Hiya!

I'm back with another new story. I couldn't decide which one to write first, so I started both at the same time. My girlfriend is back from vacation so thanks to her for proofing it. :)
Without further ado... Hope you'll enjoy.

Let your dreams set sail (hook, line and sinker)

Lexa climbed out of the taxi and deeply inhaled the fresh, salty air into her lungs. She had had an eight-hour journey stuck in her bones and her flight had been less than comfortable. She was happy to have finally reached her destination.

She had grown up at the seafront and she'd missed everything about it. She had missed the smell and sounds of the sea, she realized and let her head fall back and enjoy the caw of the gulls high above her head. Everything inside of her slowed down. Her heartbeat synced with the waves crashing on the shore and her thoughts stopped twirling around and she could finally focus on some of the things running through her head. She had recently quit her job in a well-decorated 5 star restaurant she had worked for over 7 years. She had started as a station cook or 'Chef de Partie' and had worked her way up to the Head Chef or ' Maître Chef de Cuisine'. After the daily routine had killed her new exciting ideas, she had yearned for something else, something different, but most importantly somewhere else and somewhere different. She was sick and tired of her old life, exhausted by the many hours she had given to the restaurant instead of spending any free time in her gorgeous apartment in downtown Polis. However, most prominently she had felt robbed off her chances to explore life. She had come to an end of the career ladder and had faced some unpleasant situations throughout her time at the restaurant and so she had started to apply to new jobs. One in particular had caught her attention, but she hadn't got her hopes up. She usually didn't get what she wanted. Therefore, when the job-offer had come, she hadn't hesitated and had agreed to all the terms and conditions. Due to the aforementioned unpleasant situations Lexa had found herself in, more precisely half a year ago with a unfortunately very bad review, it had been easy for her to quit her contract and come out here.

Lexa stepped up to the information desk, currently being handled by a young woman in a crisp uniform.

"Hi there." Lexa said with a smile on her full lips.

The woman looked up. "Hello. What can I do for you?" She answered and Lexa eyed her name badge that read 'Harper Piesces', before offering her hand in greeting.

"Hi Harper. My name's Lexa Woods and I'm the new head chef for the main dining restaurant."

"Oh, awesome. We've been looking forward to your arrival Ms Woods. Welcome on board." The blonde exclaimed excitedly and gestured to the gangway leading up to the huge cruise ship, which would be Lexa's home for the unforeseeable future.

"Um, Lexa is fine really." She smiled and took a hesitant step towards the ship, but turned back once more. "Whom should I approach?" She asked unsure.

"I'll announce your arrival and have someone come and pick you up." Harper said and unclipped her radio. Lexa nodded thankfully and made her way slowly up the walkway into the 'MS Adventure of the Seas', a modern first-generation Voyager-class cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. The home harbour of the cruise line was in Miami, Florida, however Lexa had had to fly out to Puerto Rico, where her first tour, the 'Southern Caribbean Cruise' would start and end. She carefully walked higher and higher up the boarding bridge, with worrisome thoughts flooding her body like a cold drink on a hot summer day, filling her body, leaving an aching and slightly nauseating feeling behind.

'Would she be good enough for this position? Was she creative enough for the clientele she would face here?' She had been scolded publicly for her unexciting style more than once and it had fuelled her hatred for the critics and spurred her pride to prove them wrong.

She was pulled out of her musings by a young man, who had quickly run over when she had finally arrived on board.

"Ms Woods!" He called out and waved. Lexa blew out some air, raking her fingers through her long mane.

"Lexa." She corrected but politely shook his offered hand.

"Oh. Ok. Well my name's Jasper Jordan. I'm one of your kitchen assistants."

"Right. Hello Jasper."

"Let me show you around. We have like an hour before the management wants to see you."

Jasper guided her through the passenger side of the ship in a quick tour. It had 15 decks, 10 pools and whirlpools plus a solarium, a spa, fitness centre, and 15 bars and lounges, a mock market place and café promenade for coffee, pastries and snacks, a casual dining possibility offering fresh-off-the-grill burgers and the main dining room, her future workplace. The ship had a casino, a jogging track (which Lexa had already decided to try out), a rock climbing wall and an inline skating track as well as an ice skating rink. The biggest surprise to Lexa was the existence of a theatre, which showed Broadway-style shows and original productions.

