A Restaurant called Athens

It’s a small diner across from Wal-Mart in North Versailles, Pennsylvania. www.nvtpa.com

Blue tables, white walls (except for the large hand-painted mural of the Acropolis on one wall). No hostess, no wait staff, just the man in the kitchen.

Customers gathered around the counter, bantering with the cook/owner. The atmosphere was relaxed and casual, so I helped myself to a menu and sat down at one of the blue tables.

After a few minutes I walked up to the counter and just stood and watched him.  Middle-aged, grizzled, his accent thick but charming. He was alone in the kitchen, but he kept all the orders straight and the food coming.

“What you want?”

“I want to eat!”  I grinned.

He was busy dressing pitas (“Seven-inch, not six-inch like everyone else!”) with creamy cucumber dressing, red onion shavings, lettuce and tomatoes. Then he picked up an aluminum shaker, thumped it on the cutting board and sprinkled the contents over the tomato.

“What is that?” I asked.

“Secret seasoning,” he smiled.

I watched as he sliced some gyro meat, browned it on the grill and placed it on top of the tomato. He wrapped the folded bread in foil, expertly twisted the bottom tightly closed and placed it on a china plate. Then he turned and pulled out a fryer basket. The secret seasoning went on to the fries along with a generous shake of salt.

“Secret seasoning on the fries, too?”

“Best fries you will ever eat.”  He set some napkins on the counter. “Here, you taste the best fries.”  He carefully placed a tongs-full on the napkins.

They were lightly browned, hot and fresh and fragrant with—

“Don’t ask me what is there!” He was angry. “Everyone wants to know what took me 25 years to make. My one big mistake was telling my tzatiki recipe and this one.”

I backed off. I am always open-handed with sharing my recipes but this was an entrepreneur. He was making his livelihood with his unique products. I had crossed a boundary.

“Everyone needs to have his own secrets,” I murmured. A minute or two of silence, watching him work. “Where are you from?”

“Athens.” Still a little curt, a little hurt. “You want feta on your gyro?”

“I love feta.” I watched as he went through the practiced motions. Then he added the fries to the plate and handed it to me with a flourish.

“You want something to drink? Just get it out of the cooler.” I turned and grabbed a can of Sprite and went back to my table.

I picked up the sandwich. But I couldn’t resist the fries while they were still piping hot and yes, quite fragrant. I finally picked up my 7-inch pita, rolled down the foil cuff and took a bite. Real meat, hot and a little crispy around the edges, cooled by the cucumber sauce. I let myself slide between all those layers of flavors and textures.

When I finally came up for air, I had a grin on my face. And there was still a lot of sandwich left over. This is a handheld meal, a man-sized gyro all for only $7.99.

I’ll be back. There is a lot to try and I’m starting to feel adventuresome.

General Info:

Athens Restaurant 1756 Greensburg Ave. North Versailles, Pennsylvania 15137 412 729 3398; 412 646 4132

Monday – Saturday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm; Sunday11:00 am- 8:00 pm Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

Serving the finest in Greek Cuisine! * Gyros * Greek Omelets * Appetizers * Soups and Salads * Sandwiches * Pizza * Desserts * Authentic Greek Buffet Every Saturday

Payment method:  amex, discover, master card, visa (Beware: during my visit, his card reader wasn’t working and he could only take cash—no personal checks)