy-related. There are a few ideas for white coloration - here are some of those:
Dairy products: cottage cheese, cream, cream cheese, milk, plain yogurt, sour cream, vanilla ice cream, white cheese (swiss, mozzerella, etc.).
Fruits and sweet vegetables: apples (peeled), bananas (peeled), coconut, lychees, pears (peeled), white nectarines, white peaches.

Meat: catfish, crappie, panfish, scallops.
Vegetables: button mushrooms, cauliflower, great northern beans, rice, white asparagus, white icicle radishes, white onions, white potatoes, white sweet corn.
Wine: white wine!

Blue Foods

There's only a couple of naturally blue foods. We've outlined those for you here too.
Fruits and sweet vegetables: blueberries.
Vegetables: all-blue potatoes (peeled or with skins), blue-skinned potatoes (skin on), blue corn.
Red cabbage starts out sort of purple and white, but when blanched in water with a base (such as baking soda) it turns blue.
Wine: None... :(

We'll work on the blue wine! OPA!