Kansas City Goes Greek

sean

 

 

As I am driving down Metcalf, I notice the Parthenon-looking structure of the Greek restaurant Mr. Gyros. When I open the front door I immediately smell Greek food that draws me right in. The food is good and so is the price.

This chain restaurant has an awkward vibe. It always feel loud because no one else is talking. The only noise to be heard is the Greek music coming from the small TVs in the corners of the dining area. These are showing “interesting” landscapes of different places in Greece. My little brother comments “why can’t they just play SportsCenter or something.”

The menu has a variety of standard Greek meals, ranging from a lot of meat to all greens.  Being a meat-lover myself, I always order the classic gyro sandwich.  The gyro meat is wrapped tightly in a pita bread topped with tomatoes and onions. To finish it off, there is a side of tzatziki, made of yogurt mixed with cucumbers, salt, garlic and olive oil. Basically the gyro DSC_0766sandwich is a burrito filled with lamb meat and tzatziki sauce.

For the health nut, the Greek Salad is the perfect choice. Lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and olives are the featured vegetables with pita bread. Feta cheese and house
Greek dressing top it all off.

Pita bread and hummus are the classic greek side. Each order comes with four triangular slices of pita bread and bowl of hummus in the center. The only negative to the pita bread and hummus is that each individual slice of pita is 75 cents. In the end, the small portion is worth the $3.75 price.

Overall, the food makes up for the atmosphere. Even being awkward I still love it.  The main reason I love Mr. Gyros the great food that makes you want to keep coming back. It feels like you are in Greece.

sean1

 

 

Right off Wornall Road a rowdy Greek restaurant can be found: Tasso’s. It is more likely known as being right by Trop Sno.

The first thing I notice about Tasso’s is the huge disco ball in the center of the restaurant. Under the disco ball is a black and white checkered dance floor. The color scheme is blue and white,it covers the walls and ceilings just like the Greek flag.

When I go to Tasso’s on a weekend night, I feel like I am at a dance party. I feel like I am apart of a loud, big Greek family,  just like the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” Plates are being thrown on the floor, belly dancers are shaking around and people are yelling “Opa.”

DSC_0852I ordered a side of hummus and pita bread. The seasoning was done in just the right amount. It was the perfect amount of taste but still not too much to overcome the hummus.

As another appetizer you get a small Greek salad that comes with your meal. I then ordered the chicken kabobs and gyro sandwich.

The chicken kabobs were very tender and fresh. The tzatziki sauce on the gyro sandwich was the best I have ever had.

For dessert, I ordered Baklava. However,  I could barely get a bite unless I forcefully pushed down on my knife. I had to work way too hard to just cut it.

In the end, I love the vibe and the food at Tasso’s.  A negative would be the price for sure. The total for both meals was around $45 which is way overpriced especially for a casual lunch or even a nice dinner. I would recommend a visit as soon as possible if you have $40 from your parents. Don’t forget to bring a few extra bucks for a plate to break.

sean111

 

Papu’s is located in a gas station right across the street from Chipotle on Wornall.  This cafe is the epitome of the saying ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. The cafe is in the back of a gas

station. Thirty feet away from the entrance is a counter to order from, it looks just like Chipotle. Behind the counter is a stovetop where they make the magic: the food.

To order, you walk up to the counter and choose your entree. The menu doesn’t have that many options but each option is different.   You can also order a side, like hummus, which is what I always choose.

The almost burrito made of pita contained lamb meat and tzatziki sauce, it was a gyro sandwich. It was brought in a styrofoam box.

The falafel sandwich is the best falafel I have had in KC. It was the perfect texture because sometimes a falafel can be too moist. It wasn’t too soft or too crunchy.

The hummus had a different flavorDSC_0833 because hot sauce was added. I surprisingly liked the hummus because it had a unique taste and wasn’t just like anything else.

One of the perks of Papu’s being in a gas station is that you don’t have to look nice and can eat a super quick meal.  The atmosphere is very relaxed. The wooden tables, tile floor and all plastic silverware make you feel right at home. You can be as loud as you want and no one will care that is one of the main reasons I love the restaurant.

Papu’s is super cheap for some super great food. A gyro sandwich and salad is $7. At most other places it would be $7 for just a gyro sandwich alone.

My only complaint is that the location is not the best. Gas stations are very boring and people walk in whenever they want to buy snacks and you are trying to eat a meal, but I love the food so the location doesn’t matter in the end.

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