Dining on the Other Side - with or without music!

For the last couple of weeks the "stony side boulevard" or "prom" at night has been transformed, and those of us who have been Paleo fans for many years will have a sense of deja vu! At 7 pm when the road (and the parallel main street) is closed all of the bars and restaurants from Livicon to Maria's are entitled to place a row of tables and chairs on the pavement opposite. So, of course, they all do, for they are a very popular! This completes a circle -part of which was an absurd and expensive policy about unifying canopies - for back in the good old days there were always tables there! Then they were almost on top of the shore's boulders, and a good few of today's young adult visitors will remember injuries secured when climbing! Now there is a deep wall and elegant pavement. Greyrocks has been unable to determine whether this is just a temporary regulation to compensate for greater spacing during Covid restrictions (as in Corralejo) or something that might last! It means harder work for the waiting staff, and a rush to get the tables moved at 7, but happy punters,

An aside here: Last night - for the first time - they was no interest whatsoever in those tables, as the Force 5 wind meant the queues were for shelter! More on this after the dreaded 15th holiday, but it was Friday 13th!

So, here we go with the annual update on eateries:

The talk of the village is El Greco! It has been a long time in the making. The last time people were welcome there was when Barry and Jenny had Calypso there before moving two doors down! At least ten years! Every summer we have looked for progress and seen very little! There is something about the roof that made us think it might open as a Chinese, but no! It is an offshoot of Odysseia pizzeria but with a bit of "class". In particular they have an upstairs serving area with a fantastic sea view. That needs booking well in advance! The food and wine are both good too, apparently; but Greyrocks is currently too loyal to Porto Fino next-door to find out!

No such problem with the other featured newcomer. That is the old Veggera on the corner of Palm Tree and Sandy Beach roads. We had disappointments there over the years and only revisited last September, during the medicane! It seems the name was a problem as it sounded vegetarian, so it has suddenly become Zephyros (god of the west wind) with an upgrade of both menu and décor. We like the staff and for sundowner drinks, but no dining for us until after 15th!

Straddling the food and music fields we have three new ventures trying to entice music fans. First is Pirates, which is the old Anemos. It should be good: Suzi cooks from a short well-designed menu, and they had a night some weeks ago when a band that included street musicians known to us was playing some excellent stuff; but we left when we saw that we would not be served where we sat and had an encounter with an antagonist on the news front. So that's off the list for a while and we can't comment on their offer! Next is a place near the church and next door to the newer Skorpios bar.  (Name to follow when determined)!  It calls itself a music bar and has shishas, but our only attempt to have a drink there failed through lack of staff interest, and we have seen no evidence of music in the current conditions! Finally (and if only it were) is what has happened to the old Dionysus restaurant in the middle if the main street. Having been closed for a couple of years it is now - oh dear! - Barons! This is a "night club" masquerading as a "brunch-coffee-bar" and did have a decent  live rock band before lockdowns but is now highly intrusive in both space and recorded music terms and put an end to the first (and only) acoustic session by Mats and Drapanias John across the road. We are not fans!

Two further snippets on the eatery front: The old Skala, which had some other name is now back as Skala and had what is so far the most successful music night to greet our arrival in July, and Niki's Pizzeria is completely closed.