Weekly supplement by Insider Publications • insider-publications.com • facebook.com/insiderpublications • No 96 • Friday, February 12, 2016 MUSIC AL DI MEOLA
PHOTOGRAPHY PETER LINDBERGH
Hang out with electrifying New Jersey jazz guitarist, Al Di Meola, as he presents his new album “Elysium” and a retrospective of his most popular songs at a one-off performance February 20 at 10pm, at Gazarte, Voutadon 32-34, Kerameikos. Buy tickets from €29-50 at viva.gr, Public or www.gazarte.gr
See Monica Bellucci and other ravishing portraits by acclaimed German-born photographer Peter Lindbergh – famous for his iconic black and white images of women – and that 1990 Vogue cover of Naomi, Cindy, Christy et al – at the Gagosian Gallery’s solo exhibition until April 23, Merlin 3, gagosian.com
Love is in the air at a special Valentine’s Edition of the ever-popular Meet Market, at Technopolis, February 13-14, with over 90 stands of local creations over 3 buildings, a children’s interactive couples, singles and the recently heartbroken!), Peiraios 100, Gazi, themeetmarket.gr
The Seduction List For all those fellows who think that Flowers + Females = Happiness, guess again! tures actually fall bottom of the list of what women really want from their partners on Valentine’s Day. (With romantic dinners and “time away from the kids” being the best way to melt hearts.) With this in mind, Insider has come up with a fool-proof guide to getting it right this February 14.
€8-16, mains €15-25.) For bookings, phone 210.967.0659, 210.896.1310 or visit www. moorings.gr 2. The Class Act Take her on a Gold Class cinema date and you’ll both feel like Hollywood royalty on the red carpet for the night! Enjoy a complementary pre-movie aperitif - Pimms on our last 2 visits - in the VIP Gold Class lounge, where an attendant politely informs you when the show!). Order a bottle of wine and some movie treats to share during the screening. They’ll be delivered by a waiter as you recline on your ridiculously comfy, super-sized La-zBoys. Trust us, once you’ve gone Gold Class, you’ll never look back. It’s a bit like turning left instead of right as you enter the aeroplane. And at just €20 a ticket, well worth the ride. Village Cinema Gold Class is available at Village Faliro (210.948.5200) and The Mall (210.610.4100). Check www.villagecinemas.gr for listings and screening times.
1 1. The Dinner Date A romantic candlelit dinner à deux consistently tops the class on Valentine’s Day quizzes. And before you even open the menu at Moorings at Vouliagmeni Marina, the glamour of all those svelte yachts and the heady romance of the sea-by-night have already worked their magic. Fresh from a
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3. Sharing is Caring Satisfy her desire for “me time” with a blissful massage – for you both. The Orloff Spa at Astir Beach has come up with the perfect formula to help stoke a loving mood this Valentine’s Day. During February, book a luxurious full Polynesian Body Massage (55 minutes) for two people, and pay a special reduced price of €110, instead of €170. The experience can be enjoyed either together or sepa-
3 rately – depending on how much “me time” she really does need! - and includes exclusive Cinq Mondes oil products and traditional Polynesian-style hot stones. Buy any Cinq Mondes product while there and you’ll also receive a beautiful 50ml Orange Blossom gift spray. Call 210.896.0028 or visit www.orloffdayspa.gr to reserve your treatments. 4. Your Heart on a String This beautiful rose-gold “heart4heart” bracelet from Folli Follie – inspired by the super-popular string tie bracelets - gets our vote for three reasons: It’s feminine. It’s undeniably romantic. But at €70, it won’t break the bank, like some other Valentine’s trinkets, either. (Leaving him enough funds for the other things on our list!) Locate your nearest Folli Follie store on www.follifollie.gr 5. Naughty and Nice Nothing is as powerfully seductive as the idea of spending the closing hours of Valentine’s Day locked away in a lavish hotel bedroom. In your own city. Pristine, plump-pillowed double bed begging to be rumpled, jacuzzi suites, couple’s massages at the hotel’s award-winning spa and an aphrodisiac tasting menu with wine or whiskey pairings - these are just a few of the Life Gallery’s propositions to up side at the Kool Life restaurant and snuggle
4 over breakfast in bed. A late check-out at 3 pm and 30% discounts only sweeten the deal further! Life Gallery, Thiseos 103, Ekali. Tel: 211.106.7400, lifegallery.gr 6. Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker If you haven’t made a reservation for Valentine’s Day by now, head to Vinarte where you can have it all: ambiance, wine and a few moreish bites. Vinarte’s charming, Italian rusfeel just the right side of tipsy, even if you’re sober. Fortunately, all this sexiness comes with a serious wine list that offers an appreciative nod to small producers of Italy, and a menu offering a host of Italian small plates perfect for stimulating the mood - if the setting hasn’t already. Vinarte, Maragkou 18, Glyfada Tel: 210.894.1511
The explosive Simpson trial told from the lawyers’ perspective and how a combination of prosecution African-American community gave a jury reasonable doubt. Wednesdays at 21.50 on Fox.
