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| - For those who've never tried this cuisine, based on our experience you'll have the best first impression of Greek foods by starting with the 4 and 5 star choices.
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The Greek Village Grille wasn't my first time scaling the craggy edges up Mt. Olympus. In addition to stateside Greek restaurants and stands I've made my own pita bread, gyro meat, tzatziki sauce, mousaka and baklava only because the hit-or-miss of the flavorful foods of Greece became too bothersome. I had quite good results with my own---but would love to find a place that could serve it up without my lifting a single phyllo sheet. The results here ranged from Oh, YES!---to Oh, NO!
GREAT ....... all 5 star
~ PITA (white) extraordinary---none better...like little pillows for Aphrodite
~ AMERICAN GYRO MEAT the flavor of the lamb and beef combination was nothing short of mythological perfection...no mutton hint at all...fairly thin-sliced---the best and only way
~ TZATZIKI SAUCE the other "nectar of the gods" ...where did they get this recipe from? Zeus, himself?
IN-BETWEEN ....... would order again
~ SPANAKOPITA * * * * very good preparation...phyllo texture just right with slightly crisp exterior...but filling a little too-undercooked---would have been much better with just another 2-3 minutes cooking time added
~ DOLMADES * * * perfect leaves...a touch too-intensely flavored ... fabulously seasoned, but better if a little less used...rice too soft
~ FRIES * * * unfortunately, cooled down too much by the time we got it home
...I'll bet they're very good fresh, eaten in
THE WRATH OF HADES ... XXXXX (5 Don't Do It's)
~ GREEK GYRO, Dirty Style
Instead, got what I'd call the DIRTY GREEK.
No edible pork pieces. A scary mix of scraps---fat, gristle, and sinew---that would normally be trimmed off and thrown away. A stew straight from the netherworld, I picked through it for meat---a tiny bit here, a few shreds there. After ending up with the equivalent of maybe a couple of bites, I gave up. Had this been the only choice made off their menu, I'd be afraid to try anything else, so very likely would never return. (After this visit I read an earlier review by someone who liked this gyro and wrote that the fat or other (?) was the "nature of the beast", or something like that. Not for me. Never ate food like this growing up---or now---or ever. I've never even fed anything like this to my dogs. If I did, they'd look up at me puzzled, then walk away from their bowls. For anyone who doesn't mind scraps in their food---awlgh---be my guest.)
****WHAT SAVED THEIR STAR STATUS****
~ AMERICAN GYRO Regular Style * * * * * blend of roasted lamb and beef topped with tomato, raw onion, and tzatziki sauce, wrapped in their pita. Excellent. Will be back for this, but will steer clear of ANYTHING with pork.
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