A game of two halves of lager
Dimi, Pools goalkeeper at the time, became a regular at Casa del Mar when it opened in 2006.
His favourite dish was the Kleftiko, a Greek slow-cooked lamb shank in a lemony sauce with oregano.
Everyone will remember our trip to Cardiff in 2005 after the tense semi-final at Tranmere where Dimi played his heart out and saved crucial penalties before Ritchie Humphries scored the winner to take us to the final against Sheffield Wednesday.
Martin Scott had been in charge since the shock departure of Neale Cooper a few weeks before the final. Well-loved Neale sadly passed away last May, and Pools’ new owners rightly renamed the Millhouse stand after him during the friendly against Sunderland two weeks ago.
The final in Cardiff saw close to 20,000 Hartlepool United supporters travel to the Welsh capital’s Millennium Stadium as the new Wembley was being built. Sadly, Shef Wed secured promotion to the Championship as they overcame 10-man Pools after extra-time. Despite the result, it was one of the best days I have ever had as an adopted Pools supporter. Could it have been all the lager I had consumed on the day, starting at 4am as the coach passed Sappers Corner?
Dimi left Hartlepool in 2007, but returned to Teesside six years later to join Middlesbrough F.C. In 2016, he opened a Greek restaurant, The Great, in Linthorpe Road which I sometimes visit to return the favour. One flat screen television on the wall plays his many saves on a loop while another one shows beautiful Greek seaside resorts to entice diners to Dimi’s country. I once found out that he was a native of Thessaloniki, a lovely place which I had visited in the late seventies during my sailing days. In 2017, Rick Stein visited that city during one of his Long Weekends television programmes. Watching that episode transported me back to the capital of Macedonia and its beautiful fish restaurants with their array of fresh catches and its luxurious ice cream parlours which offered dozens of flavours.
After six years away from restaurant life, Karen went back to manage Krimo’s in 2006 as Adam had relocated to Casa. It only took her a few shifts before she had the restaurant back to exactly how she left it. Although Adam did a great job running the place in his mother’s absence, he lacked Karen’s eye for detail. I guess that comes with experience. Mind you he isn’t the only one with that problem. To this day, I allegedly am not capable of putting cushions back in their place. A few staff members departed as a result of the new regime. I wouldn’t call it strict but, no one was left in any doubt as to his or her responsibilities at work. Karen ran a tight ship and rarely took any slackness. Those who were serious about their job and unafraid of hard work came to admire and respect her. The regulars who had been great supporters of ours since the early days were happy to see Karen back at the helm to enjoy a chat and even share a glass of wine with her at the end of the evening service.