Greek Food – Page 7

Country Kabob Restaurant #2- Point Loma

January 10, 2012 Cathy Greek Food, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome back to your bookmark of mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. Kir is busy today and ed(from Yuma) is busier. Cathy has a post about one of her meals.

Hi. As I may have mentioned, the days from Thanksgiving until this past Monday have been filled with some sort of appointment/event/errand. I've felt like Sisyphus just trying to accomplish something each day, only to have to start over the next morning. Fortunately, I do know the importance of taking a bit of a break to reconnect with friends, usually over a meal (or at least a hot beverage). One day in December, I found myself in Point Loma, on Rosecrans near the former Loma Theater, now a Bookstar.

Look over there to the right; you can see the tables and umbrellas out in front of Country Kabob.

Yes, we were there in December. The interior of the restaurant is clean, with tablecloths, even for lunch.

It was a chilly day, and my meal came with a bowl of lentil soup. Unlike any lentil soup I've ever had, this vegetarian version was smooth/not as chunky, with the lentils almost falling apart in the very flavorful broth. I liked this soup very much (and will order it again, even if it isn't part of a combination plate).

We decided to share the fried zucchini appetizer ($3.95). It wasn't outstanding, but was fried perfectly and not too greasy; pretty much standard. If I were to rate the meal items ordered on some sort of scale, this would be last, but only because everything else was outstanding. The sauce to dip the zucchini was home made, yogurt based with cucumber and fresh garlic and really good.

My friend ordered the gyros sandwich($5.95) and it was A. Huge. 2)Fresh-with a wondrous fresh/hot pita bread and tasty, moist, lamb and beef. iii. Topped with sumac(!) and the *really wonderful* home made tzatziki (which was the fried zucchini dip) as well as tomatoes, onions and parsley. Honestly, this was one of the best gyro sandwiches I have ever tasted and I've tasted a lot.

I decided to try the spanakopita-falafel plate ($9.95), so that I could try a bunch of items, in a sort of appetizer-ish way. The Greek salad had a very, very good dressing. It was olive oil based with fresh as well as dry herbs, the Feta on top had a nice tang and was fresh; a bit different than 'standard' restaurant Feta; it made me want to go to Vine Ripe Market on my way home to buy one of the imported Feta cheeses they sell, to try and find this Feta. [As a side note, the imported, more expensive Fetas are wondrous.] The falafel were made from fresh garbanzo beans -and parsley- and were light and flavorful. The spanakopita was with flaky filo, creamy (I think Ricotta cheese was mixed with the Feta, or it was a really different Feta in this version or maybe there is egg.) (Oh, there was some rice in this spanakopita also) and the spinach just tasted fresh…there were fresh herbs flavoring this also (definitely dill and parsley). As I was leaving, I asked about the pita bread, and found out it is parbaked and then heated when ordered, explaining the soft, freshness.

Yet another great find. So glad we stopped here.

Country Kabob Restaurant #2 3145 Rosecrans Street Suite A San Diego, CA 92110 (619) 226-2524 Website

Chicken + Greek Cuisine (Sid’s Place)-(Escondido)

November 29, 2011 Cathy Greek Food, What Cathy Eats!

You have just stumbled upon mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Today Cathy is blogging. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are just too busy researching about places and meals.

Hi again. The other day, The Mister and I found ourselves in Escondido on Mission Avenue between Escondido Boulevard and Centre City Parkway.

This was the view from Mission while we were stopped at the signal light. Actually, that little green sign attached to the flag pole (on the right in the photo) caught my eye. We had to pull into the parking lot in this oddly shaped strip mall to see what this was about.

After we parked, I walked back to snap this photo of the full flaming rotisserie.

We walked in and were asked if we wanted to order "to go" or eat in. I noticed a lot of people ordering and picking up 'to go' orders. We found a seat and menus were brought to the table. There are only 11 tables inside and a handful on the patio outside. It is neat and clean and bright. Everyone working there came by the table at some point, including Sid, the owner. It felt like a family run place. (I noticed on the website that Chicken Plus has been in Escondido since 1990. That's a good thing these days.)

We ordered, noting that the menu did state items were freshly cooked to order. The food was not brought out immediately, but the wait was not 20 minutes either.

