Zoe's Kitchen - Metropolitan

The Tossed Greek salad.

I was recently provided with a coupon to sample the menu at Zoes Kitchen. This fast casual concept delivers with fresh, tasty food in an upbeat pleasant setting. The patio at the Metropolitan location was particularly lovely last week when we had a bit of cool weather. You go inside and order and pay at the counter, then a runner brings your meal to the table.

The menu focuses on Greek cuisine, with lots of fresh salads, sandwiches and signature "roll-ups". I tried the tossed Greek salad, which was delicious with the right combination of chicken, olives, red onion, cucumber, feta and caramelized onions. I appreciated that the salad was not drenched in dressing - you can add more of the Greek dressing if you like since it sits on every table. Zoes also offers online ordering and you can pick up a grab and go meal for 4. With offerings like kabobs, Greek chicken and the roll-ups, this sounds like a great idea for those times you just don't feel like cooking or going out. Zoes makes its own limeade, which I sampled and enjoyed as well as desserts which I will have to try next time. I look forward to returning here again to try more of the menu!

Outdoor seating.

Disclosure: The meal described in this review was complimentary.

Greek Isles - Charlotte

Arni Psito - roasted leg of lamb with Greek potatoes and green beans.

Greek Isles is a lovely Greek restaurant located in Charlotte's historic South End. Lucky for me this is very close to my office. Last week I had a lunch meeting here and thoroughly enjoyed the above lamb special, offered every day during the week for $10.25. I opted to add a Greek salad also for $1.95 (not pictured), which was very good with high quality feta cheese. The lamb was juicy and covered in tasty tomato/onion gravy. Other lunch specials including braised lamb shank, oven roasted white fish and stuffed tomato and pepper are offered on various days of the week. The full lunch/dinner menu includes all of the traditional dips, the flaming cheese and traditional favorites like mousaka and pastitsio, among many other offerings. I like that this place is not loud and that the booths are roomy - great for actually talking with the person you are with! I look forward to returning to Greek Isles again soon.

Once a Week, Go Greek!

Love this sign!

On the way to a hospital south of Atlanta (going to handle an adoption) my paralegal Toni and I stopped at Grecian Gyro in Hapeville for lunch. Just of I-85, this is a great spot for a tasty lunch. When we arrived the line snaked out the door and since it's a small place, this is probably the norm. After ordering we waited about 15-20 mins. for our food, but it was so worth it! The gyro meat was cooked perfectly and the flavor was outstanding. The Greek potatoes were also very tasty, especially with the "secret sauce" served on top or on the side. I saw several people come back up with their plates asking for more sauce, which was also good on the meat. Toni enjoyed her chicken wrap and we both crooned over the baklava (a pretty hefty piece for the price) for dessert. The only disappointment was that the dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) were tasteless. Next time I'll stick to the potatoes, or maybe try the hummus. The kitchen crew here was great to watch - while you're waiting you can sit at the counter just across from the grill. This would be a great spot to try on the way to/from the Atlanta airport.

The small, nondescript building and deck seating.



The menu.



Side Salad with Gyro meat, with dolmades and warm pita bread on the side.



Chicken wrap with Greek potatoes & delicious sauce.



Baklava - yum!

They Grow 'em Big in Marietta

Following a wonderful ride on the Silver Comet Trail, my friend Jay suggested Marietta Diner - a place rumored to have huge desserts and even huger portions. On Saturday evening around 6 PM there was a considerable crowd milling about outside. It was encouraging to hear that the wait was only 15 minutes for our party of 4. After waiting about 20 minutes we were seated inside the busy, large dining room. Before we sat down we had a chance to admire the three, yes three, cases of desserts near the front of the restaurant. The height of the cakes is amazing and the prices for all of the menu items arevery reasonable considering just about every plate could feed at least two people. I ordered the seafood paella, which came on a HUGE plate filled with rice and shrimp, scallops, mussels, chicken and lobster (two tails!) in a tomato sauce. Although I doubt a Spaniard would call this authentic paella, it was tasty, albeit a bit too salty for my taste. The dish came with a choice of salad and soup as well as bread and spanakopita. I tried the matzoh ball soup, which was delicious with an airy, large matzoh ball floating in chicken soup stock with a few noodles. The Greek salad was also stellar, with a nice vinaigrette dressing, feta cheese and olives. Seriously, you could be full just after eating these pre-entree offerings. The spanakopita was okay - not as good as some I've had a authentic Greek places - but it is a nice touch that they offer it along with some of the main courses. For dessert I had a bite of baklava as well as a bite of coconut cake and I split a slice of red velvet to take home. Honestly the desserts were disappointing to me. The baklava tasted a bit soggy and although the portions of cake were huge, the taste was not overwhelming. I can't say enough about the value, though. It took three meals to finish my dinner and there was still some extra left. This is a good place if you want a real variety of options as they had breakfast served all day, burgers & sandwiches, Greek specialties and all kinds of meats, seafood and pastas. I will have to try it again to taste some additional menu items.

Cake Case #1



Cake Case #2



Cake Case #3



Huge menu!



Delicous matzoh ball soup and Greek salad.



Paella



Kimberly got the gyro platter - looked quite tasty.



Jay and Gloria shared the broiled seafood platter - yum!



From left: red velvet cake, coconut cake, baklava.