Our favourite annual (guilty!) pleasure returns: the Astir Palace Chocolate Festival. recipes, creations and pleasures at the Astir Palace Resort, February 13-14 and February 20-21. Chocolate is a special kind of pleasure, a dinner….a child’s obsession and an adult’s object of desire. Astir Palace Resort pays tribute to glorious chocolate by organizing the sweetest winter party in town! The resort’s pastry team creates the perfect destination for lovers of chocolate of all ages. Entrance fee €18 for adults and €9 for children. Includes unlimited access to: the story of chocolate, live chocolate creations, chocolate tasting, chocolate fountain and fondue – and of course the famous chocolate buffet! Arion Resort and Spa Grill room. Phone 210.890.2000 for more information or visit www.arionresortathens.com
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DANCE
EXHIBITION
NEW TERRITORIES A treasure trove of outstanding designs from 50 established and emerging Greek studio jewelry artists are on display at Ilias
INTIMATE A multi-dimensional contemporary dance spectacle between dream and reality that merges physical theatre, modern dance and visual landscapes to the soundtrack of live electronics. Plefsis’ new performance, “Intimate”, draws inspiration from G. Bachelard’s classic book The Poetics of Space. 14th Day Art Space, Kallirrois 10, 210.921.0077, until April 24, tickets from €5
LE PARIS DE NONDA A tribute to a shining light of the 1960’s Parisian art scene, Nonda (Epaminondas
Taqueria Maya If 2015’s feel-good movie “Chef” left you longing, like us, for the perfect Cuban sandwich, head to Tacqueria Maya where tacos, burritos, quesadillas and other fantastic tastes of Latin American street food are the name of the game. The meat is marinated and slow-cooked to perfect tenderness. Vegetarians are catered for too. High notes: The warm and friendly atmosphere coupled with pocket-friendly prices. Petraki 10, Athens, 211.216.7081, www. taquriamaya.com
SCREAM QUEENS
On the twentieth anniversary of a 1995 sorority pledge gone wrong, a college campus is rattled by a series of murders. With Emma Roberts, Skyler Samuels, Lea Michele. Sundays at 21.40 on Fox. Watch FOX on OTE TV
CINEMA THIS WEEK
JANE GOT A GUN
A woman asks her ex-lover for help in order to save her outlaw husband from a gang out to kill him. With Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton and Ewan McGregor.
TRUMBO
EXHIBITION
GASTRONOMY
Your favourite magazine has just had a makeover! Don’t miss our Red Hot February issue, packed with must-read articles such as our fool-proof Valentine’s Seduction List; a wrapup of Athens new Downtown gourmet gems ... and our wonderful Winter Wellness Special, guaranteed to banish any winter blues!
THE PEOPLE V. O.J SIMPSON
TRAVEL
time until May 15, highlighting advances in Greek goldsmithery, and the participants’ contribution to the world of contemporary visual art, Karyatidon & Kallisperi, Acropolis, lalaounis-jewelrymuseum.gr
NEW LOOK!
TV THIS WEEK
2015 makeover, this elegant Vouliagmeni institution has never been better. We recommend sticking to a marine theme and dining on delectable sea morsels from the current menu: sea urchin salad with wakame, lime and sesame; shrimps with fennel seeds and ouzo; or the silky crabmeat risotto. Make sure to leave room for the stand-out2
CITY LIFE
UPCOMING EVENTS
FESTIVAL MEET MARKET LOVE EDITION
granted a scholarship to the Ecole De Beaux Arts. Known for his outdoor installations under Pont Neuf bridge – and his unconventional use of cow’s blood as a medium. Museum of the City of Athens, Paparrigopoulou 5-7, athenscitymuseum.gr until March 23.
