Who would have imagined that a young Mexican chef and his Greek wife and maitre would serve some of the most creative, mouthwatering dishes in Spain? Fernando Gamez and Olivia Papachristou met while working together in hospitality in Spain. Together, they dreamed of one day owning their own restaurant, blending their backgrounds and skills into a special culinary destination. And boy, did they.
We discovered Steki, their tiny five-table gem, by accident over three years ago not long after it opened. Spotting the rave reviews on TripAdvisor, we made our way through the maze of Old Town Alicante streets to the then nondescript address for lunch. As luck would have it, a reservation had been canceled and Olivia invited us in. The next two hours were magical…a meal we will always remember.
We wrote about it in our magazine in our Spring 2020 Issue. https://winedineandtravel.com/wdt/iberia//index.html#p=70
Flash forward to a few nights ago when we made our third pilgrimage to Steki for a postponed anniversary dinner. We had worried that the pandemic might have shuttered this gem-as it did so many everywhere. But Fernando and Olivia persevered and even polished the decor and seating.
One thing that remained the same was the lineup of amazing dishes coming from the one-man kitchen. Steki is listed in the Michelin Guide and we expect a well-deserved star or two will follow.
Starting with glasses of festive cava, our seven-course dinner spanned some all-time favorites – Ron dreams about the luscious foie gras plated like bonbons – and several new dishes, including a Greek-Mex ravioli, stuffed with lamb. Every dish was beautifully plated and incredibly delicious.
We can’t wait to go back.
