Organizers for the Wilmington Greek Festival, which takes place May 17-19, will tell you the event is about sharing culture with the community. You can tour the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at 608 College Road and enjoy traditional dancing and music.
But, it’s also about the food.
“The meats being grilled,” said Basile Katsikis with the festival. “You can smell it across the street at UNCW. ... It just permeates the whole area.”
And, because there’s so much to enjoy, food and drink can help structure your visit.
“You come and have dessert first,” he said. “Then you have a drink, some of the great Greek beer and wine we have. They you get something else to eat and walk around and see everything. Then you sit down and get some moussaka. You spend five or six hours and veg out, eat and drink.”
With that in mind, here are some must-try items on the menu.
For the hard-to-please
As Katsikis says, everybody loves chicken. Even non-adventurous eaters will enjoy the Greek-Style Chicken ($14), otherwise known as the lemon chicken entree that comes with Greek green beans, potatoes and a roll.
Classic Greek flavors
The moussaka and lasagna-like pastitsio (both $16) are two very typical Greek entrees available. “The moussaka when it’s done right, it’s unbelievable,” Katsikis said. “Thinly sliced potato, seasoned eggplant, the tender meat, topped with a cream sauce.”
Best sellers
It might be the gyros ($10-12), which are quick, tasty and portable, making them easy to enjoy while walking around. But Katsikis knows people buy extra tiropita ($8) to bring home. The savory pastry is filled with a blend of three cheeses and is perfect for warming up later.
At the drive-thru
The festival’s drive-thru menu is slightly abbreviated, with items that can be packaged for easy transportation. The large box of pastries, available with baklava or as a variety ($15) are ideal for this.
Best to eat there
Katsikis also recommends the loukoumades ($8). It’s a dish of warm, honey-drenched fritters that can be deliciously messy. Grab lots of napkins.
For coffee lovers
When Katsikis and his friends are in Greece, the frappé ($5) is their drink of choice. It’s a version of iced coffee, served sweet and creamy.
For your sweet tooth
The dedicated volunteers make hundreds of pans of baklava for the event. And, as the gooey pastries are boxed up, sweet remnants usually remain. Well, the baklava ice cream ($5) is a scoop of those pieces topped with soft-serve ice cream.
If you can’t decide
Katsikis encourages everyone to try something new. But the festival has an option for those who want to try the favorites. The Grecian Sampler ($25) is available at the festival and at the drive thru.
“You get a nice big piece of moussaka, a nice big piece of pastitsio,” he said. It also includes the dolmathes (or stuffed grape leaves), spanakopita and tiropita.
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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com
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