That Food Guy
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
The Greek Village - Seminole, FLorida
As for my companions, how was their dining experience? Janis
is not what I would call an ethnic food person. In some ways the dietary
choices are very limited. I would not before this day have considered that she
would have ventured into a Greek restaurant not knowing what lurked inside.
However, after today, The Greek Village is on a slowly expanding list of places
to go out and enjoy a meal. That certainly is a compliment to The Greek
Village. Perhaps, though, the best summary of our culinary voyage to the Mediterranean
would be to show you Uncle Gilbert’s plate.
 |
| Aunt Effie, Uncle Gil and Janis |
The Greek Village
11125 Park Blvd Suite 117
Seminole, Florida 33772
Check website
for hours open.
I got as telephone call from Aunt Effie and Uncle Gilbert
the other day. It seems that their old printer had given up the ghost and they
had just purchases a new replacement from Office Depot. It is a sophisticated
printer, scanner, FAX machine with Wi-Fi capability. Printer and scanner are
what they wanted and all the rest was extra that made the installation
intimidating. Somewhere in the background I heard that lunch would be offered. They
do know how to push my buttons but that was all I had to hear and a date was
set for the next day.
They live in a very nice retirement complex that offers
amenities such as an extensive snack bar, the equivalent of a small café, and a
more formal dining room experience the equivalent of a nice restaurant. I have been their guest on two previous
occasions and have blogged both of those experiences. I wasn’t overly anxious
to do a third blog on the same pace so I didn’t even take my camera.
The printer installation was step by step easy and soon all
the ends were tied up and the operator training completed. It was time for
lunch. That is when I found out that we were going out for lunch to a place
Gilbert and Effie had learned about from a neighbor. When I heard it was called
The Greek Village I was a bit surprised. Ethnic restaurants are not the usual
fare for Gilbert and Effie. After a quick plea, Gilbert and Effie were kind
enough to lend me their camera for the outing.
 |
| Ham and Chicken Breast On Pita Bread With Greek Salad |
It was a short drive to the restaurant. It is in a very new
appearing strip mall very near the Larger Seminole Mall complex. They have
apparently moved recently because the plant looks cleaner and newer than their
stated 29-years in business. Everything is very clean and neat, very inviting
especially the glass display case as you enter with tiers of mouth-watering
desserts.
The interior is comfortable low level lighting, the décor is
Mediterranean and you have a choice of tables or booths. We were escorted to a
booth on the divider making a split dining room and would probably provide a
lower noise level during busy times. There were several other diners in the restaurant
but it was nowhere near capacity and noise level was minimum; table
conversation was low and relaxed.
 |
| Ham on Toasted Rye Bread With Greek Salad |
The menu is extensive and offers appetizers, salads, soups,
pita specialties and sandwiches, combination platters and a large selection of
Greek and Mediterranean-themed dinners. There is a small selection of children’s
dishes, pastas with meatballs or chicken in red or feta sauce. There is also a
large selection of wines to choose from.
It was a lunch visit and our attention was directed at the pita
specialties and sandwiches section; there are a lot of things to choose from.
Aunt Effie ordered the Baked Ham and Turkey Breast Toasted Oven Sandwich.
($8.50 Toasted Oven Sandwiches with Greek Salad - Choose pita, sub roll, whole wheat
or rye bread with melted provolone cheese) She chose the pita bread. It was
similar to what she ordered on her first visit and she wanted to try it again.
When served, the sandwich and salad is a large plate of intimidating
proportion. Over the course of a relaxed lunch she was able to eat all of her
meal saying that it was very good.
 |
| Meatball Parmesan on Sub Roll With Greek Salad |
Uncle Gil ordered the Baked Ham Toasted Oven Sandwich. ($8.50
Toasted Oven Sandwiches with Greek Salad - Choose pita, sub roll, whole wheat
or rye bread with melted provolone cheese) He chose the rye bread. There were
nice thick slices of toasted rye bread with ample sliced ham filling. With the
salad it was a very ample meal that he was able to finish handily. He did enjoy
the meal.
