Run by Greek-born owner Kostas Fostieris and his family, the place is known for its gyros and other Greek food, with customers supposedly lined up out the door at lunchtime and the food gone by mid-afternoon.
Sometimes Timing Is Everything
I intended to get there very early but instead got a late start, which worked out well. Reaching Greenbelt Metro at 10 am just as the reserved parking spaces opened up, I bought a day pass for $7.80 (good after 9:30 am) and was at Greek Deli an hour later -- to find that I was the only customer.
But the food looked delicious, especially the day's special, marinated artichokes, so I ordered a portion along with a gyro and some rice pudding.
Lunch At Dupont Circle
Since the weather that day was moderate for January (in the 40s) I walked back up to Dupont Circle where I laid out my meal on a park bench.
I started in on the gyro first since it looked like the easiest to eat. It was very good, but I probably favor the style at Marathon Deli in College Park, MD a little better, where the sauces aren't quite as liquid and the food has sharper flavors. (Marathon Deli has been overcooking the pita bread on the griddle lately, though, making it a bit too hard. But I love their fries also.)
The artichokes served over a bed of orzo were really great, especially when I used the fresh-baked bread to sop up the sauce. Importantly, the artichokes were tender yet still firm, and hadn't been rendered down into mush.
The bread was much better than it looks as it had a very slight sourdough taste to it.
The artichokes had a very tangy marinated flavor and an interesting touch of fresh dill weed. It made for a very satisfying hot meal on what was a chilly day to be eating outdoors.
The mildly sweet rice pudding was decent but I'm not really a fan of that dessert. It was liberally dusted with cinnamon on top and the rice still had slightly firm mouth feel.
The Birds
As I was finishing up my gyro a small cube of cucumber fell to the ground. Before I could even react there was a great whirring of wings and what had previously seemed an empty park bench was suddenly covered with a flock of tiny sparrows that had erupted out of the bushes.
This picture shows them after most had fled back into the shrubbery:
Later I decided it was harmless to give them a little orzo since it was cooked, but within seconds I found myself facing a vast sea of staring, beady eyes, including some bigger birds that had flown in as well. Not wanting to tempt fate, I desisted after throwing a few more grains on the ground.
Next Time
I'll probably try Greek Deli again sometime when something takes me into the District in the late morning (and maybe one day I'll try breakfast there). The off-season and cold weather (plus beating the lunch rush) probably kept me from having to stand in line, but eating at the park in the middle of Dupont Circle would be a beautiful, pleasant way to spend lunchtime on a sunny day in the spring.
It's also easy to get to as the food establishment is about 3 blocks south of the Dupont Circle Metro station (Red Line) on 19th Street.
More Pictures
I like the architecture in the Dupont Circle area, which has preserved some of the graceful town homes of an earlier era as businesses.
Like many DC Metro stations, DuPont Circle has artistic touches such as these carved words by Walt Whitman:
The artichokes had a very tangy marinated flavor and an interesting touch of fresh dill weed. It made for a very satisfying hot meal on what was a chilly day to be eating outdoors.
The mildly sweet rice pudding was decent but I'm not really a fan of that dessert. It was liberally dusted with cinnamon on top and the rice still had slightly firm mouth feel.
The Birds
As I was finishing up my gyro a small cube of cucumber fell to the ground. Before I could even react there was a great whirring of wings and what had previously seemed an empty park bench was suddenly covered with a flock of tiny sparrows that had erupted out of the bushes.
This picture shows them after most had fled back into the shrubbery:
Later I decided it was harmless to give them a little orzo since it was cooked, but within seconds I found myself facing a vast sea of staring, beady eyes, including some bigger birds that had flown in as well. Not wanting to tempt fate, I desisted after throwing a few more grains on the ground.
Next Time
I'll probably try Greek Deli again sometime when something takes me into the District in the late morning (and maybe one day I'll try breakfast there). The off-season and cold weather (plus beating the lunch rush) probably kept me from having to stand in line, but eating at the park in the middle of Dupont Circle would be a beautiful, pleasant way to spend lunchtime on a sunny day in the spring.
It's also easy to get to as the food establishment is about 3 blocks south of the Dupont Circle Metro station (Red Line) on 19th Street.
More Pictures
I like the architecture in the Dupont Circle area, which has preserved some of the graceful town homes of an earlier era as businesses.
Like many DC Metro stations, DuPont Circle has artistic touches such as these carved words by Walt Whitman:
No comments:
Post a Comment