"So passengers really get something for their money, huh?" She joked, clearly impressed by the amount of various entertainment possibilities and the quality throughout.

"Yeah, and the best thing, we are allowed to use some of it in our downtime."

"Which?"

"All the sports facilities for example."
"That's really great!"

"The theatre and restaurants as well."

"Are the shows any good?"

"I don't know. I only started working a month ago and we only went out for two or three night Bahama cruises."

The main dining room and kitchen was located on the lower decks, right below an Italian restaurant.

"So there are 1,200 crewmembers from over 57 countries working on the ship at the moment?" Jasper spouted the fact with pride.

"I didn't know that. That's impressive." Lexa replied, clearly surprised by the high number. "I take it you're from the good old States of America though?" She asked.

"Born and raised in Ton DC on the east coast."

"I know where that is." Lexa nodded. In fact, her family came from a small place close to the city called Arkadia, right on the ocean.

"Where are you from?"

"Polis, middle of America."

"Cool, and you always wanted to be a chef?"

"Pretty much. I learned how to cook from my mom, before she'd passed away."

They reached the kitchen entrance and Jasper smiled genuinely at her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"Lexa Woods?" A firm voice requested her attention and she turned immediately towards its source. A dark skinned woman walked up and stopped shortly in front of Lexa, who nodded her affirmation to the question. The woman eyed her emotionless before addressing her tour guide. "Mr Jordan, please get ready for your shift now and thanks for showing her around." She then turned back to the newcomer and extended a hand. "Welcome on board. Indra Rugger. I'm responsible for all the culinary places on board." She said and Lexa took her hand and shook it once.

"Thanks for the great opportunity. I'm really looking forward to working here."

"I'm glad to hear it. You're quite last minute, I'm afraid. We will start boarding in one hour and that will last till mid afternoon. We are leaving this evening."

"I have been informed. What do you want me to do?"

"I'll have someone taking you to your cabin. Change and be back here in one hour. I'll personally give you a rundown of your kitchen and how things work." She said and walked off leaving Lexa to have a first look at the restaurant. It extended over large sections of three decks and the overall design was glamorous and elegant. Exactly what Lexa would have expected, her eyes flew over the sea of chairs and tables and stopping at a huge chandelier hanging down from the ceiling that was visible through all three floors.

"It's beautiful, just a little too tacky." Lexa jumped at the voice close behind her. She hadn't heard anyone stepping up to her. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. Indra told me to come pick you up. Octavia." The brunette smiled widely extending her hand.

"Hi Octavia. Lexa." She answered reciprocating the greeting gesture.

"Call me O. I'm in the cabin next to you, hence me coming to get you." She explained and started to walk off as Lexa followed her, trying to imprint the layout of the employee decks into her brain.

"Hey don't worry. We've all got lost plenty of times. Here -" she pointed to a map and placed her finger on the staircase. "We're here at the moment. The restaurant is over there and the sleeping quarters are down here." She moved her finger over the map to illustrate more clearly.

"Ok…" Lexa drawled off, still completely confused and overwhelmed at the vastness of the ship. "So, what do you do on board?" She turned back to her guide as they continued downstairs.

"I'm one of the tour guides." She answered, when they stopped in front of a closed cabin door. "That's you, 307. My room is 309. Any questions so far, Lexa?"

"How long have you been working for the shipping company?"

"Three years now."

"That's a long time."

"Yeah, but I have made some great friends on board, and my gypsy soul is happy to get up, and move around every now and then." She laughed out loud. "Hey, you should totally come and join us tonight for the 'official tour downtime drink'."

"Thanks, but I fear my job won't allow much time off in the evenings."

"True. Well if you change your mind, radio me. Have a good day Lexa."

