Everybody’s yiayia makes gigantes plaki.
“It is the quintessential Greek comfort food,” says Elizabeth Gartelos-Morris. “Everybody’s grandma makes these. [They’re] super fat, broad beans—a butter bean—slow simmered in tomato sauce. The sauce gets kind of crusty, and the beans get all puffy and soft, and the texture is really velvety and crazy.”
“They’re really best when you’re hungover, standing in front of your fridge in your underwear, eating with your bare hands,” says Beth Salentiny.
The beans will be served warm, but you just might be hungover, this February 9, when the Beths bring Meze Table back to Monday Night Foodball, the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up at Thattu.
Super Bowl Monday marks the fourth Foodball in Meze Table’shistory, and even if you aren’t planning to party with Bad Bunny the night before, the Beths have the power to relieve whatever ails you, despite their relentless schedule.
In addition to their catering gigs and regular farmers’ market rotation (see below), they’re building out a permanent brick-and-mortar storefront in Bridgeport, stocked with their shelf-stable and grab and go repertoire, along with Greek imports, staples, and eventually, beer and wine.
And since they’re also midway through a three-month Sunday residency at Kimski, you might be wondering how much more Meze Table you can eat.
You can and you will eat more, because while the Beths push a Greek street food menu at Kimski, they’re leaning into their core identity and bringing a full menu of Greek small plates to Avondale.
That includes the gigantes, as well as yuvarlakia, meatballs simmered in a cinnamon-scented vegetable broth, with a rich avgolemono float on top.
They’re baking lachanopita, kissing cousins to spanakopita: vegan spiral filo pies stuffed with spinach, olive, and peppers. And there’s a trio of their meatloaf-style beef and pork mini gyros, with tzatziki, pickled onions, and marinated tomatoes.
They’ll be poaching chicken breasts and thighs with white wine, citrus, and oregano for their Spartan chicken pitakia, then shredding it and sandwiching it on three mini pita with olive tapenade, zucchini slaw, and yogurt sauce.
And they’re tossing the “Adeline” salad, named for Gartelos-Morris’s daughter, with cucumbers, peppers, pickled onions, fried pita chips, and Meze Table–brand dressing.
To finish, a modified Basque cheesecake with feta and cream cheese, topped with cherry preserves.
They might also have some of those spoon fruits, dressings, and other shelf-stable CPGs on hand for purchase, but even if they don’t, you can find them at the Saturday and Sunday South Loop Markets, the Logan Square Indoor Farmers Market, and the 61st Street Farmers Market.
But none of that will be any help to you this Monday when Meze Table starts taking orders at 5 PM at 2601 W. Fletcher in Avondale. There’s happy hour until 7 PM, with $5 beers and nonalcoholic drinks, and $12 meze-inspired cocktails by Melanie Hernandez.
Meanwhile, check out the full Foodball schedule below:
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