I had asked for hummus($2.50) and pita (99¢) as an appetizer. The hummus was fresh made (i.e., not chilled and I really think freshly ground in the kitchen based on the sounds I heard as our waitress called our order in through the door seen in that photo) with garlic and tahini. The warm pita bread was really nice- a bit thicker and more 'hearty' flat bread with a good 'tooth' and chew. It was warm and had flecks in it, making me think it was made with wheat. I really liked this bread.

The Mister ordered the half chicken meal ($7.49) which came with either breadsticks or tortillas and two sides. He chose the breadsticks (light and airy and hot; nice) and cole slaw (made with a light sauce which was not overpowering and the way I like it) and the potatoes au gratin. Look at those potatoes. They are fresh peeled potatoes, cooked to a nice tenderness and topped with what looks like a gravy poured over them. It is a very old fashioned (I mean *very* old school) recipe for au gratin…using chunks of potatoes (not thinly sliced ones) and topped with cheese sauce, unbaked. This was *really* good. Unexpected.

Oh- the rotisserie'd chicken is fresh, juicy and flavorful. Really good. Really, really good. The chicken is not Costco/Chernobyl sized; it is a normal size bird.

I decided to try the chicken gyros ($4.99), mainly because the salad choices were topped with gyros meat (and if you've read other posts, you know that I have decided that nobody makes their own gyros and all of it that we can get in restaurants is sourced from the same Distributor) and the name of the place has 'chicken' in it. The menu did state this sandwich was made with 'spicy' dark meat chicken topped with what you see above, and I figured that would kind of be like a salad. It was…

I did try to take a bite of the sandwich all rolled up and a lot of the fillings fell out, so I did eat this as a salad, using the house made tzatziki sauce as the dressing. The 'spicy' powdered mix topping the shredded dark chicken meat had quite a kick of heat and did taste good, but the bites of The Mister's chicken were also very good, without the added seasoning.

This was a great place we stumbled upon. We will be back for a dinner (Moussaka is on the menu!)

Chicken Plus Greek Cuisine (Sid's Place) 309 W. Mission Avenue Escondido, CA 92025 (760)480-1348

Mon-Sat 11-9 ;Sun Noon-8 Website

Spiro’s Gyros- Coronado

August 16, 2011 Cathy Greek Food, What Cathy Eats!

Hi. You're back reading mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Today, Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are not posting. Cathy is sharing another of her 'vacationing around town' adventures.

The Mister and I decided to take our 'daily walk' on the Island City of Coronado the other day. We drove over the Bridge and took a right, then another right. There's a park, with a large parking lot and a view.

Again, we pretended we were tourists and walked West along the Bay.

Soon, we were at the Ferry Landing. People can board the San Diego-Coronado Ferry around Broadway downtown and cross the Bay to get to Coronado Island. There are several restaurants and bicycle rentals at the Coronado Ferry Landing site.

Of course we were hungry, and looked at a kiosk listing the various shops and I was, once again, craving gyros, despite my belief that no place in San Diego makes their own gyros and instead gets it all from one supplier:
(I saw this truck when we were in Pacific Beach, on another walk.)

So, when we saw this place:
"Spiro's Gyros", cute name, descriptive of the menu…we thought it might be OK and not be at the price point we saw on the menus of the two restaurants we had just passed.

The menu, just behind the cash register, looked better than average in selection and price. Horiatiki salad, as well as appetizers of Feta, hummus, giant beans, olives and pita, Pastitsio as well as chicken, lamb and fish dishes. Then again, the fish taco, quesedilla and pulled pork offerings were a bit out of line with the running theme…

Then we noticed Moussaka.
The Mister and I have not had Moussaka for at least ten years. We've considered making it at home, but after the pages of recipe instructions, we have ended up merely roasted eggplant and eating it at room temperature with Ajvar, a red pepper based relish. Basically, Moussaka is an eggplant casserole using the eggplant between layers of seasoned meat and covering it all with a white/custard-y/Bechemel sauce. We have not seen moussaka on a menu anywhere…we had to.

This version had a layer of potato on the bottom, a layer of seasoned (we could taste cinnamon and cardamom and pepper) ground lamb, a thin eggplant layer, another layer of seasoned meat mixed with tomato and chopped eggplant and topped with another layer of sliced eggplant and topped with the white sauce, baked. This was served with a very flavorful well made rice pilaf, Greek salad and fresh pita. ($8.75). The meat had tomato, green pepper and complimentary spices. This was a *wonderful* version of Moussaka.

