Steff D.
Yelp
Enoteca Athena. Just say it. Let the words roll out of your mouth. It's so pleasurable to say. It feels fancy, it feels worldly. E-no-tec-ahhhhhh-the-na. Yum.
You know what else is delicious about this place?
Everything.
Making a reservation for a large party? Effortless.
Having them split our bills into many (many) individual checks? Seamless.
Our private room with the large, wooden square table (which, by the way, is such a refreshing change from the standard long rectangle ones - you can't see the people at the other end of them!), the fairy and globe lights, the bottles of wine tucked here and there on appropriate surfaces throughout the restaurant (which I found incredibly charming)? Just lovely. Think indie coffee shop meets romantic European cafe.
Our server? Perfect. We've gone to restaurants all over the state as a group of twelve, and usually have three or four people waiting on us. I'm nearly positive that there was only one woman doing it all - and she was on point all night, never missing a beat. Everything from ordering to drinks to food recommendations to serving us... it couldn't have been more perfect.
Our drinks? So satisfying. I had a refreshing - and very healthy pour of the - lambrusco that came in a poco grande glass. Friends around me had cocktails and the general remark was that "they were strong", but I'd rather pay $10 for a strong drink than $14 for a weak one any day.
The food? Abundant and delicious. We had the:
- Peloponnese Hummus ($5): Made from chickpeas, evoo, spices. This was good, but very as expected. So if you like hummus, you can't go wrong with this. Unfortunately, it's sister spreads were SO delicious, that it just didn't stand up as well against them.
+ Skorthalia spread ($5): Made from potato, garlic, olive oil, apple cider vinegar. Like a mashed potato spread with a tremendous amount of roasted garlic... which I loved and couldn't get enough of. Could easily eat this as a Thanksgiving side.
+ Htipiti spread ($5): Made with whipped feta, grilled hot pepper. If you like htipiti spread, you'll love this one. Not too hot, just cheesy enough, and delicious as a cold thick spread on a crusty piece of bread. Kind of reminded me a of a fiery pimento cream cheese.
+ Ricotta spread with honey and walnuts ($5): Where did you come from, manna from Heaven? We had to order more of this because it was just so delicious. It tasted like Italian ricotta pie and was an amazing addition with the other flavors we got.
Digression:
You ever eat something at a restaurant and think: "I so wish I could share this ____ (fill-in-the-blank)"? Throughout the spreads, I just kept wanting my loved ones to be with me, because I know they would have just loved them! The sign of a really good restaurant must be when you're preparing to come back and are still on the pre-app apps.
- Tempura Fried Cardoons ($10ish): think vegetarian calamari. No, it wasn't seafoody, but the texture, the preparation, and the way in which it was served reminded me of calamari. Cardoons are a thistle-like plant (think: swiss chard stem, but the flavor of an artichoke). They weren't my favorite thing of the night, but I liked the opportunity to try something new.
+ Arancino ($4.25): A fried risotto ball with a mozzarella center (daily preparation). Ours was with pumpkin and cheese... and it couldn't have been more perfectly prepared or more seasonally appropriate. It was meaty, it was dense, it was hearty, it was flavorful. This is vegetarian? This is only $4.25? I could get two... and be blissfully, painfully full. Change nothing about this, Enoteca Athena (except - please keep it veg-friendly!).
+ Squash Blossom ($10ish): I believe it was phyllo dough wrapped around a squash blossom filled with cheese and butternut squash, then fried. No complaints here!
Finally...The price? It was just right. This was one of those moments when I realized just how painfully expensive living in Portland is. The quality and quantity of food we got for the price we paid was mind-boggling (in a good way).
I'll finish with this thought: I don't love going out to dinner. So when people ask me "Where's your favorite restaurant?" I just never really have an answer.
I think I do now.