A West Coast take on traditional Greek

Doug Tabbert

Sandwiched between Starbucks, Baskin-Robbins, Rubio’s Fish Tacos and

a few other chain eateries is Athens West. All these neighboring

establishments share a large outdoor patio.

This modern restaurant serving traditional Greek cuisine is not

fast food -- at least insofar as there are no drive-through windows

-- but your order comes up mighty quick here. Most importantly, it

lacks that factory-line aura, which screams manufactured

repeatability with each pre-cooked item.

My lunch was delivered to a comfortable booth, replete with a side

and a dessert in less than a minute.

The expediency works well for those eating on the run, and it’s

essential for Athens when the place becomes busy.

“There are times, on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday when

you can’t move in here,” said Raul Gallegos, and employee at Athens.

I was there for a late lunch and spent several moments gazing at

the art. On the wall opposite from the cash register is a

store-length pastel mural of a craggy Mediterranean harbor with

desolate mountains in the background. Architecturally speaking, the

decoratively curved ceilings are not offensive but pleasing in their

sculpted balance.

Two industrial vertical rotisseries, upon which large hefts of

Gyro meat slowly rotate to help with the slicing, entice customers.

I have always loved gyros, but the method of combining lamb and

beef struck me as disconcerting, and since Gallegos couldn’t explain

it to me, I thought I’d explore some vegetarian options.

My Veggie plate included a side of Greek salad, two falafels, two

dolmas, two spanakopitas and a side of warm soft orzo pasta. You also

get pita bread, humus and tzatziki sauce, a white and slightly tangy

sauce that gyros are traditionally served with.

The feta cheese atop mixed lettuce greens, ripe Roma tomatoes,

cucumbers and red onions are a flavorful but not too potent dressing.

For all six of their seven salads, this Greek salad is the base upon

which gyro meat, falafel, or calamari is heaped.

The salad is slightly tart, but the dolmas, marinated rice wrapped

in grape leaves, nearly unfurl into an abyss of ceaseless puckering.

This saturated item has a naturally acidic attraction adventuresome

pallets may find appealing.

The humus, a dipping sauce made from garbanzo beans, and the

falafel, a small lightly fried hockey puck of corn, beans and spices,

helped evened out my platter.

With my marinated chicken, roasted red bell peppers and onions,

all grilled flawlessly on a skewer ($2.75), I concocted a pita

sandwich, or chicken gyro, dripping with tzatziki sauce, lettuce and

tomatoes.

The flaky spanakopitas are quiche-like doughy triangles stuffed

with spinach and feta cheese that are served warm.

If you’re hungry, a veggie plate might not satiate you, whereas

meat or seafood (shrimp or scallops) will. Whatever you do, I suggest

finishing with the chopped nut and honey-laden baklava, a filo dough

pastry served at room temperature. It lacks the guilt that might

accompany a more saturated fat and sugar-ridden desert, but maintains

an unexpected consistency and sweetness.

Domestic and Grecian wine and beer is available, as well as a few

different take-home meals that should feed four, ($27.99-39.99).