I ordered the Gyros salad ($8.20) and was not expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised. This was not the 'standard' gyros. See the spices? There was definitely cumin, allspice, nutmeg, coriander and fennel. SO flavorful and the pieces thick cut and a bit crispy from the spit. A very good portion size on top of the lightly dressed lettuces topped with Feta, onions and Greek olives. This was served with tzatziki and more fresh pita.

Spiro's was a very good find for us and great midpoint of our walk and another 'touristy' adventure, right here in our own County.

Spiro's Gyros Coronado Ferry Landing (1201 First Street), Coronado 92118 (619)435-1225

Troy’s Greek Restaurant-breakfast

June 30, 2011 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Greek Food, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a foodblog wherein Kirk writes most of the postings here, but he can't write today because he is busy. ed(from Yuma) also writes quite a bit, but he isn't writing today, because he is lazy. Cathy writes a good part of the posts here and apparently has some free time today.

Hi. A few months ago, when I was going to Kaiser Hospital, I saw a guy spinning an arrow sign on Mission Gorge Road at Zion at the far corner of the mall. It's the same mall as Carl's Jr., Ra Ka De Ka, San Diego Brewing Company, Saigon Star, the newest Gaglione Bros location, Starbucks, Rubios and Einstein Bagels. The sign was advertising breakfast at Troys Greek Restaurant (which is not to be confused with Troy's Family Restaurant, which is in the Clairmont Square).

While The Mister and I have enjoyed several lunches and dinners at Troy's, breakfast wasn't one of those meals.

The restaurant looks 'dressed up' for breakfast, with a fresh flower on each table.

The menus are under the glass covering the table cloths. One thing I noticed was the price point. None of the breakfast choices is over $6.95.

Greek gyros and eggs ($6.95). Eggs were poached perfectly. There was a good amount of gyros. The accompanying warm pita bread, tomatoes and Feta cheese made this a nice breakfast, or early lunch.

I do realize that Kirk will be posting about his vacation in Greece and that breakfasts there are nothing like this. In fact, after having a 'sneak peek' about the Greek part of His and His Missus' vacation, I may never bother with this common restaurant gyros again. However, I do want to stress that this meal at Troy's Greek was very good, very fresh food.
The Village Omelette ($6.45). I was curious as to the description of the omelette including sausage. It was sausage links that were chopped and added along with Feta cheese, tomatoes and onions into the nicely cooked eggs. This was accompanied by home fries and a side of warm pita bread. I never have considered adding chopped sausage links in with my omelettes at home, but now I will. The sausage with Feta, onions and tomatoes was a nice blend of flavors.

Coffee was $1.95 and fresh, kept constantly refilled.

If you have occasion to be in the neighborhood, breakfast is served Monday through Saturday and there is a buffet brunch here on Sunday. Being able to get a sit down breakfast here is a nice addition to the neighborhood.

Troy's Greek Restaurant 10450 Friars Road, Suite T San Diego 92120 Website

St. Spyridon’s Greek Festival 2011

June 4, 2011 mmm-yoso Festivals & Events, Greek Food

It used to be that we'd attend St. Spyridon's Greek Festival every year. But over the last couple of years because of trips or work, we've missed their annual Greek Festival. I really wanted to make sure to check the festival out this year. I did have a Birthday to attend yesterday, and the Missus was working, but because admission was free from 5 – 10 pm, I thought it wouldn't hurt to just drop by.

And it was a perfect evening for a festival.

There was a decent sized crowd for 5 pm on a Friday, and all the usual suspects were present, such as the Deli, where you can get Greek food stuffs and of course the pastries!

The indoor "Dining Room" is usually the busiest, and this year no different as the line stretched from one end of the building to the other.

Because I had only a short amount of time I didn't anticipate getting anything to eat….. that is until the smell of lamb and sausages grilling over charcoal got the better of me. So I did grab a lamb plate from the Taverna:

This was much better than I recall, moist and tender, with a tad of the "flavor of the pasture". I ate at a one of the stand up tables, and watched a Dad teaching his daughter some Greek dance steps…. well I think it was Greek dance steps.

The new thing this year is the Greek Wine Bar, where you can purchase glasses or flights of Greek Wines.

