Athens Gyro & Grill

33 East Main Street
Riverhead
631-727-1301

In a day and age where whatever you like to eat seems certain to be deemed unhealthy, it is wonderful that most doctors agree that the ‘Mediterranean’ diet is one that is most likely to be beneficial for your health. The rest of the good news is that traditional Greek food, based on the use of olive oil, fresh vegetables and fish without excessive consumption of red meat, is also delicious. As we chatted with John Mantzopoulos, the Chef/Proprietor of the Athens Gyro & Grill, he was proud to point out that they are members of Mather Hospital’s Heart Healthy Program, and he also emphasized “I cook and sell the food that I like to eat.” His menu marries traditional Greek dishes, largely based on family recipes, with American standards.

Everything, except for the baklava dessert, is made in-house, fresh each day, and John scours the farm stands and suppliers on Long Island every day to make full use of the abundance of great ingredients available here.

We started our meal with a selection of Mezedes (appetizers), while listening to the soft and very melodic keyboard and bass music of the 40s through the 60s, offered each Friday and Saturday evenings by Dennis Raffelock. We also enjoyed a glass of a Savatiano white wine from the Attica region of Greece that was light and refreshing. The grilled eggplant, Dolmadakia (stuffed grape leaves), Hummus, Kalamata olives and sliced tomato, with pita bread immediately filled our mouths with a subtle blend of appetizing flavors. This build-up continued with one of John’s special appetizers, a large tomato stuffed with feta cheese and shrimp and grilled. This is a variation on anther classic Greek dish, Shrimp Tourkolimano, and was very, very effective. It had all of the classic ingredients one should look for in Greek food; fresh and simple with a combination of subtle tastes that fill your palate and linger like a good wine. We both could have made a meal of this dish and it should become one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, although John pointed out that he will only make it when tomatoes of the correct quality are available. From this we moved on to sample the classic Avgolemono Soup, where the balance of a rich chicken broth with lemon and egg and orzo pasta was as good as we have ever tasted. Similarly the autumn blend of cauliflower, broccoli and potato produced another great soup (and I normally dislike broccoli and cauliflower)!

You cannot eat a Greek meal without a salad and the Greek salad was all that it should be – except for some anchovies – and the Mykonos salad, a blend of chopped romaine, scallions and dill, correctly dressed with oil and red wine vinegar and sprinkled with feta cheese is also highly recommended. Eating fish in a good Greek restaurant is an experience to be savored – but in many it can be a costly one, with fish priced by the pound – but not here. The char -grilled, whole Tsipoura – better known to most of us as Porgy – simply dressed with oil and lemon was impeccable. Yes, you have to be prepared to take it off the bone but take the trouble and you won’t be disappointed, if you truly love fish. Have some Greek lemon roasted potatoes with it to complete the enjoyment.

Above all, leave some space for dessert. Most people are familiar with Baklava and I am sure this would have been delicious but we had to try the Greek yogurt topped with sour cherry dressing and walnuts and then the ‘piece de resistance,’ Galaktobouriko. Do not be afraid of mispronouncing it – just order it and savor what is described as homemade custard in crispy phyllo pastry with cinnamon and honey. Freshly baked, barely completely set with an incredible texture and taste blend, this is a dessert you will remember for days and days to come and look forward to the next time!

As a good business man, John offers a wide range of non-Greek dishes with each receiving the same careful attention to quality and detail, but the Greek food is so outstanding that you really should look at that part of the menu first and be prepared to try something a little different. The restaurant is simple in décor and is not fancy, but the food is of a very high and authentic standard, and we were both full of praises for all of the dishes we sampled and this restaurant is definitely on our ‘return’ list. When you consider that, for around $20, you receive a choice of any of the dinner special entrees, including that whole grilled fish, together with soup, salad and coffee or tea and that a bottle of wine costs around $20 and a very good measure glass of wine for $5, Athens Gyro & Grill deserves to be on everyone’s list of places to eat.

-Roy Bradbrook