Gyros. None dare call it shawarma. Or worse, especially in a Greek restaurant, döner. The second is what it’s called in Arabic; the third in Turkish. (All three names actually derive from the Turkish word for “turning.”) In Greece, and in thousands of Greek establishments in the US of A, it’s gyros all the way. Slabs of meat (usually lamb; sometimes as here, lamb and beef; sometimes pork, veal or chicken) are stacked vertically on a skewer and broiled upright, turning slowly all the while. Sometimes, if the meat is not moist enough, extra pieces of fat are layered through the mix. Then, sliced vertically, the pieces are traditionally mixed with chopped tomato and onion, and laced with a tzatziki sauce of yogurt, cucumber and garlic. But you know all of this. The abundant beauty shown above, wrapped in a fresh pita, is how it’s served at the superb Farm Grill and Rotisserie not far from my home. Accompanied by a “Greek salad” (iceberg lettuce, iceberg tomato wedge, a ring of onion, one olive, crumbled feta and a yogurty dressing), it is worth every penny of its $8.95 cost. Why don’t I eat here more often?
