Which is entitled to be called "the best tavern in the CycladesIn the year 2020? Many taverns in Greece claim distinctions every year, with first and foremost the satisfaction and joy of their customers. For those of us who monitor and judge the course of catering professionals, we always feel proud when we see the progress and the noble rivalry of taverns that contribute to the promotion of Greek gastronomy.

And the question arises what could they be objective criteria with which one will judge, and evaluate these efforts.

My answer is clear:

1. The use of local raw materials.
2. The connection of the kitchen with the field.
3. The promotion of local recipes.
4. The employment of local staff.
5. The operation of the tavern all year round.
6. The service should include the ethos and courtesy of the place.
7. The good value for money.
8. The environment should be tasteful and authentic.
9. Whether it can be a good example for other professionals in the area.
10. To what extent and to what extent it is appreciated in the local community.

Based on these criteria for this year I would dare to suggest for 2020 as a model tavern the traditional cafe-tavern "In the Tower»In Arkesini in Amorgos. This tavern was built in 2015 by the Roussos family for the sake of their eldest daughter Vangelitsa.

Vangelitsa, 25 years old, studied, as she characteristically told us "in Cooking, Bakery, Confectionery and Cutting and Meat Anatomy", She received as a gift from her family the house they used to live in Holy Trinity of Arkesini in Kato Meria of Amorgos, - to move to a side, bigger - and in 2015 she decided to do something of her own in her favorite place. Of course, the whole family participates in this effort and of course both of her little sisters, who, despite being in the beginning of elementary school, help the whole project with pride from then until today!

Located a hundred meters from the "Tower of Vassilis in the Village" - the only ancient monument on Amorgos that stands proud for about 2.350 years and is surrounded by legends and stories - and on a walking route, at first had many unexpected visits passers-by. In the process it became known that there is a separate cafe in the middle of nowhere in Kato Meria which offers traditional food and very quickly became popular.

I was lucky and happy to meet him from his first year, to write it first article written about it, and the joy became great when five years later, the Roussos family remains steadfast in its original voyage, which was nothing more than a triptych: “Everything we cook is prepared with our own raw materials, the food we serve Amorgian recipes and we respect our place and our customers".

And we explain.

Mr. George, the father of Evangelitsa, has a herd of 100 goats, of which he utilizes cheese and meat. In his fields he cultivates wheat (Greek variety mavragani) and barley, and the flour (mixed) is ground for them alone.

The bread - it is seven yeast - and the rusks are produced using disposable yeast (season), which is made from chickpeas, fava beans, small peppers and bay leaves and kept warm covered by blankets throughout the summer.

The salt (afrina) is collected by Mr. George from rocky lakes of nearby beaches and tastes good in salads and cooking.

The ingredients for the salads come from its melons, tomatoes, cucumbers as well as fava (the fava or Amorgian) and chickpeas.

Chickpeas are cooked with onion and mint and are delicious and highly honeyed.

Depending on the season, Mr. George plants various vegetables, such as string beans, which he does not take any effort to clean, to help the kitchen.

In the first ones, pitoules are also served in the pan, either vegetable pies (with sefkoula -seskoula- gathered in winter) or cheese pies with xinotyri, xinomyzithra and hard cheese.

Dolmadas are made from kale (the green leaf of the cabbage) and len giaprakia.

The local dish that made "Ston Pyrgos" famous was the kavourma omelette, a traditional forgotten Amorgian recipe (pork frying with spices whose preparation I have described in detail) which in the process was adopted by other taverns of the island.

The protagonists of the main menu are the kid in two versions, the classic Amorgian potato, the ambassador and the oregano (with oil oregano).

Both are bites and home, in fact the second one was prepared every day in a cauldron, emptied its contents before the end of the evening serving!

Traditional is served as a dessert xerotigana of Amorgos.

Grapes and figs are served for farewell, depending on the season, along with Local baked raki "In Pyrgos" is made with cinnamon, cloves and fennel (in Amorgos everyone makes baked raki in their own way, using their own ingredients.

In the beginning, the store "Ston Pyrgos" had 5-6 tables, and in 2020 they were set up in the courtyard and in the hallway opposite the store, and now it operates with telephone reservations!

But what is main and most important is that the whole family, theGeorge, his wife the "mother courage" lady Mary, and the three little girls, the Little girlThe CoralThe Demeter ο  Friday - the son of the family - and the grandparents are recruited to serve the customers, showing what Amorgian hospitality is…

It is no coincidence that today they are considered by them best ambassadors of Amorgian gastronomy.

Why finally…. as the poet says every culture, place or person is judged by how much kindness, ethos and dignity they produce.

And I see "in the Tower" these "goods" are produced in abundance.