How About a Little Arm Chair Travel?

I know I am not the first to say it, but I am so sick of this cold cold winter. The fastest cheapest way to escape this perma-frost (and those of you who have been to my home know how accurate that statement is) is to let my mind take a little trip.

Some people hear a song or smell an aroma (or odor) and are instantly somewhere else. Me, I taste a certain food, and presto, I am in another place.

The other evening Glenn and I dined at the Mega Coney Island (desperate times call for desperate measures). I ordered, well actually Glenn did too, a gyros with a side of fries. While I stacked the fries on the open faced gyros, I immediately was back in Greece and the year was 1994.

Have you ever had a food experience that is so perfect that all other similar food experiences are measured against it? Gyros in Kolanki Square (Athens, Greece) would be one for me.

Everything, I mean everything about it was perfect. For starters, gyros in Greece, need I say more? Secondly, Kolanki is a very nice part of Athens were everything is clean and cute. The gyros stand was on a pedestrain street that had little bistro tables sitting under twinkle-light festooned trees. I am sure that I went there for lunch on occasion (remember I was there a whole semester), but it is the evening/night visits that easily come to mind.

The standard gyros at this particular stand was stuffed with freshly sliced, perfectly seasoned lamb, homemade tzatzki (the Greeks do not hold back on the garlic, yum!), Mediterranean-sun riped tomatoes and french fries. French fries on a sandwich, as opposed to next to the sandwich was a new thing for me. (As noted earlier, I still prefer my fries on the sandwich.) And, to top it all off - a draught Heineken. Beer at a fast food joint (that was what the gyros stand essentially was) was quite a novelty for the college-aged me! Oh, it was all so good.

I have searched high and low, but a more perfect, or even equal, gyros has eluded me. Athens anyone?

this post is dedicated to my Grecian twin, Jenny T - I hope you are reading this girl!