"Thanks." She replied gratefully. "You too O." She pushed the heavy cabin door open and stepped through into her home. It was fairly small with a bunk bed for her sole use. She put her bag down on the lower one and climbed up into the top bed and lay down, closing her eyes for a second. 'That'll do,' she thought and got up again. She quickly unpacked her suitcase, which had been transferred to her cabin, and changed into her work outfit. The additional ship attire would probably be given to her later on. She pushed the suitcase underneath the lower bed and turned round to have a quick glance in the mirror. She looked tired. She was tired, but sleep would have to wait. She was more excited to finally start her new job. She splashed some water onto her face and dried her skin, before straightening up and leaving her cabin to find her way back to the restaurant.

Three weeks earlier

"I get to go where now?" Clarke Griffin exclaimed to no one in particular, when she screened over the one email, which had spiked her interest out of the extensive daily flood of electronic post.

Hi Clarke,

I know you told me you don't want to leave the city for a job, but I really, really need you to do me this favour. Monroe has been in an accident and won't be able to go, but the agency has already agreed and signed a contract to cover the tour. It would be more than your usual assignment. You are asked to try out anything on offer, and by anything, they apparently mean everything available, which is a lot! I've attached the brochure and map they have provided. Please, have a look at it and let me know soon.

Thanks.

Markus

"God, I hate it when he begs." She groaned, opening the attachments and whistling once the information was uploaded. "Wow!" She blew out some air and leaned back in her chair.

"Guess I'm going on a cruise." She sang and picked up her phone.

Lexa had managed her way back with only getting lost twice and was mentally congratulating herself, when she stepped through the winged door to the kitchen. She quietly wolf-whistled her appreciation and walked closer into the depth of her new workplace. It was modern and the layout was well-thought out. She estimated approximately 30 people currently present, cutting, baking, heating, frosting, chopping, seasoning, juicing, sharpening, frying and kneading away on their respective stations. She spotted Jasper at the vegetable station and smiled at him, who awkwardly waved at her with a knife and an onion. She slowly approached the Boucher, a bald man in his late 40, who was currently busy taking apart ribs of a cow to prepare various cuts. He looked up at her, when she was close enough and furrowed his brows.

"Hi." Lexa said warmly. "Lexa Woods."

"Oh." The man's frown morphed into a small smile. "Welcome boss." He said and nodded to her once and continued. "Titus Balder, I'm responsible for the meat, as you can see."

She smiled and gestured for him to continue. She ran her hand over a clean, metal top, when she heard footsteps approaching her and turned around.

"Ms Rugger." Lexa acknowledged the presence of the executive culinary head.

"Ms Woods. Please come along."

She was led further into the back of the kitchen to a small office.

"This is your space." Indra explained and closed the door behind them. "Let me be very frank Ms Woods. You are very young to be in this position. The board members are aware of your excellent reputation, which is why you are here." She paused and held eye contact with the new chef for several moments. "But." She concluded. "This won't be easy."

"I'm conscious of the fact that I'm young, but I have proven again and again that I'm capable of directing a fully equipped kitchen with ten and more stations." Lexa countered and held the piercing gaze of her superior.

"I know, and they know." She gestured back to the kitchen through the small window overseeing almost all of the areas. "But they won't like it. I've seen you talking with Mr Balder. He's one of the longest serving members on board and had hoped to be appointed to head chef. The decision to hire you instead has been explained to him, however I doubt he'll go easy on you."

"I'll make sure to include him in the executive process as much as possible. I take it, he's a valued member of the team and people know him. I'd be a fool to not use this to my advantage."

Indra smiled at that, but quickly adopted her usual neutral expression. "Very wise Ms Woods." She walked around the desk and switched on the PC. "All orders are done electronically. We have a set menu, which I advise you to keep for now, but you're highly encouraged to create your own dishes and experiment as much as you want, as long as it tastes exceptional." She laughed.

"Sounds reasonable. Are the menus available online as well?"

Indra showed to the software used to order, and the online content. She explained how to process and request and pointed out the guidelines given by the shipping company. Lexa listened intently to all the information and wrote down notes she would review later to learn them by heart. An hour later the two women left the office to re-enter the kitchen area, which was now buzzing in anticipation of the evening's first dinner. Indra took one of the rolling step stools and positioned herself on top of it, emitting a sharp, piercing whistle to gain the attention of the busy staff.

