Ingredient appreciation — what makes Dolmades special

What sets Dolmades apart is the handling of Kalamata olives. In lesser versions this is treated as a background note. Here it's central and the bright and lemony result shows it. I've started buying it to cook with at home after this experience.

Greek cuisine has influenced the entire Mediterranean culinary tradition for millennia. The a taverna by the Aegean sea atmosphere was right for this kind of food. I had retsina as recommended and it matched well. If you want to understand what makes this cuisine distinctive, Dolmades is the place to start.