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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 5:53:56 GMT -5
Post by fkaJimmySee on Jul 21, 2020 5:53:56 GMT -5
For me (anyway), right alongside a good sub, a good gyro makes for a satisfying lunch.
But for some reason, all gyro shops are local, no national chains. Maybe it's a result of all the Greek diners everywhere.
I was introduced to the gyro summer of 1971, which I spent in NYC after receiving a summer job offer. There was a shop on Lexington Avenue across the street from Alexander's department store around 59th Street. For a college kid from Wisconsin, I thought it was amazing, like "where they been hiding this all my life?"
The gyro meat carved hot off the spit, tomatoes, onions, and that white yogurt sauce on pita bread, yummy.
The sandwich seems to have made its way everywhere -- we've had them in every city in which we've lived -- had a favorite shop in west LA, Madison, back in Milwaukee (a couple actually), also dined on gyros in Baker, Nevada (at the Mad Greek diner, along I-15 on the way from LA to Las Vegas), London, on the left bank in Paris (a "sandwich Grec"), Cologne, and even in Greece. The Greek version was actually my least fave.
In Madison, our shop claims to be the best in the US. That's a tall claim but it is a good sandwich.
Will there ever be a national gyro chain? I know Arby's tried adding the item to its menu a while back. Do not know whether it stuck. Never tried it there.
In a world of affordable culinary delights, for me, the gyro is right up there.
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 6:16:09 GMT -5
Post by Ragtop on Jul 21, 2020 6:16:09 GMT -5
Oh, yeah! Can't beat a good gyro.
We have a gyro truck (a trailer, actually) that parks down on Main Street during the tourist season. Best gyros I've ever had, anywhere. Gotta get there early before people start lining up at lunch time.
We try to hit it once a week, at least. Had lunch there yesterday, in fact. Not cheap, $10 each, but money well spent.
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TBird
Wholenote
Posts: 298
Formerly Known As: greg1948
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 6:42:12 GMT -5
Post by TBird on Jul 21, 2020 6:42:12 GMT -5
But how do you pronounce "gyro"? Jye-ro? Or hee-ro? I think it's the second one that's pretty close. Some sub sandwiches are called heroes too.
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 6:45:02 GMT -5
Post by fkaJimmySee on Jul 21, 2020 6:45:02 GMT -5
But how do you pronounce "gyro"? Jye-ro? Or hee-ro? I think it's the second one that's pretty close. Some sub sandwiches are called heroes too. To me, it's always been gee-row with a hard "g" as in "goat." |
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 6:51:28 GMT -5
Post by k9bigdog on Jul 21, 2020 6:51:28 GMT -5
But for some reason, all gyro shops are local, no national chains. Maybe it's a result of all the Greek diners everywhere. Man, I love Greek food too and Gyro's are at the top of my list. But I'm glad that they're a specialty shop and diner item. I'd hate to see the cheap-ingredients, mass-produced version of them. My buddies Greek wife pronounces it something like "yee-ro" with a little inflection on the first syllable. |
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 7:35:39 GMT -5
Post by zoikzz on Jul 21, 2020 7:35:39 GMT -5
Milwaukee area has quite a few Oakland Gyro's. I at least thought it is a chain. I always wondered how the cut of lamb was processed. Turns out like spent deli tickets on the skewer. Actually thin cuts layered and spiced up. Yum.I see one coming my way in the near future. A gastrointestinal delite for sure.
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 8:44:18 GMT -5
Post by oldnjplayer on Jul 21, 2020 8:44:18 GMT -5
I had a Greek buddy who lived in Astoria Queens, where there was at that time a large Greek population. Talk about great Greek Food and real GYROS. He pronounced it "Hero". There used to be a place in the West Village on McDougal street NYC that had great Gyro's also.
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 10:34:03 GMT -5
Post by fkaJimmySee on Jul 21, 2020 10:34:03 GMT -5
Milwaukee area has quite a few Oakland Gyro's. I at least thought it is a chain. I always wondered how the cut of lamb was processed. Turns out like spent deli tickets on the skewer. Actually thin cuts layered and spiced up. Yum.I see one coming my way in the near future. A gastrointestinal delite for sure. Oakland Gyros in Milwaukee is a favorite (always good for late night) -- also there's place on Brady Street called Apollo Cafe -- real good, too. |
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 10:42:38 GMT -5
Post by Taildragger on Jul 21, 2020 10:42:38 GMT -5
I Count me in: I'm a hummus and tahini kinda guy.
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jellybones
Wholenote
Posts: 181
Formerly Known As: Gelee Bon (en francais)
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 10:46:39 GMT -5
Post by jellybones on Jul 21, 2020 10:46:39 GMT -5
As a lifelong Chicagoan, I have eaten a hundred gyros, easy. See link for more gyros edification.
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 11:13:54 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by jazzguy on Jul 21, 2020 11:13:54 GMT -5
I spent every summer in Greece until I was 16, it's pronounced w a semi hard G not used in English. Most Americans pronounce it like gyro-scope, makes me cringe to this day ;<)
They're kind of like a hot dog in that it's not a leg of lamb or similar but rather pressed bits of spiced meat.
The white yogurt 'sauce' is tzatziki, just like it reads, but the i's are like a hard y.
Back then you'd find them on every street corner like a hot dog stand. But they also served souvlaki, marinated grilled lamb kabobs served the same way on a rolled up pita w lettuce tomato onions and said tzatziki, a much higher quality 'sandwich' I'd eat them almost daily.
Still make them at home but just kabob style w tzatziki on the side.
