Table for Two: Escape to Mykonos at Violí

It’s not necessarily a bad thing when your first course is so irresistible that it sets the bar high and blows away any strategy for starting out light. Such was the case with the horiatiki salad at Violí, a delightful indoor-outdoor setting at Mercato in Naples. Simply put, it’s a Greek salad but unlike any I’ve tasted. None of the greens, potatoes, pepperoncini, or creamy dressing one sometimes finds in Greek American restaurants; only juicy wedges of vine-ripened tomatoes, thick English cucumber half-moons, and kalamata olives topped with a slab of exceptional barrel-aged feta, capers, fresh oregano, and an exquisite olive oil.

At Violí, it’s all about the finest, most sustainable, whole-food ingredients. The menu sidesteps the heaviness one might associate with traditional Greek. My Lemóni Spritz cocktail introduced that brightness and delightful freshness—house-made limoncello made all the difference. My friend opted for a mocktail called Stamos—a bubbly beverage flavored with fresh blueberry and lemon juices garnished with Amarena cherries and basil.

I never pass on avgolemono soup, and this one with roasted chicken and dill adding depth was exceptional and lighter than I ever manage to make at home. The grilled lamb chops benefited from a smoked salt rub and, instead of a heavy mint sauce, fresh leaves of mint. On the side, charred eggplant salata performed a multitexture, multi-note concert that tickled my taste buds in the most delightful way. Tzatziki sauce, smoked salt, and charred tomato purée accompanied my companion’s skewered Faroe Island salmon souvlaki.

Dessert decisions were painfully difficult. Although the dense portokalopita (orange syrup cake) introduced novel and fresh flavors to my palate, I still regret passing up the sokolatopita—dark chocolate cake with hazelnut praline, chocolate coffee custard, and salted caramel ice cream. Next time: I demand an encore! 

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