I was admittedly quite excited to see that Zgara was reopening. A big bonus was that it was a lot closer and less of a hassle then driving to PB….though to be perfectly honest; I would have probably driven to Chula Vista for what I considered to be some of the best Gyros (yes, it's pork) outside of Greece. For the rather short time Zgara was open in PB, it had become a part of the rotation and I was quite sad when they closed.
And then things ramped up a bit when "Stacy" mentioned they were opening on either the 13th or 14th…..so, since I had to go home to check on Frankie both days…..I just had to "pass by" to check to see if they were open…..let's call it stalking if we have to; but heck, I was missing that Pork Gyro Sandwich…..
I only had to wait a single day; because as I drove up on the 14th; I saw that they were open. So, I quickly parked and walked on in.
I was greeted by the owner as I walked in….I was surprised that he remembered me from the PB days……
And there revolving on the spit….the holy grail of porcine loveliness ….. Even though the menu now is quite large; there was no doubt about what I was going to order. I love how things are made to order here; this isn't fast food…..and I excitedly took my sandwich home and unwrapped it.
Man, the lovely light, citrusy, porky fragrance. Man, was the amount of pork always this much? The milky, yet cleansing acidity of the tzadziki, the light pungency of the red onions, mild bitterness from the greens, all in a still warm, nicely toasted, pita. Everything played a nice supporting role to that pork……I love the nice crisp bits.
As lovely as a bright Rhodes sunset.
So, of course I returned the next day…..this time I got the Pork Souvlaki Sandwich.
Which is good in its own right. Nice chunks of mildly toothsome, nicely marinated pork shoulder I believe. For me; I thought the tomatoes and onions really do well in this pita. I also enjoy the fact that the pita is fairly fluffy and not overly chewy or brittle.
Like I mentioned earlier, it seems like the menu now has a few more items on it than before, like a Chicken-Bacon Souvlaki, a vegetable platter….still, it'll probably be the pork gyros for me. 
These times have been rather tough…..the social distancing, the quarantines, the caring enough about others to wear your mask, doing the "right" thing…..the inability to travel; which we've done three, four, or maybe more times each previous year…..to explore, not only the sights, but the cuisine as well….so yes, it's been tough….but not tougher than coming down with Covid-19; or worse yet, having to deal with the possibility that I've put someone else at risk…..
So, I have the, right now, not-so-small comfort…..of places like Hawaiian Fresh Seafood Fish Market, which, while it doesn't replace the trip "back home" we had to cancel this year, gives us a little taste of "home". And just taking in the fragrance of that pork gyro has me wandering thru Rhodes Town, or Chania, or Iraklios…….and….just for that moment in time…..I can feel that we will get past this.
Welcome back Zgara Grill, I've missed you!
Zgara Greek Grill
1229 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Sun – Thurs 11am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 10pm