Last Bite: Estia Sampler at Estia

Dining out across Cape Cod has become a global experience. French, Italian, Mexican, Jamaican, Japanese, Indian, Filipino, Portuguese, and Brazilian are just some of the options available when you’re looking for a change from burgers and fishermen’s platters. Yet, eating out can be a costly affair due to rising food costs, and “value” has become an important factor in deciding where to dine. You don’t mind paying the price for a truly exceptional meal. Occasionally you come across a menu item(s) that checks all the boxes: delightful flavors, filling but not leaving you feeling over-stuffed, and it doesn’t break the bank. You almost feel like you’ve cracked the code to a secret that’s been hiding in plain sight. For us, Estia in the Mashpee Commons has such an item with their Estia Sampler.

Classic Greek cuisine for many Cape Codders over the years was limited to one splendid weekend a year when St. George Greek Orthodox Church hosts their Greek Food Fest every summer in Centerville (this year scheduled for July 7 & 8). In 2014, the Markantonis family opened Estia in Mashpee Commons, and people can now enjoy pastitsio, moussaka, gyro and horiatiki year-round. The response from the dining public was such that a second location opened on Main Street in downtown Falmouth only four years later.

The Estia Sampler is a feast for one. The wedges of feta cheese, loukaniko (grilled Greek sausage), dolmades (beef and rice stuffed grape leaves), spanakopita, and an assortment of olives are more aptly enjoyed by sharing. Grazing on this dish allows you to linger longer, and thoroughly savor the flavors. Try a bite of loukaniko with a bit of feta. The sharpness of the orange zest in the grilled sausage balances with the crumbly, yet silky, feta. Next, maybe a slice of dolmades swiped through their egg and lemon sauce, with a bit of feta. OK, anything with a bit of this feta pairs wonderfully. The delicate golden phyllo shatters as you cut into the spanakopita to enjoy the spinach, scallions and feta layered within. Drizzling olive oil on a slice of bread over the plate allows the oil to blend into the mélange of flavors, further enhancing them. When the feta cheese, olive oil, and phyllo dough are all sourced from the Grecian island of Crete, the satisfying flavors to be enjoyed are truly authentic.

Now, you may be saying to yourself, “But I don’t like olives!” Fear not! With so many flavors on one plate, a bit of culinary horse trading will solve that problem (assuming you’re sharing with an olive lover). A extra few slices of loukaniko, dolmades, or a bit more feta should square things nicely. Heck, even if I did like olives, I’d happily trade them for some more of this feta!

Couple the sampler with an order of Estia’s signature chicken wings which are roasted with rosemary, sea salt, lemon and oil from the coal-fired oven and you have a dinner for two for the price comparable to one entrée that you might find at many establishments around the Cape.

Grazing, or the slow methodical way one might pick at a charcuterie board, is a fine way to refrain from overeating. It allows time for the stomach to send the signal of “I’m full” to the brain before you overdo it. We’ve all been there…

With the Estia Sampler, you savor each morsel, making the dish last as you chat with newfound friends at the large and inviting bar. You’re left feeling sated but not stuffed. After all, the baklava and loukoumades are waiting to be enjoyed for dessert with an aperitif of ouzo, OPA!

Estia
26 Steeple Street at Mashpee Commons
508-539-4700

117 Main Street, Falmouth
508-548-3300
estiacapecod.com