Kosmos

I think Greek food might be my all time favorite type of cuisine. It's simple, it's fresh, it's flavorful, it's delicious. And this might be my new favorite Greek restaurant, Kosmos in Walpole.

Kosmos is a family run upscale Greek restaurant, and the family behind it are two brothers, Angelos and Stavros Petropulos. These guys are so well respected in the Greek food industry, they're actually cover boys on a monthly magazine. Now it might not look like much from the outside, but once you step inside, you realize this space is gorgeous. There are lots of blues and whites everywhere. Nice murals up on the wall, you see the birch trees that separate the dining room from the gorgeous bar. They even have a charming outdoor patio for the nice weather, so there's plenty of room to spread out and get ready for an epic Greek meal.

The beauty of Greek food is the simplicity. You get a lot of olive oil, oregano and, of course, feta cheese. If you want to taste feta cheese in its unadulterated glory, get this salad. This is the horiotiki salad, or the village salad. This is what a Greek salad is in Greece. So you have tomato, cucumber, olives, onions, peppers, big, thick blocks imported feta cheese, and it's just simply dressed with some imported extra virgin olive oil and a little bit of oregano. Like I said, simple, fresh, flavorful, spectacular salad. If you want to take your feta to the next level, get the feta Sousami or the sesame feta. So you can consider this like a Greek style mozzarella stick. You got a block of feta cheese on the outside. It's wrapped in phyllo dough that gets pan fried, and then on top, a drizzle of imported Greek honey. And this stuff is incredible. You have the saltiness of the feta, the sweetness from the honey, the crunch from the sesame and the phyllo dough. This is a must order dish.

To start your meal on the lighter side of things, they have the Kolokithakia or the fried zucchini. Look how they meticulously place them inside that beautiful ceramic bowl, and on the bottom you have the tzatziki sauce. So you just take that zucchini chip, dip it in the tzatziki, and that's how the Greeks do a chip and dip. Here's a dish that really epitomizes the cosmos experience: the Kontosouvli or the pork souvlaki.

So this is marinated pork, and it is a huge portion served on this skewer, and it is fire grilled. What's especially cool about this place is the vessel on which it's served. They actually imported this metal platter from Greece because nobody in America makes this thing. So on top you have that pork skewer, so you have the grilled pork and some onions and some peppers. Underneath you have a bed of Greek style fries, so that has some feta and some seasoning on it. And of course, you have some nice grilled pita bread. And my favorite part about this is the juice from the pork kind of drips down onto the fries and onto the pita, so you get all of those savory flavors all blended together onto one beautiful platter. This is Greek food done the right way.

Now, here's a dish that's tough to pronounce but easy to fall in love with: the Astakomakaronada. The Italians have Alfredo. The Greeks have this. This has a blend of olive oil, tomatoes, corn, fresh shucked lobster meat and plenty of it. And the key is the sauce here reminds me of a French beurre blanc sauce, but way better you have long, wide, fresh pasta that really coats to that sauce, just a perfect pasta dish.

Seriously. For all you big eaters out there, they have some dishes on the menu that are designed to be shared by at least two people. Just check out this, baby. This is the ultimate Greek mixed grill. This has all the meats you want. You have grilled lamb chops, grilled chicken Greek sausage, a grilled pork skewer. It's served over a better french fries with some pita bread and their spicy feta dip. This is a complete family style Greek feast. I want to invite my whole family here.

Even the desserts here are big and meant to be shared. This is the Bougatsa, which is a dessert you'll usually find in Northern Greece. The base is a traditional crispy phyllo dough that's stuffed with a semolina custard inside, sprinkled with some powdered sugar over the top, and then the drizzle of Miranda, which is like the Greek equivalent of Nutella, a nice, rich chocolate hazelnut spread. So you're talking crispy, sweet, chocolatey and yes, it is big enough for the entire table.

If you come in here for dinner, you're guaranteed to have a great meal and massive portions. And that's what this place is all about. A true Hidden Jewel right in Walpole, Massachusetts, Kosmos restaurant.