Feedel Urban Gastronomy This new secret gem, in a quiet square in the heart of Athens, won’t stay secret for too much longer, we predict. Since opening in December, Feedel has already beits funky interior and heartfelt Mediterranean cuisine. High notes: Green fava (!), pork sirloin pancetta - and a delightful patch of green space, perfect for al-fresco moments come the Spring! Dena 1, Athens, 210.321.0551
Three New Downtown Hotspots to try this month: The Sowl Art, taste, fashion and music collide at this welcoming new “ethnic urban” space, formerly Root Artspace. Go for a weekend morning yoga class followed by a top-notch brunch; then hang all day to soak up the creative buzz and feel-good tunes at this beautifully-restored, multi-tasker of a venue. High notes: Feisty Mexican street food choices and the on-site art gallery. Herakleidon 10, Thissio, 210.345.0003
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Astoria, New York’s little horio Sherri Moshman Paganos captures the vibrance of a Greek city miles away from home. It’s a cold Saturday afternoon in January. scape now, the Greek tavernas arguably As the N train from Times Square passes draw the most faithful customers. One over the Triborough Bridge, you immediately such restaurant is Kyklades on Ditmars. get the feeling that you’re entering a Greek Under its blue awning with «SEAFOOD» world. A couple argues loudly with each in large letters, you’ll usually see a line of other in Greek and a subway rider reads people waiting to eat their wonderfully fresh the Ethnikos Kyrix (National Herald), the 100-year-old Greek American newspaper. As the train lumbers its way towards Dit- Since the 1960’s, Astoria has been known mars Boulevard, the last stop, out the train as one of the largest Greek cities outside of you can see signs for Odyssey Optical and Greece, its population further boosted after Zorba’s Souvlaki. the invasion of Cyprus in 1974, when many After the jostling, bustle and noise of mid- Cypriots settled in the area. town Manhattan, Ditmars Boulevard with Astoria was named for John Jacob Astor, at its red and beige brick row houses that lead one time the wealthiest man in the United down to the river, is peaceful and serene. States. The reason for this naming is not that he had any connection with Astoria, and purple sunset colors. As we reach the but it was to persuade him to invest in the East River, we stop and admire the view area. The naming obviously didn’t move across of nearby Manhattan. Walking back up from the river, after a while, residential Ditmars becomes commercial Ditmars. «Thessaloniki Jewelers» and «Lefko Pirgos,» a traditional zaharoplasteio stand across from each other in the heart of the commercial area. Astoria has become a very desirable area to live, since its rents are much lower and more affordable than Manhattan, and it’s only a 20 minute subway ride to midtown. For this reason, many young professionals of all nationalities have moved in. Besides the rather young, you have the opposite end of the spectrum, the elderly, mostly Greeks and Italians in their 70’s or 80’s, who have lived in Astoria since the 1960’s or so. Although various restaurants dot the land-
In 1947, Dalton Trumbo was Hollywood’s top screenwriter, until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs as part of the famous Hollywood 10. With Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, and Helen Mirren.
him much, as he gave a paltry $500 out of his fortune of $40 million. However, the name stuck and although he never set foot in the area, he could certainly watch from his home in what is now E. 87th near York Avenue, across the river to his land. In the late 1970’s and early 80’s, my husband, a student then, fondly remembers working at popular catering hall Crystal Palace on Broadway. Used mainly for Greek weddings, baptisms and dances for various Greek associations, it was THE PLACE to go, along with «Spilia» (the Cave), the bouzoukia under Crystal Palace. There were also many bars where singers got their start. At one such bar, we heard Elly Paspala before she left for Greece to make her career. Ditmars also had movie theaters which showed popThe brick row houses in Astoria have been grammes, such as the iconic series from the 1970’s, ‘All in the Family.’ Robert de on location in Astoria. And in “Serpico” with Al Pacino, the elevated N train is the backdrop for some chase scenes. Today, along with Greek, you are just as likely to hear Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi or Urdu. But Greek customs have alstasi, you’ll see people walking home from the church after midnight with their lit candles, and on Easter Sunday, a walk around Astoria, conveys the aromas of cocoretsi (lamb innards) roasting on the souvla. With a little imagination, you could imagine your horio and the whole lamb roasting. As Alkmini says, Astoria is the best place to be without living in Greece itself.