Mediterranean Deli & Grill- Middletown, NY

Regular readers of this blog will notice the conspicuous absence of a photo on this post, and for that I apologize. We sere coming home from a wake when we stopped and I simply did not bring my camera as we weren't planning to eat out. I will certainly return and get a picture as this is a really nice place to eat. 

The restaurant is small, they do a lot of take-out and deliveries, but there are a few tables to eat. The place is decorated with greek pictures, flags and items and Greek music is playing on the stereo. The people are friendly and the prices are cheap. 

They have 20 different Gyro options. I chose the Cretan which had plenty of good gyro meat, lettuce, cabbage, bacon, cucumbers and an interesting onion sauce. With fries it came to $7.25 and it was very good. Teresa got the Achilles sandwich which had eggplant, roasted peppers, fresh mozzarella and mixed greens on a foot-long sub for $6.75. She said it was quite good and fresh tasting.

Stop by sometime and see what I mean. I'm going back to try a few more gyros and maybe a burger, they have about 8 different combos of burgers. 

The Greeks Authentic Mediterranean Deli and Market- Wilmington, NC

Gyros

When we were downtown today we were walking on Princess and there were two places that I'd put it on my short list to try, Hell's Kitchen and The Greeks Deli. Wanting something different from a sandwich or burger, The Greeks won and we went in. 

The girl at the counter was very friendly and we both went for our standbys. I got the Gyro Platter and Teresa ordered the Spanikopita Platter. I got a beer (Hellas) and Teresa an iced tea. The whole thing came to twenty-one bucks. We took our drinks and headed out back for the patio and soon our food was brought out.

The gyro was really good, as good as, or better than the best I've had anywhere. The fries were hot, crispy and seasoned with fresh Greek herbs (oregano mostly). I tasted the Spanikopita and it was quite good as well and came with a small salad and pita bread.  

Spanikopita Platter

So overall, the people are friendly, the food is amazing and the prices are right. I'll be headed back soon. 

The Greek Cafe, Middletown, NY

I may have mentioned a time or two that I really like Greek food so when my friend Paula recommended a new Greek place in Middletown I got all excited. You see, Paula is Greek and she has eaten in Greece a few times so she should know. Well, I put it on my short list of places to visit. Today Teresa was out shopping with Paula and she texted me to meet them there, so off I went.

The Greek Cafe is in a strip mall on route 211, just outside of Middletown in a storefront that once housed an Italian restaurant that we ate at years ago. When I went in I realized they had done a complete makeover and the restaurant was bright and well decorated with some photos of Greece. There was Greek music playing as well. We were greeted and seated promptly and the waiter gave us menus and water.

We started with the stuffed grape leaves (domadakia) at $6.95 and there were five very nice ones on the plate. I ordered the gyro platter at $9.95 (much cheaper than most places) and it was one of the best I've had. The plate was full of fresh homemade gyro meat (not the typical gyro meat, a nice flavor with just the right amount of spices and cut a bit thicker) on top of french fries with a salad on the side and pita bread.

Teresa got the spanakopita at $9.95 and I tasted it. Very good. Paula had the chicken Santorini at $12.95 with roasted lemon potatoes on the side. She said it was delicious and applauded the dish.

After dinner we did something we rarely do, we got desert. Three of them to share. We had the baklava, the Kataifi (that's the one that looks like shredded wheat) and the Galaktoboureka. Each were $3.75 and delicious. All three had a honey flavor and our favorite was the Galaktoboureko which had a custard with a taste similar to an Italian sfogliatelle.

Overall it was a great experience with good service, good prices and great food. At more than one point the owner came over to make sure everything was okay. We will certainly be back again, and again. The Greek Cafe is going to be one of our favorites.

Two other points; they have free wi-fi and the men's room was spotless. They have a website for more information.

Update- We were back for dinner on 10/15 and it was every bit as good as the last time, possibly even better. They are consistent.

Olympia Greek Restaurant revisited, Wilmington, NC

Last Summer we visited Olympia in Wilmington and we had a great meal. This week we (eleven of us including four children) were set to go out to a restaurant that I've raved about and we had a $25 coupon from Restaurant.com that we'd purchased. When we looked at the door my daughter noticed a sign that said they were no longer accepting certificates from that company so we all looked at each other and debated where to go. After a few minutes we decided to go to Olympia where we knew we'd get a good meal and be taken care of.

There was a slight bit of confusion when we went in as to the number of us, but we counted once again and determined that there were indeed eleven of us. That allowed the waitresses to set up the tables for us.

I started with a Mythos. If you've never had one imagine a German beer like a Saint Pauli Girl and you're close.

I was thinking about trying something a bit different, like a seafood dish, but in the end I decided on the beef gyros, see the picture below. What I did try different was the Saganaki, which is cheese over sliced tomatoes and set on fire as it is delivered. A nice twist and a tasty dish. I've seen it done a bit better in Greek Town in Chicago with more fanfare, but the taste was very good. The others in our party had the personal pizzas, veggie pitas, two more gyros, chicken fingers for the kids, and hummus and pita. All were good.

As I mentioned before, I decided to have the gyros, my favorite here, and it was as good as ever with crisp fries and a very well executed taziki sauce.

Olympia is a good Greek Restaurant in Wilmington.

Freskada Mediterranean Kuzina, Exton, PA

I know I've said this before, but I like Greek food and it's always nice to find someplace that does a good job. Freskada Mediterranean Kuzina in Exton, PA is one of those places. The menu isn't extensive, but they had quite a few good choices on it. I debated on a few dishes and finally decided on my favorite, the gyro. But first, a dish of stuffed grape leaves, or dolmades, to warm up.

The gyro was as delicious as it looked and it was full of thick-cut gyro meat in a grilled pita. The sauce was good as well. The fries were a bit lacking though, they could have been crisper, but they weren't bad. I should have substituted a Greek salad instead.

Nicole had the Grilled Chicken Roma sandwich and Teresa had the Grilled Hummus Chicken sandwich at $8.95 each. Bpth were good too. They actually had to take some of the chicken off as there was too much on it. They don't skimp on the meat here. Between the extra chicken on the two sandwiches, we brought home enough chicken to make another meal.

They have a website for info and the menu. Pay them a visit next time you're in Exton. You won't be disappointed.

Olympia Restaurant, Wilmington, NC

I like Greek food, and my favorite dish is the Gyro, so when my daughter Rachel made the suggestion that we try the Olympia Restaurant on Oleander Dr in Wilmington, NC, I quickly agreed. It turned out to be a very nice Greek restaurant. Not too big and not too small, but they have a small party room and outdoor dining. Not that I’d eat outdoors when the heat index was well over a hundred degrees mind you.

We looked over the menu and I was leaning toward one of the seafood dishes or a pasta dish, but changed my mind. I wanted what I consider traditional Greek food. We shared the hummus with pita for $6.95 (it was a very large portion) and I had the Gyro Pita at $7.95 (please note the picture above), in fact we had three more of them at the table plus another one with chicken. The tzatziki sauce was excellent, creamy and garlicky and the pita was fresh too. The kids had chicken fingers with fries off the children’s menu and Teresa had the Greek salad and a side of Greek potatoes. Everything was great and all told it was just over ninety dollars, less tip, for six adults and three kids, including two bottles of Mythos. I had the Mythos, the kids had seltzer water. The lunch menu is a bit cheaper.

It’s a nice place to eat, and the bathrooms are clean too. That’s important when you take the family out for dinner. They have a website for more information.