Ya'ssoo Greek Festival

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the Ya'ssoo Greek Festival, so I am surprised to discover that it was revived only in 2007 after a twenty-three-year hiatus.

As we enter the gate, we stop and ponder the directions: fourteen brightly painted arrows nailed to a post. To the east: Athens 5273 miles and Constantinople 5328 miles. To the west: Tijuana 1936 miles and Kathmandu 7566 miles. The Kouzina and Taverna are also to the east, so we head east first.

At the Kouzina, under Greek and American flags hanging side by side, classic Greek dishes like souvlaki on a stick, gyro sandwiches with tzatziki yogurt, rich cheesy pastitsio, flaky spinach spanakopita, flaky filo tiropita, and Greek salad (of course) are featured. Greek beer, wine, and ouzo are served at the Taverna.

Afterwards, we follow the sign west to the Kafenio for desserts. So many different kinds of cookies and pastries! There is koulourakia, a braided butter cookie; kourabiethes, a crescent-shaped almond butter cookie rolled in powdered sugar; karithopita, walnut cake soaked in syrup; loukoumathes, syrupy honey puffs; and of course baklava, which I describe to the kids as simply the best dessert in the world. And Greek coffee!