Greek Festival!

When I last went to the Greek festival, I was about ten years old. It was high time to return this year, as we went with some friends who boast Greek roots. The other half of the intrepid foodies team was down for the count dealing with some flu issues - which all foodies should know, the best cure for the flu in town is Noshville's matzo ball soup. Its curative powers are equivalent to penicillin.

The three day Greek festival is an annual activity hosted by the Greek Orthodox Church on Franklin Road in mid-September. It borders Franklin Road and Tyne Boulevard, and is easily reached from the Harding Road exit off of I-65, just five minutes south of downtown. Helpful parking volunteers guide you to an appropriate parking spot on the hillside lawn, and you walk up to the festival goodness on the top of the small hill. Did I mention admission is free? If you want a great date without spending a dime, plan on hitting the Greek festival next year.

There's something magical about a festival like this. We arrived on a Saturday night to the band playing a number that had the dancers shouting Opah! as average Nashvillians gave up their inhibitions and joined the ever-growing circle of dancing. The great thing about dancing here is that everyone just holds hands and gives it a go, whether they know what they are doing or not. Kids are usually just jumping up and down in the center as the adults swirl around them. Movement seemed to be generally counterclockwise, with a few spurts of inward steps and backward steps. Two men who really knew what they were doing were the leaders on the outermost circle, but it was so unpretentious that one of them didn't bother to remove his cooking apron. People who wanted to join in just wandered into the circle and had at it, which is just what you're looking for at a festival.

Tables encircle the dance floor and had people eating the homemade meals which were purchased at the side vending locations. We looked around for the best option, and encountered an oddity: Greek salad sold at the Greek festival with - gasp - lettuce! What!? We were so shocked we didn't know what to say. They made it right there in front of you, and we felt a little awkward in deferring to another vendor. How do you get out of that gracefully? I didn't pull it off, but I tried.

We saw options for grilled chicken, gyros, souvlaki, and roast lamb for a full dinner, and we went with the roast lamb, thinking of our time in Greece (where we literally knawed at the remaining fat left on the bone. We were embarrassed. Go to Agios Konstantinos one day, and get the roast leg of lamb from around the church square, and THEN judge us.) Sides were pre-selected, divided plate size helpings of whole red potatoes and green beans. Both came full of flavor if you could pull your eyes away from the dance floor long enough to concentrate on the meal. The roast lamb tasted a lot like roast beef, and was easy enough to divide with the plasticware. Extra kudos for the mini-cup of Greek salad, which, blessedly, did not include lettuce. And it was a pleasure to be served our meal by a young man that looked to be about seven years old. While I wondered if my cafeteria tray would reach me unscathed, it was so much fun for both him and me that I wouldn't have skipped it for the world.

We watched the dancing as we ate our meal, and tried hard not to think about inhaling the local homemade pastries we had picked up. While most meal vendors are outside, the inside holds the crown jewels of the festival: the pastries. You will likely have to wait in line for about ten minutes before you pass by the first pastry section. Welcome distractions while you wait include eyeing the craftsmanship of the jewlery and reading the covers of some religious books. Once you get far enough along, the prices and options are visible...and then you loose your composure. We first hit a refrigerated aisle of mouse-looking whipped dessert (Kok) that was attended to by one of many kind Greek grandmothers, the kind of person who would make you cry if they offered to teach you everything they knew about cooking.

After winning the internal battle to keep looking, we then passed the homemade sweet bread loafs and garlic loafs, which (thankfully) you can sample on your way. The bread was light and flaky, and slightly honeyed in the sample I had, if slightly dry. That's probably due to being cut and left out for sampling.

Next came the army of pastry offerings: Baklava, an almond cookie called "Amglydota", a rolled filo dough creation that's dipped in honey and walnuts called "Diples", and Baklava drizzled with chocolate called "Flogeries". We chose baklava and flogeries, which were the best I've ever had. Even in Greece, I wasn't a big fan of baklava, but they made me a fan here. Flogeries were my favorite because of the chocolate addition. Each of these delectable items were coming out of the back fresh from the ovens as we stood there. I lost all sense of sanity when I saw a raspberry filled sugar cookie tray come right out, hot, at my exact spot in line... and immediately purchased two. I considered it divine intervention. Thank God I have the metabolism of a cheetah.

All this won't break your budget either. Dinners range from $6 to $10 for the roast lamb, and the pastries range from $1.50 to $3.00. Baklava is $1.50, as are the Flogeries. Good luck controlling yourself, foodies, this is a place for real fun, great eats, and a safe escape.