"Ladies and gentlemen. This is Lexa Woods your new Head Chef. Please welcome her accordingly and make her settle quickly. Thank you." Indra stepped down, all eyes on Lexa, who smiled shyly at the attention.

"Right." She started and climbed up the stool too, to be seen by everyone. "First of all, I'm excited to meet you and look forward to working with you. Secondly, please call me Lexa. Thirdly, I'm open to new ideas if pitched professionally. Last but not least, I'm not going to tell you how to do your job, unless you don't do your job. I expect professionalism and congeniality and will not tolerate slacking and bad-mouthing." She paused and swiped her gaze over everyone to emphasize her last point. Smiling, she finished, "Thank you and let's rock the boat." A polite round of applause erupted as quickly as it stopped again and everyone turned back to the task at hand.

"I'll leave you to it then." Indra said and started to walk off, before addressing Lexa again. "Oh before I forget. Your jacket and hat are in your office as well as your name badge and radio. Please contact me if you need anything. Great to have you on board." With that she finally left, leaving Lexa on her own. She walked back into her office, closed the door and sighed audibly. She slowly changed her jacket for the labelled one offered by the company, attached her name badge and slipped her key card over her head. "Let's start." She whispered and pushed back into the kitchen, grabbing the menu off the whiteboard. She studied the dishes and started to work in some of her ideas.

"Titus?" She called out, whilst walking to him. "Do you have a minute?" Upon seeing him nod, she smiled and continued. "I'd like to know all about the dishes we're offering."

His eyes went wide and he mumbled. "All of them?"

"I've been informed you've been working on board the longest. I assume you'd know about the dishes." Without so much as a heartbeat, he nodded convincingly and started to rattle off the wanted information.

Clarke climbed out of the taxi and stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing the 'Adventure of the Seas' for the very first time. "Wow." She exclaimed and shaded her eyes with her left hand, reclining her head to take in the whole ship. "That's one badass cruise monster." She nodded approvingly and congratulated herself for accepting the job. 'I'm one lucky bitch', she thought to herself, as she walked over to the reception stand to check in.

"Clarke Griffin." She said to the young woman, who had looked up at her when she'd approached.

"Certainly, one second Ms Griffin." She smiled and glanced intently at the laptop in front of her, searching for the name. "Ah, yes. Ms Clarke Griffin." She nodded and ticked off the passenger from the list. "You have booked one of our junior suites. These rooms offer a comfortable bedroom, small seating area and a private balcony." She explained and Clarke's eyes widened at the information. She hadn't been informed about that little detail.

"Here are your keys. We will take your luggage to your room. You're welcome to explore the ship or if you'd rather freshen up, I'll have someone take you to your room."

"That's alright. I'll have a look around."

"Certainly Ms Griffin. In front of the Market Square on deck five you'll find the Champagne Bar. A welcome drink is offered on the house."

"Thank you." Clarke said, but thought 'freaking awesome!' She accepted her key and shouldered her laptop bag and ascended the bridge. She walked to the nearby stairs and pulled out the printed map she had received with her email communication. She located deck five easily and was on her way. She had been informed that the reason for her presence on board had not been revealed to anyone but the captain and first officer and she was supposed to meet with them at the early evening aperitif party, after they'd set sail.

She had plenty of time to kill and strolled over to the mentioned bar to accept her welcome drink.

It had become busy around her as various guests, couples, small groups and families had started to fill the decks. Clarke had retreated to a more secluded area and had started her research on her laptop, writing down a few notes of her first impressions, just in time to witness their departure from Puerto Rico. It was impressive to see such a huge ship loudly awake into action and smoothly moving away from the harbour and advancing into the open water of the North Atlantic Ocean. Once the ship had been put out to sea, Clarke felt the speed picking up, and her hair moved in the breeze with fresh salt water spray covering her soft skin. She could get used to this. Being a food critic had its perks, but reviewing whole journeys was definitely a big step up. She should send a bouquet to Monroe to thank her for breaking her hip.

