I've always liked the feel of the Greek Corner Gyros place down on Franklin and Jefferson. It's small, there really isn't a lot of seating room, but the staff is always smiling and quick to greet me when I walk in the door. It also helps that the tantalizing smell of roasting lamb and beef wafts through the restaurant and even seems to seep through the walls and pull in passersby. And if you're lucky, every once in a while you'll catch an authentic, "Opa!" from the Greek family that runs the place.
One of the first things you'll notice as you enter the Greek Corner is its massive menu. Posted above the counter, and with typed up new specials taped to the counter itself, it seems to be ever growing and slowly running out of space to expand. Ranging from souvlaki to hot dogs, the selection, needless to say, is not lacking in the slightest.
Despite this, I used to always get the same thing. Even though I visited quite often--as much as four times a month at the height of my patronage--I always got the traditional gyro meal. The gyro consists of a large helping of lamb meat (which, it turns out, is really 80% beef, but who's counting that against them? Not this girl!), tomatoes, onions, and delicious tzatziki (a sweet cucumber and yogurt sauce) all wrapped in a round fold of golden brown pita, and it comes with seasoned fries (not to be underrated!) and a drink. While it may seem silly to never vary one's order in a place where the menu is so obviously plentiful, what else could one really get a gyro place?? A good gyro is hard to find, and even harder to quit.
That's why it wasn't until a visiting friend tried something different that I branched out. She had ordered the Mediterranean chicken, a sandwich that, like the gyro, was served on pita bread. Naturally, I shook my head at her. Who doesn't order a gyro at a gyro place, at least the first time they visit? Shameful. But that was before I saw, smelled, and tasted what would soon become my new favorite and usual order.
On this aforementioned slice of fried pita sat seasoned chicken, green peppers, provolone, and, you guessed it, the cool tzatziki. It certainly looked and smelled good, though I wondered whether it could stand up to the savory, greasy goodness that was my beloved gyro. I asked if I could try a bite, and my friend obliged. The texture of the tender chicken and the chewy provolone; the combination of sweet, mildly cheesy, and chicken-y flavors; the comforting presence of the familiar crispy pita wrapped around all this greatness--all of it made for one phenomenal bite.
And that was it, that's all it took. Now, whenever I go there, my order is once again always the same, but it's no longer what it was before; now I get the Mediterranean chicken every time. So naturally, that's what I got tonight as well, and it was as good and satisfying as ever.
I'd show you a picture, but, well, it's sort of...
...gone :)
And once again, when I head back there some weekend night at 1:00 in the morning, I won't hold up the line of drunk college kids (their largest clientele demographic, I would guess) by taking a long time to decide what I want. The choice is obvious: it's that tasty, tasty chicken all the way!
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