Sorry about the lack of photos, but I only had a couple of minutes, which ended up being just enough time to stuff my face! As I walked back across Park Boulevard, the very friendly Traffic Control woman (I guess that's what they call crossing guards for adults) smiled at me and said "wow, that was fast, you must eat quick!" I laughed and told her "I know, it's terrible to eat and run!"

The festival runs through 10 pm tonight, and from 11am through 9 pm tomorrow, Sunday, June 5th. Admission is free from 11am to 1pm on Sunday. More information on the festival's website. Parking is thoughtfully provided at Roosevelt Junior High with a shuttle bus running to the festival every couple of minutes.

Sorry for the late post, but I hope you can make it!

St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church's Greek Festival
3655 Park Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92103

We’re Baaack…..

May 16, 2011 mmm-yoso Greece, Greek Food, Turkey, Turkish Food

Right after returning from China last year, the Missus had me planning our next trip. She wanted a trip to Greece. I thought that if we were going to be gone for a month, that it would be interesting to add another Country. The thought of visiting Turkey had been on my mind for a while. As soon as the year turned and we headed into February, I started making plans. It ended up being quite a full itinerary, just the main trips and hotel info alone took up over three pages. I emailed copies of that basic itinerary to FOY (Friend of Yoso) MG, who replied that after reading the first page she felt exhausted. Cathy told me that it read like an outline for the amazing race……. With all of the planning, work, and other stuff, I wasn't able to do as much research on places to eat as I would normally do; and we depended a lot on recommendations from folks, and our explorations. The main hubs for our trips were Istanbul and Athens…….

So anyway, here's a little run down. As always, you can click on the photos to enlarge.

Istanbul:

Was our main hub for Turkey was Istanbul. To say that we were enchanted with the city is an understatement. The sincerely kind and friendly folks really made us sad to leave. As for the the locale…… let's just put it this way. This was the first photo I snapped upon my arrival in Istanbul.

That's the Hagia Sofia. We managed to visit many of the main attractions during our stays. Here's a photo of the Bosphorus from Topkapi Palace.

And a required photo of the Blue Mosque.

And of course, there's the craziness of both the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market.

We also managed a short cruise of the Bosphorus on a drizzly day, which just seemed to add even more mystery and drama to everything.

We had heard so much about Hagia Sofia, and we saved it for the tail end of our trip. By that time we wondered if it would live up to our expectations…… And let me just say, our expectations were exceeded. It's one of the few places, along with Machu Picchu that we want to revisit.

I also really enjoyed the mysterious Basilica Cistern.

Along the way, we met a fish called "Hamsi".

And a dish called Sac Tava.

Selcuk – Ephesus:

Did you know that the ancient Greek and Roman city of Ephesus is located in Turkey?

Our accommodations in Selcuk were located right across the street from the Basilica of St John.

Where the Aposotle John is believed to be buried.

There's a lot of history in this area.

Goreme – Cappadocia:

Yes, thoughts of fairy chimney's and cave houses dance in our heads when Cappadocia is mentioned.

Among the hiking, visits to the underground city, valleys, and such. The most memorable thing we did was an early morning balloon ride.

Quietly floating amongst the clouds, over exotic looking terrain, this was simply unforgettable……

I also enjoyed the visit to Selime Monastery.

Climbing up into the monastery cut into the rocks led to a view that was amazing. I also took one of my favorite photos of the trip, which almost looked like the cover of a science fiction book.

Athens:

Athens was our hub for Greece. So of course there was the required visit to the Acropolis.

And the Central Market.

Delphi – Meteora:

The Missus wanted to visit Meteora, and the only way I could figure to keep that visit within two days was to take a tour, which included a stop in Delphi.

The cloudy and drizzly morning added an air of mystery to Meteora…….

And when the sun peeked out, the views were dramatic…..

Iraklios (Heraklios):

Next up was the city of Iraklios on the island of Crete.

We had two of our favorite meals in Iraklios, thanks to the recommendations of our hotel staff. The first featured twists on Crete cuisine, which worked very well.

The second featured more straightforward Cretan specialties.

On our second day in Iraklios, instead of visiting Knossos, the Missus requested that we rent a car and drive to some of the small villages. So that's what we did……

70% of the wine in Crete comes from this area.