Once the ship was moving, the kitchen entered their last 2 hours of preparation time and everyone was buzzing around. Lexa revelled in the feeling of a highly active kitchen. She loved the anticipation of the evening; the stress to come. After going over the set dishes, which would be offered each night with Titus, they had agreed on keeping only a few and renewing the rest from day to day. Lexa had experiences in Caribbean cuisine, one of the reasons for her employment on board, and was eager to offer some local dishes to passengers, who wanted to broaden their horizons. She hadn't been able to coordinate the deliveries of the needed groceries for her more advanced dishes, before they had left the harbour that afternoon, and therefore would have to wait until they would land in St. John's, Antigua.

Whilst Titus was good at organising the kitchen to produce the well-known dishes, Lexa would cook personally and teach the team the new menu additions. For tonight, they had planned to create a welcome dinner with American and more southern dishes before slowly venturing into the real Caribbean cuisine over the next few days.

Lexa was currently busy creating her own version of a Jerk chicken and a Jerk pork. She had taken three kitchen assistants to help her cooking, whilst leaving the rest to Titus and the set menu. She was pleased with the outcome of her creations, and was already looking forward to serve. Lexa quickly checked the time; she still had half an hour left before the first round of dinner started. She turned back and focused on grilling the bananas to perfection. She wouldn't leave anything unsupervised and ran between her own station and her assistant's with a big smile on her face. Yes, Lexa Woods revelled in the feeling of a highly active kitchen.

Clarke had been to her cabin and freshened up, before she had her appointment with the captain. She was currently leaning against the railing next to the ship's bridge and eying the buzzing activity with curious eyes. There were at least ten people, all in pressed uniforms, at each station. Some were yelling commands back and forth and some were just confirming with one-syllable answers. After a minute of calm, Clarke's gaze fell onto a tall man, who was approaching her. She straightened her posture and smiled welcomingly, when he stopped in front of her.

"Ms Griffin I assume?" He asked her.

"Yes. Captain Bryne?"

He laughed small-lipped and shook his head. "No, Captain Bryne will see you now though." Clarke furrowed her brow but followed him inside the ship's bridge to be let to an office she hadn't seen from her observation point earlier. He knocked twice and to Clarke's surprise a female voice ordered them to enter.

Clarke was slightly pushed past the man, and her eyes fell onto a tall white woman in an immaculate uniform with a strong physical appearance and an even stronger, closed off facial expression. Her blonde hair was secured in a loose bun at the nape of her neck and her superior eyes fixed on Clarke.

"Ms Griffin. I'm aware of your assignment on board of my ship and I will have you informed this stunt was not approved by me. I do not encourage any type of snooping around nor do I accept you questioning my staff. Have I made myself clear?"

"Ms Bryne. I -" She was rudely interrupted by the older woman.

"It's Captain Bryne, Ms Griffin." She spat out.

"Captain Bryne then." Clarke sneered. "My presence has been requested by the shipping company, and as far as I'm familiar with authority, that makes them your boss. Unless you fancy questioning your employer's decision, I suggest you let me work the way I like." Clarke replied with a sweet smile. The captain narrowed her eyes to small slits, her frustration palpable in her clenched jaw and wide nostrils.

"Fine." She said after a moment. "What is your style then?"

"I'm actually quite easy Captain Bryne. No need to activate the cavalry. I'll promise to be as invisible as possible. I believe to be able to experience the journey in its wholeness, I have to stay in the background and observe. Do you have a problem with that as well?"

The woman forced a hostile smile on her face and nodded once sharply. "Fine. Just don't disrupt the workflow and don't expect special treatment."

"I won't expect anything beyond the offered pampering and relaxation." Clarke tilted her head and bored her steel blue eyes into her opponent's. After another moment, Clarke nodded to herself. "Fine. I'll see myself out. Thanks for the lovely talk Captain Bryne." She quickly opened the door and left the ship's bridge to avoid another run in with any power-obsessed officer. She was annoyed by the treatment, but a part of her could understand the Captain's briskness. If she had been forced to accept anyone in her life, observing and judging what she appreciated and liked, she'd be angry too.

