Ikio - Menu

"This small Greek family-run shop & deli features traditional Greek foods with a gourmet touch. The mother works in the kitchen, preparing a small variety of traditional dishes that are made fresh daily, such as moussaka, lamb dishes, pasta with octopus, meat balls, etc., with more vegetable dishes featured during the summer months. The menu varies from day to day and season to season. Also available on a daily basis are a variety of savory phyllo-based pastries, usually filled with feta, spinach or potato, etc.Meals may be taken to go or eaten inside around a small, but lovely marble communal table. When the weather is nice, there are also three tables located outside - which is where I found myself today, taking advantage of the unusually nice weather. There were three or four hot meals to choose from, but as I was starving, I chose the moussaka with salad on the side. For me, moussaka is comfort food, and the combination of meat, eggplant and homemade bechamel sauce can really hit the spot when you are hungry. Some restaurants can make it a bit too heavy and greasy, but this was not the case here. As I was also in the mood for a glass of Greek wine, I left it up to them to decide which wine would go best. The father, who enjoys talking with customers and helping with the service, brought me a glass of red wine from the Peloponnese region. As a general rule, I often prefer Greek white wines (not necessarily retsinas), but the red was definitely best with the moussaka. As this establishment is located on a rather calm street, it was lovely to sit outside and relax, watching the employees of the small organic bread & vegetable store across the street exchange jokes with the father, with whom he has obviously become good friends. Then, another man (not related to the shop across the street) stopped by to gift the father with a bag of organic, but wormy apples, and more jokes and laughter ensued. The nice weather, the laughter, the sense of neighborhood camaraderie and my dish of well-prepared comfort food all added up to equal a lovely moment in time.On my previous visit to the shop, I had seen a couple sitting outside and drinking what looked like a pitcher of very refreshing iced tea. I was informed that it was not black tea, but a house herb tea mixture, so I decided to end my meal by trying it out. Served in a glass pitcher with numerous small ice cubes (rare to see so much ice in a drink in Paris!), the tea is apparently made with chamomile, lavender, verbena and a few other natural additions. It proved to be one of the most refreshing and best iced teas I have ever had - ending my meal with a simple, but totally unexpected pleasure. A perfect non-alcoholic drink for a lazy afternoon outside.Now, more about the shop:The shop is light and modern, and decor-wise, doesn't fit the stereotypical mold of any other Greek shop I've seen in Paris. The daughter usually works behind the deli counter, where you will find a small, but quality selection of Greek specialties, such as olives, feta, marinated octopus, smoked mackerel, tzatziki, etc. Like everything else in the shop, these offerings may vary depending on the arrival of products from Greece or on what the mother has prepared.The small shop is also lined with numerous other Greek specialties, from olive oil to herbs to a wide assortment of dried bread sticks, dried rolls & barley rusks. The shop also contains a large glass-front refrigerated cooler filled with additional Greek items.The above was just a short list of what I have noticed when I have been in the shop. I'm sure that there are other specialties that I have forgotten to mention or that I have never seen because they are sold out when I've been there.In the past, I have often stopped by for items to take home, such as the dried bread sticks that I find go extremely well with creamy Greek cheeses (especially feta mixtures in spreadable form), although I enjoy them with French cheeses, too. As anyone who has been to Greece knows only too well, Greek bread, even in its dried state, is VERY good (just ask them for suggestions if you are unfamiliar with how to use it), but my favorites from their store are made of carob and coated with sesame seeds. And I suppose that is it fortunate for my waistline that they are often sold out.The shop also has some of the best Greek olives that I have purchased in Paris (currently 11 to 12 euros per kilo). My favorites are the extremely large purple-ish ones as they are not too firm, but incredibly meaty, with a flavor that is exactly what I expect from a great olive. I have also recently enjoyed their smoked makerel, and as their octopus also looks plump and tempting, that will probably be next on my list.To sum it up, it is a small, but very sweet family-run establishment. If you are interested in quality Greek traditional foods & specialties, then I highly recommend that you give this place a try."