Cretans also consume about 31 liters of Olive Oil per capita. We both cracked up when we requested a taste of various olive oils and the woman behind the counter almost poured us dixie cup sized portions of each! Good thing we stopped her, and told her we just wanted a taste. She replied, "this is a taste!"

This area is beautiful…….

Hania (Chania):

It's almost impossible to take a bad photo of Hania.

The Missus got an early Birthday present…..

And as a bonus; the really nice young man working at the shop gave a few recommendations, and the Missus found the octopus of Her dreams…..

Hania was the perfect place for us to take a "day off" from "activities" and just kick back and enjoy.

The next day was damp and drizzly as we took the bus up to Omalos through the fog and rain… and sheep….

For our hike down the Samaria Gorge, which, depending what you read is either 18, 16, or 14 kilometers. Regardless of the distance, the "Iron Gates", where the space between the sides of the gorge get to about 3 meters wide is quite dramatic. Looking up the almost straight sides towering at over 1,100 meters is simply awesome.

All of this ends at the ocean in the village of Agia Romelli, accessible only by sea.

You can see why we were sad to leave Hania.

Antalya:

Our last unique stop was Antalya, the largest Mediterranean city on the Southwest coast of Turkey. We stayed in the area called Kaleici, the old town. Here's a photo of the ruins that was located right out the window of our room.

Our initial plan was to use our one full day to visit Termessos, but the Missus had seen enough ruins by then, so we used the day to walk around the city.

So there you go………….

It's good to be home, and hopefully, after a few days to regroup, I'll have a couple of posts ready!

Thanks for reading!

Pitas and Buns- A California Bistro, in 4S Ranch

May 5, 2011 Cathy Greek Food, Mediterranean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

The blog mmm-yoso!!! is not on vacation. Kirk and His Missus are on vacation. ed(from Yuma) is not on vacation. Cathy appears to be on vacation, but really her travels are all within San Diego County.

Hi. There is a new place West of the I-15 at Camino del Norte and Dove Canyon, right next to the Starbucks and in the same parking lot as the new Fresh and Easy in the 4S Ranch area.

"Fine Burgers, Tapas and Beer" it says on the sign…but Pitas and Buns has just opened and has not yet received its liquor license. I noticed inside on the large menu that P&B is "By Santorini", a local chain of four authentic Greek and Mediterranean restaurants which I have always found to be excellent, yet never posted about.
Since it just opened, and the liquor license is not in effect, P&B is offering several 'specials' (and pricing) to get you in to try their food. This gyros pita and salad combo was only $6. The salad, fresh, large and topped with cucumber, tomato, onions, pepperocini, olives and with wonderful Feta cheese and a fresh balsamic herb house dressing was excellent on its own. The gyros meat is *really* good. It is thick sliced, fresh tasting, thick cut and surrounded by the most *heavenly* light and chewy fresh baked bread. The "Greek yogurt sauce" is fresh, tangy and complimentary. A basic meal and just perfect.
This cup of "Leni's Chicken Soup" ($3.50) is divine! Creamy, eggy, lemony filled with vegetables (celery, onion, carrot) and chunks of chicken and fresh herbs. This is the home made soup that I strive to make. A bowl is $5 and from what I saw at another table, very much a meal…
The chopped house salad is $6 by itself. Topped with calamari, it was $8. Perfectly fried, tender calamari. Not greasy. A batter which is *so* right. A flavorful crispy tender blend of tastes. An excellent size portion.

The "Buns" part of the restaurant is for the hamburgers. All are 1/3 pound burgers and come with a choice of fries or Mediterranean coleslaw. Yes, we need to go back. The non-burger/Greek/Mediterranean food here is excellent and better than any other fast food place. The take out menu lists that "more burgers, salads, tapas, happy hours, beer and wine are coming soon". Pitas and Buns will become a destination for the people who live in this part of San Diego.

Pitas and Buns 16625 Dove Canyon Road, Suite 205 San Diego 92127 (858)485-6200

Troy’s Family Restaurant- American (and Greek) food

February 16, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Diner, Greek Food, What Cathy Eats!

Hi, it's Cathy blogging for mmm-yoso!!! today. Kirk is under the weather and ed (from Yuma) is busy.

