Island of Crete in Greece:
The Ferryman restaurant in Elounda --- This place was highly recommended to us by our ABD guide, Mary. Reservations here are a must, and we used the concierge at the hotel to help us get them for dinner on our own one night, as did 3 other families on our trip. We absolutely loved it! The food is "gourmet Greek" or in other words, an upscale version of your typical Greek fare. The location is directly on the water with stunningly beautiful views! Each thing we ordered was more delicious than the last, but some highlights were the fried cheese appetizer, the fresh grilled fish, and the "inside out" pork gyro. The desserts were also outstanding! Service was a bit slow, but I find that to be the case in most restaurants we visit over in Europe as compared to what we are used to in the USA. This is just a cultural difference, and most restaurants are in no big rush to move customers in and out, in our experience. We went into it knowing it would be a long meal, so it didn't bother us at all, but it's good to just be aware of it going in. It was such a pleasant evening, with awesome food and beautiful views. On top of that, we felt that it provided a really authentic Greek experience, as opposed to dining at a tourist trap. It turned out to be a real highlight for us, and perhaps the best meal of the trip!