Some people — like me, for example — don't like to turn left against traffic when driving down a busy street. It's more complicated and perilous than just turning right.

This is only one of many reasons I'm very happy that the wonderful Caffé NV restaurant and its sister operation, NV Bakery and Market, are directly across from one another on Bank Street in Waterford. Depending on which direction I'm heading, I know I can turn right into one of those two places and be completely happy.

Caffé NV is the restaurant proper, serving a clever, representative and always fresh variety of Greek cuisine including indigenous specialties, pasta dishes, sandwiches and wraps, appetizers and on and on. The Bakery, as the name implies, offers a tasty amalgam of sandwiches, pastries, breakfast items, a stunning tomato soup, and more.

Maria Longinidis, one of the matriarchs of the NV empire who oversees the menus and food, was happy to provide a recipe from the Caffé — one, she says, that is not only very popular but easy to prepare. Folks, you can trust any chef who laughs when she explains that a guiding principle to her food is, "I never cook anything that isn't absolutely fresh or contains an ingredient I can't pronounce!"

Caffé NV's Shrimp Saganaki (serves 2)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 pound shrimp, peeled,deveined and sliced length-wise

Salt and pepper to taste

3 cloves chopped garlic

2 ounces white wine

2 ounces hot sauce

2 diced plum tomatoes

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup feta cheese

Directions

Heat the oil in a 10-inch sauté pan. Sauté the shrimp on both sides until they start to turn orange.

Add the garlic, and saute until tender. Add the white wine and hot sauce, and cook until reduced (about 1 minute).

Add the diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce, salt and pepper to taste, and cook for about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small casserole dish and top with the feta cheese. Bake in a 350-degree oven 5-7 minutes until cheese is melted.

Serve with pita chips for an appetizer; if you're using it as an entrée, serve over pasta.