An ocean of time ago, The Mister and I moved to San Diego for the last time. Our apartment was within walking distance of Clairmont Square, and we used to eat at Troy's Family Restaurant. A lot. Until we bought our home, about 25 miles East of here.
It's been in the Clairmont area since 1973. The mall has expanded and been rebuilt a few times since then, but the owners and a lot of the employees are the same. We were in the area on this sunny day a few weeks ago and wanted to see if things, like the decor and food, were still the same.

The cool dishware is as I remembered. Curvy scratched water glasses and thick ceramic cups. I love old, thick coffee cups; they make coffee taste better. ($1.75). Served with real half and half in the container on each table.

The Ranch dressing on the salad is homemade and better than any bottled stuff I have ever had. The lettuce mix, with shredded carrots tomatoes and packaged croutons is standard crispy fresh.

The salad was part of the special of the day (Monday) – Tilapia ($7.95) which was dipped in an egg wash and then seasoned flour and lightly fried. A light crisp crust enhances the flavor of the fish. It is served with a vegetable of the day (no frozen vegetables here…these were fresh cooked, un-mushy carrots, hand sliced) and mashed potatoes-also fresh. The gravy is a standard brown gravy, smooth and not lumpy. There are at least three daily specials offered all seven days of the week.
Since the restaurant is named Troy's and the font on the outside indicates some air of 'Greek' to it, I wanted one of the Greek menu offerings… really, only two are available. Gyros in the form of a sandwich and in an omelete and souvlaki with breakfast or a sandwich. At this time, the souvlaki sandwich ($7.45) stood out on the menu. Marinated, skewered pork, cooked lightly (it was just pink on the inside, very moist and the char on the exterior of the pieces was just right) served on a piece of garlic toast, with cole slaw (instead of fries) and tossed salad (with Thousand Island dressing-again, made in house and excellent).

It was as we remembered it: Good, home made food made with care and flavor.

Troy's Family Restaurant 4827 Clairmont Shopping Center San Diego 92111 (619)276-7651

Mon-Sat 6:30-9:00, Sun 6:30-8:00

Mission Gorge Cafe-Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner: Greek, American, Mexican

January 27, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, Greek Food, Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Mission Gorge Cafe has closed.

Welcome (back) to mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. A written record of food eaten, prepared and enjoyed by some friends. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) aren't writing any records today. Cathy is writing and recording.

Hi. A few weeks ago (as you can see by the rain soaked parking lot in this photo), The Mister and I were out and about and saw that Taste of India had changed ownership. In fact, it seems the the people who had worked here before it became Taste of India were back. (It used to be Frank's Happy Chef, which I hadn't posted on despite eating there a lot…). This location is on Mission Gorge, very close and between to the two Kaiser Hospitals, in the same mall as Souplantation.

The interior tables, chairs, and other inventory is the same (although the walls are no longer painted to match the fuchsia pink of the chairs). As always, a fresh rose on every table…

The Mister ordered the "Mighty Swiss Alps" fritatta ($7.95) Eggs, mixed with ham, mushrooms, Swiss cheese, tomatoes baked in the pan and topped with sour cream (sort of looks like snow on Swiss alps…) and chives. It was a really good blend of flavors, served with the country fried potatoes (nice and crisp) and the English muffin.

I wanted something more "Greek" and since it was still breakfast time, I ordered the gyros omelette (7.95). Gyros meat and tomatoes mixed with the egg and topped with Feta cheese and served with the tomatoes, lettuce, more Feta, tzatziki sauce and pita bread. Excellent flavors, satisfying my cravings.

A few days later, we were again in the area at lunch time and The Mister ordered the chicken and gyros Greek salad ($9.45). More than enough for two, served with hot pita bread…

The Greek salad was made of mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers,onions, olives, Feta Cheese and a home made Greek dressing which did not overwhelm the flavors of anything. The gyros and chicken were fresh grilled, still warm and very complimentary.

A few days later we were again back in the area and it was lunchtime. Something Mexican was in order, and since it was still raining, a bowl of the tortilla soup sounded good. ($3.45). An excellent portion, filled with chicken and vegetables and very definitely home made. The vegetables (carrots, celery, onions, potatoes and rice) were plentiful and chopped in random shapes. The chicken had flavor on its own and the tortilla strips were fresh made and crispy.

I decided to try the 1/2 pound gyro burger ($6.95) and pulled out the gyros meat for this photo. The addition of hand breaded onion rings was $2.95 and worth it. Excellent frying technique.

