Saganaki at Wine Bar George

[hereforthechurros]

The flaming Saganaki preparations are something of a Chicago Greek-American restaurant thing. The (now closed) Parthenon Restaurant in Chicago’s Greektown neighborhood long claimed to have invented the spectacle of flaming the fried cheese at the table and extinguishing the flames with a squeeze of lemon juice, usually accompanied by shouts of ‘Opa’. The flaming version is still widely available in other Chicago-area Greek-American eateries, or at least it will be when everything gets back to whatever is the new normal.

Yes! Such a Chicago thing. So sad to see Santorini isn’t reopening either. First place I ever had saganaki and have great memories of being there with family.

 

[Twitterpaited]

My wife is first generation Greek-American, I live in a Greek neighborhood and have eaten Saganaki dozens of times.

Saganaki is NOT supposed to be like a dip. It is hard cheese, sometimes coated in flour and pan seared. It may be a little soft/stringy when eating it depending on the exact cheese used, but it is supposed to be cut and eaten in pieces.

None of the Greek restaurants around here serve it flaming either; it's unnecessary and really adds nothing to the dish aside from people wanting a spectacle with their dinner.

Is the saganaki usually cooked in the pan before it is flamed, then? I have eaten it both with bread and without. I prefer it on bread.

 

[Twitterpaited]

Yes! Such a Chicago thing. So sad to see Santorini isn’t reopening either. First place I ever had saganaki and have great memories of being there with family.

My mom worked in Greek-owned diners in the Chicago suburbs while I was growing up. Saganaki is an Easter tradition for us. Opa!

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Is the saganaki usually cooked in the pan before it is flamed, then? I have eaten it both with bread and without. I prefer it on bread.

Yes, fried in the pan and then ignited tableside. A proper Greek-American preparation should use Metaxa (Greek brandy).