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 11:21:41 GMT -5
Post by LM on Jul 21, 2020 11:21:41 GMT -5
But how do you pronounce "gyro"? Jye-ro? Or hee-ro? I think it's the second one that's pretty close. Some sub sandwiches are called heroes too. Jye-ro I was told the etymology for the word comes from US soldiers in Greece during WWII. They'd go to a restaurant, see the gyro meat on a spit, and say, "Give me some of that gyro meat." Since the Greeks do not have a J sound, it morphed into 'yero' or 'hero'. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  |
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matryx81
Wholenote
I think I know the reason but I can't spell it.
Posts: 771
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 11:22:48 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by matryx81 on Jul 21, 2020 11:22:48 GMT -5
There is a fantastic Greek food place about 15 miles south of my house that makes delicious gyros. Maybe I should pick up some meat and tzatziki sauce soon.
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 11:33:20 GMT -5
Post by rok-a-bill-e on Jul 21, 2020 11:33:20 GMT -5
We have a large Middle Eastern population in town and many have gone into the restaurant trade. And I have been told, by those locals, both to say YeeRow, (or year-o) and Gyro with a hard J long I sound. I have ordered Tzatziki only to be corrected "you mean cucumber dressing", and vice versa. It seems that nobody knows.
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 11:37:44 GMT -5
Post by Auf Kiltre on Jul 21, 2020 11:37:44 GMT -5
Lots of Greek restaurants in Detroit area, especially in well, Greek Town. I have always heard it "Year-oh", with a roll on the R and an ever so slight huff on the "year".
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 11:44:49 GMT -5
Post by jazzguy on Jul 21, 2020 11:44:49 GMT -5
Lots of Greek restaurants in Detroit area, especially in well, Greek Town. I have always heard it "Year-oh", with a roll on the R and an ever so slight huff on the "year". not quite but close. if you combine the 'year' w a semi hard 'g' ya got it. but since there's no semi hard g in English, not quite. |
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 12:28:37 GMT -5
Post by Auf Kiltre on Jul 21, 2020 12:28:37 GMT -5
if you combine the 'year' w a semi hard 'g' ya got it. Yeah, I think the "huff" I was trying to use is the soft G. I also hear the R not a long rolled rrr, maybe "rr". All opined in my best linguistic interpretation of course.
And yeah, I love gyros and souvlaki, but when they're bad, they're baaaaaaad.  |
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 13:00:06 GMT -5
Post by NoSoapRadio on Jul 21, 2020 13:00:06 GMT -5
Greek gyro, Armenian Shawarma, and Mexican Al Pastor are all variations of spit roasted meats marinated in the spices of the culture and sliced thin to be consumed in a pita, flatbread, or tortilla. I've had them all many times and if that was all I could eat for the rest of my life I'd be ok with that.
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 13:12:20 GMT -5
Post by Auf Kiltre on Jul 21, 2020 13:12:20 GMT -5
The very first time I ever had souvlaki was at a Greek restaurant in Southfield Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It was near where I worked. The meat was tender, delicious. I dragged my brother there soon after and insisted we both get extra meat. I think the daily mutton discount was being featured because we both simultaneously bit in and gave each other the look of horror. It was wicked.
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 14:43:09 GMT -5
Post by rok-a-bill-e on Jul 21, 2020 14:43:09 GMT -5
I'm never quite sure the difference between gyro, shawarma, kabob, kubideh, and kibbeh, and as mentioned the names change from location to location, but I like it all whatever they call it.
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MJB
Wholenote
Who's we sucka? Smith, Wesson and me.
Posts: 634
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 14:52:22 GMT -5
Post by MJB on Jul 21, 2020 14:52:22 GMT -5
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 16:31:45 GMT -5
Post by rok-a-bill-e on Jul 21, 2020 16:31:45 GMT -5
The first Gyro I ever had was at a hot dog chain in Birmingham called Sneaky Pete's. I read an article in the newspaper about this new Greek sandwich and had to try one. I've been eating them ever since. In no time they were just everywhere.
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 18:37:55 GMT -5
Post by ScottB on Jul 21, 2020 18:37:55 GMT -5
The best gyros I've ever had are served by Hilltop Carry-Out in South Baltimore. They grill the meat and heat the pita (basted with a little olive oil) on the huge griddle where they make their cheesesteaks. Grilling the meat for a few minutes on each side gives it the texture of a nice steak and not like processed meat at all.
The restaurant has been owned by the same family for over 50 years. 3 brothers and an older sister from the island of Rhodes. They are all dual citizens now except for the youngest brother, Michael who went home in the mid-1980s for his military service and he decided to remain in Greece and raise his family.
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Gyros
Jul 21, 2020 18:55:35 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Mfitz804 on Jul 21, 2020 18:55:35 GMT -5
Not for me, “yogurt sauce” kills it for me. I hate yogurt, by itself or in/on anything else.
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Gyros
Jul 22, 2020 1:39:57 GMT -5
Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Jul 22, 2020 1:39:57 GMT -5
I spent much of the 80s just south of Athens, in the Voula/Glyfada area. Got into the city quite a bit, too. Saw Motorhead play in the stadium there.
There is nothing like hot fresh gyro, souvlaki (grilled spiced meat on a stick), tyropita (cheese pie) and spanakopita (spinach pie) at 3 a.m. after a crazy Left-side Shuffle bender. Ainos in Glyfada was a great 24-hour joint. It's pronounced EYE-nos, but most drunk yankees called it Anuses (just like it sounds in eengrish).
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Gyros
Jul 22, 2020 2:38:58 GMT -5
Post by LTB on Jul 22, 2020 2:38:58 GMT -5
Well, when I read "Gyro" my first thought was the term Gyro which is short for Gyroscope. Guess I have never experienced food called Gyro
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Gyros
Jul 22, 2020 12:09:01 GMT -5
Post by Stratluvr on Jul 22, 2020 12:09:01 GMT -5
I love them but I like Pork Souvlaki even more.
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