Clarke checked the big clock above the main reception desk and decided to see if she could get early dinner.

The way towards the main dining restaurant was indicated with little arrows and Clarke found it for once easy to navigate herself through the labyrinth of the big cruise ship. When she stepped through the winged door the teasing smell of exotic food tickled her senses and she couldn't help but swallow in anticipation. She quickly stepped up to the hostess, a young woman with long dark hair and inquisitive eyes.

"Good evening." Clarke smiled. "Is there a table for one available at the moment?"

"We have plenty of tables. What's your name please?"

"Griffin."

"Ms Griffin, yes. One minute." The woman turned around and gestured to a waiter to come over.

"Monty, can you take Ms Griffin to table 214 please?" She turned back with a wide smile and added. "I hope you'll enjoy your dinner. The Caribbean dishes are our newest attraction."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome Ms Griffin."

Clarke let her herself be guided through the sea of tables and the waves of chattering patrons to be seated at a small table next to a window.

"Thank you Monty." She recalled her waiter's name.

"My pleasure. What can I offer you to drink?"

He rattled off all alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and upon choosing the Jerk chicken she ordered half a bottle of white wine with her water. The service was quick, which pleased her immensely, seeing that the restaurant was filling up quickly. The kitchen and service team worked well together, Clarke mused, when her food arrived.

"Wow, that looks amazing." She exclaimed in surprise. "I would not have thought such creativity is possible on board a ship in the middle of the Atlantic." She smiled widely and Monty returned the gesture, explaining they had a new chef, who'd come with great ideas and she could expect more awesome dishes over the next days to come. He excused himself and let the blonde enjoy her dinner in silence. The presentation was exceptional. Her chicken was served to look like a burger. However, the buns were made out of two sweet potato rings, where the middle was slightly carved and mango chutney had been placed in the indent. The chicken itself was in boneless pieces, richly marinated and so well grilled it fell apart. The whole construction had been placed on a bed of grilled vegetables and decorated with sprinkles of gravy. Clarke marvelled at the sight. She was not only a food critic, she also loved food in itself, and referred to herself as a food enthusiast. To see someone take pride in their cooking by decorating so creatively let her heart swell. She fished for her mobile to take a couple of shots for reference, before she finally started eating. If the presentation of her dinner was spectacular, the taste was mind-blowing. When Monty came back, she raved to him.

"Wow, this was so good. Compliments to the chef. I've seen a lot, but this was exceptional."

"Would you want me to ask if the chef is available?"

"Yeah sure. Say Clarke Griffin wants to compliment the food." She said with a wink, knowing if the chef had read any of the recent restaurant reviews in various newspapers, they would have come across her name for sure.

"Ok Ms Griffin. Can I offer you any dessert?"

Lexa had been busy until the first round of passengers had eaten. After that she could slow down and focus on training her assistants how she wanted the chicken and pork to look like.

"No Jasper, a smaller drop of the chutney. I don't want the sweetness to kill the barbequed flavour." She showed him again. "See? That's plenty."

"Chef?" A young waiter stepped up to the counter and interrupted her lesson.

"Yes?" Lexa raised an eyebrow and waited for him to explain his interruption.

"A patron wants to tell you how much they had liked the Jerk chicken. Said to tell you the name's Clarke Griffin."

Lexa had turned back when Monty had started speaking, but upon hearing the name her head shot back to face the waiter with an intense stare. "What did you say? Clarke Griffin?"

Lexa shook her head and her gaze was lost as she remembered the god-awful day 6 months ago.

She had had a long day. Half of her team had called in sick and she had struggled to be able to serve all the dishes on the menu. She hadn't been bothered about presentation; had only been focused on serving in a suitable time with perfect flavour and taste. Yes, she had been aware, she was working in a decorated restaurant and she had known her creations hadn't been up to her usual standard, but she hadn't been able to change any of that. If that had been the end of it, she would have been able to explain it easily to her boss and the story would have been history. However, it wasn't the end of it, as a food critic had chosen that exact day to test the restaurant and write an excruciating, devastating review.