The burger is a 1/2 lb steak burger ($5.95)and was char grilled ( we were not asked how we wanted it grilled, but it was just right). Good flavor, moist and went well with the soft sesame roll, topped with standard burger toppings. The amount of gyros was significant (only $1 more than the 1/2 lb steak burger) and the tzatziki sauce went with everything-together or eaten on the side).

I'm very happy Mission Gorge Cafe is here. I guess I could say it's back…it has the same owners as Miramar Cafe ,who started their business when Frank's closed. Both places are good.

Mission Gorge Cafe 6171 Mission Gorge Road San Diego 92120 (619)283-2887 Mon-Sat 7 am-9pm, Sun 7 am-8 pm

Cafe Athena

November 9, 2009 mmm-yoso Greek Food

Finding a place to have Greek Food with the Missus can be a bit of a challenge. You see, the Missus doesn't care for the usual Moussaka-Gyros-Kabob-Dolmathes-Souvlaki-Greek Salad stuff. She'd much rather spend Her time with some pita and Fava Skordalia like this:

Or a simple Bamies (Okra) dish.

Unfortunately, it seems such Greek fare is hard to come by in San Diego. Or it could just be us; so if you have a recommendation let us know. Until then, we'll just kinda head off to Cafe Athena in Pacific Beach when we want something other than the Souvlaki-Gyros meatfest.

Cafe Athena is tucked back in the busy strip mall that houses Great Moon Buffet, Great News, and a ton of other businesses. It's kinda easy to miss, especially if you're circling around looking for a parking spot. There is outdoor and indoor seating, though the al fresco seating means the walkway, and you'll have patrons walking past you heading to and from the businesses upstairs, and if you rather not have the homeless dudes checking out your dolmathes you may want to sit elsewhere. The interior is clean, and a bit spartan, with the requisite paintings of the Blue roofed Santorini buildings. Our Server on each visit has been a very nice young lady whose name escapes us, but who is a joy.

The menu at Cafe Athena is a bit different from other Greek Restaurants we've been to in San Diego, and often times we'll make a meal of the various appetizers. Like the Fassoulia ($6.99), which in this case is a fairly simple marinated Fava Bean appetizer:

Mildly earthy, tangy, the Missus enjoys it with a dose of extra virgin olive oil.

Being garlic lovers, we of course always get the Skordalia($5.29), a basic garlic spread.

This is nice, fairly mild garlic paste. The grilled Anaheim Pepper is a nice touch, and the Missus often requests that I throw some peppers on the grill when I have the charcoal going.

When She first ordered it, I dared not tell the Missus that Taramosalata($5.49) was a Cod Roe dip. I don't think She would have ordered it if I had spilled the beans….

This has got to be the mildest Taramosalata I've ever had, though not in a bad way. It had the flavor of a very light Salmon Mousse and the texture of hummus.

Just a dip or two, some warm pita, and olive oil can make for a pretty decent meal on a warm afternoon or evening.

I will usually get the Papoutsakia (stuffed eggplant) Sandwich ($6.99), and share some of it with the Missus.

The ground lamb is usually fairly gamey, and the eggplant adds a rich texture and a tad of bitterness that is offset by the salty feta cheese and the tangy tomato sauce, all wrapped up in the fluffy pita. Add a touch of tzaziki and your good to go…… it is a bit messy though.

Once the Missus ordered the "Vegetarian Phantasia" ($15.49), the veggie version of the de riguer meatfest plate:

It was quite a lot of food. Along with the afore mentioned (and pictured) Fassoulia, there was some Yalandji, grape leaves stuffed with tomato, red pepper, onion, mint, and rice, which I found very puckery, but the Missus enjoyed.

The Imam Bayaldi(eggplant stuffed with raisins, walnuts, and tomato) was good, though I'm not a fan of raisins in savory dishes. I thought that a more savory filling would have done better.

The Missus enjoyed the above dishes, but didn't care much for the Spinach Pastitsio, much like a vegetarian version of Moussaka. This was a bit too rich and cheesy for Her.

So there you go…….. Even though most entree prices are $11 and up, you can still get a pretty decent meal, going with the appetizers. And some of them are a bit more interesting than the usual Gyro or Souvlaki. Nothing against a good gyro, but sometimes you just want something a bit different.

Cafe Athena
1846 Garnet Ave.
San Diego, CA 92109