📍Lyra, Athens

I spent the morning exploring the Acropolis. I did it all wrong too. I left my sunscreen back in the hotel room. I had no water meaning I bought an overpriced one at the Acropolis. I probably should have dressed differently. Still, the Acropolis was beautiful and I had worked up an appetite. Lyra was recommended to me by a friend before I got to Athens and it was just a short walk from the exit.

Post by @jitpal

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Lyra is on a hill. The outside has multiple levels, each with 2-3 tables until it gets to the street level and the main entrance. If you like people-watching, it's great. You'll get people taking the long way around the exit of the Acropolis walking through and lightly busy street ahead of you. The weather was beautiful so I sat outside.

I started with a Sangria. I was on a Greek wine kick but considering how hot it was, I wanted something more refreshing. It was just that. It wasn't too sweet, maybe even a little tart. The sangria had small diced apples and some citrus in it. Eventually, I did a second glass.

I started with the octopus. It was grilled and topped with a chimichurri sauce. The octopus was well cooked, with a decent amount of chew on the thicker end. As I worked my way to the tip, the pieces got more and more charred, becoming crispy in parts. I liked that progression and it kept the dish from being one note. The chimichurri brought some acid and freshness to the octopus.

It was served with red pepper hummus, which I used as a dip for some of the bites. The red pepper brought more color than flavor. They did something interesting that I had not seen in hummus before. It had the mouthfeel of sparkling water. So it was light and airy, but each bite kind of exploded as the bubbles popped.

For my main, I went with lamb chops and potato wedges. The lamb chops were all different sizes and shapes. Some were from the shoulder and others were possibly from the rib or loin. This meant each chop had a little different flavor. Each piece was properly cooked, however at about a medium temp. Bite after bite was juicy. I didn't need any sauce or extras.

The potato wedges were potato wedges. Your opinion was likely made up before you saw the picture. I generally enjoy the crispy bits of potato wedges, the ends, and these were no different. The fluffy parts or the centers were better fresh than towards the end.

One of the things I was most excited to try while in Greece was orange pie or cake. It's layers and layers of phyllo soaked in an orange syrup. It sticks together and feels like the center of a moist cake. It's quite sweet but the orange is subtle and it's worth trying. This was the only one I had in Greece so I have nothing to compare it to but I enjoyed this. It came topped with a mango sorbet that, believe it or not, helped cut some of the sweetness.

This was a fun meal, if only for the vibes. From the Acropolis to an outdoor Greek restaurant on the side of a hill on a beautiful sunny day; it was memorable. It's time to rest up before my final night in Athens.

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