Lexa had been called into the office a week after that night and the newspaper 'Independent' was open on top of the desk. She was asked to sit down and read out loud the top article in the entertainment section.

Argyroupoli – a restaurant review by Clarke Griffin

A restaurant review in a maximum of 15 words to satisfy the curiosity and promote the short attention span: The food in 'Argyroupoli' is edible but forgettable and the prices are almost always unwarranted.

The longer version for those who care:

I'd never been to 'Argyroupoli', I realized in March and so I stopped by one night. Sadly, if 'Argyroupoli' had to survive as a restaurant alone, I doubt they'd last long. To get the bad news over quickly: a Greek platter, with Loukaniko (pork or lamb sausage) and Gyros, was as cold as if it had been carried all the way from Greece. Greek salad, exactly what you want to eat at 'Argyroupoli' was hopeless, the onions and cucumber unevenly sliced, soaked in too oily dressing and dumped on a plate with old, pruney olives that might have been picked at Caesar's time. The Tzatziki was a rough disaster of chopped garlic in a floury yoghurt sauce. That was the worst of it.

The rest of the food prepared by the chef, Lexa Woods, was classic, non-suspenseful and solidly prepared, like the Kreatopita (pie with lamb, goat or minced pork), the grilled lamb chops with lemon, oregano, salt and pepper or the grilled swordfish. And by non-suspenseful and solid I mean boring and bland. Whilst the preparation of the food itself showed skills like the way the meat had been tied or sewed, or the type of cut used in chopping and slicing meats or vegetables, the presentation or plating showed no creativity or ingenuity at all.

Chef Woods started cooking 6 years ago, and she'd quickly risen through the ranks to now be executive chef at this renowned restaurant. My personal opinion: "Her reputation should be of a forger rather than an inventor, as she has been reoccurringly praised."

But to judge 'Argyroupoli' as a restaurant is to miss what it is most famous for. 'Argyroupoli' is at its best when you treat the food as a heavy basis for the liquid topping. Instead of asking, which kind of water you prefer, serving staff at 'Argyroupoli' ask you, if they can get you a drink. Take note of the open question and no judgement, if you were to order alcohol. It seemed to me, everybody who worked at 'Argyroupoli' behaved like a bartender, and the meal floated along on a stream of alcohol and high spirits. At least that would explain the success of the restaurant.

It's not an experience I'd want every night, especially considering the costs of $32 for a gyros or $57 for grilled swordfish. However, I'd give it a try as this was my very first and only visit.

Feedback? Email at or follow on Twitter cgriff_foodenthusiast

Lexa had tears in her eyes after she had finished reading the article. She had explained how and why this critic had been exposed to such a service and experience. At the end, she had been lucky to be able to keep her job, but it was a close call. This Griffin person had nearly managed to destroy her whole career. She'd made the decision to move on at the exact same night after a few bottles of beer. In order to safe her well-established name, she had needed a change of scene, but also had needed to re-invent herself to clear her name of the shame.

Lexa stood up straight and looked at Monty. "I'll be out in minute." The waiter nodded, gave her the table number and left her to compose herself, before she too pushed through the swinging doors. She briskly walked up to the table and stopped short upon seeing a young blonde woman sitting there alone. She turned around, wondering if she had mixed up the numbers, when the woman stood up and forced her to look at her.

"Hi. Clarke Griffin." She said. "Your Jerk chicken? Wow!" She smiled beautifully, but Lexa stared at her in confusion. She had left the kitchen with a clear purpose. To tell this 'writer' how awful and unjustified the review had been, and how it had almost destroyed the restaurant and her personally, but all she came up with, when face to face to the stranger, was, "You're a woman?!"

So, this story will be a few chapters long. No idea how long as I haven't written it yet. To make things more complicated, I'm writing two stories at the same time. Depending which one gets more hits or likes or reviews or or or, I'll update first. So let me know which one you like more. Either here or on tumblr (Jaansche).