Janis ordered the Meatball Parmesan Toasted Parmesan
Sandwich. ($8.50 Toasted Parmesan Sandwiches with Greek Salad – On pita or sub
roll with our homemade sauce topped with melted provolone cheese and parmesan
cheese) She chose the sun roll. It was a large sandwich with a half-dozen large
meatballs in a thick marinara-style sauce with lots of melted cheese. With the
salad on the side it was a large lunch. Surprisingly, she finished her
sandwich; there was no need for a doggie bag this day! She said she enjoyed her
meal very much.
 |
| Chicken Gyro With Greek Salad |
I ordered a gyro, Chicken Breast Strips on Pita ($8.50 Pita
Bread Specialties with Greek Salad – wrapped with tomatoes, red onions, feta
cheese and Zaziki (sic) Dip on the side) It was a well filled sandwich. The
edges of the pita bread were just able to meet. There was lots of chicken,
tomato and onion inside. It was flavorful; the chicken was well seasoned and
succulent. The tomato was flavorful, red, firm and nicely ripe. The tzatziki
sauce was cool, mild and refreshing. There was just enough of it but I would
have preferred a bit more. I could have asked more I’m sure (the staff was
attentive and eager to please) but I would have liked a bit more of the
tzatziki instead of rationing it.
The salad was a mix of crisp salad greens, cherry tomatoes, slices
of cucumber, red onion, a Greek olive and a pepperoncini. It was topped with an
in-house signature dressing. Actually, the salad was very good; neither I nor
my companions had any difficulty in finishing our salad portions. I did,
however, find it curious that so little or misdirected effort was made in the
plating of the salad. True, someone plated the lettuce greens and from
containers allotted the requisite tomatoes, cucumber slices and then added the
dressing. It just had the appearance of being plopped on the plate and not neatly
plated as the picture of a Greek salad in their menu would infer. It tasted
just fine it just looked a bit unkempt. All in all, though, I thoroughly
enjoyed my meal and mentally posted it as a place to return for another chicken
gyro.
As for my companions, how was their dining experience? Janis
is not what I would call an ethnic food person. In some ways the dietary
choices are very limited. I would not before this day have considered that she
would have ventured into a Greek restaurant not knowing what lurked inside.
However, after today, The Greek Village is on a slowly expanding list of places
to go out and enjoy a meal. That certainly is a compliment to The Greek
Village. Perhaps, though, the best summary of our culinary voyage to the Mediterranean
would be to show you Uncle Gilbert’s plate.Labels: chicken, Greek, gyro, ham, parmesan, pita, provolone, salad, tzatziki, village, zaziki
¶ 1:00 AM 0 Comments
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Mamas II Revisited.
Tom and I had been out on a photo-safari. It was nothing exotic; just some pictures of the St. Petersburg pier and the city skyline. It was a warm day and thoughts of refreshments crossed our minds; a cool drink perhaps? Maybe even some lunch! And so it was we went to Mamas II in Seminole, Florida. I first wrote about Mamas II back in December of 2006. I pointed out that, “Mamas Kitchen isn’t what you might at first think. It isn’t Mama like your mother, it is said Ma-mas, the Protector of the Shepherds, based on a medieval Cypriot legend. Mamas is regarded as the Patron Saint of Cyprus and Naxos. The lion of the legend is the logo of the restaurant. The Seminole restaurant is one of three operated by the Saint’s namesake, Mamas Antoniou and his family.”
We arrived a bit after the lunch hour. The parking lot was nearly full and we feared a long wait before being seated. The hostess asked to wait for just the barest moment while a booth was cleared and we were led to our table almost as quickly as we had entered. The waitress was there almost immediately with menus for us and she took our beverage order. Mamas serves Pepsi products so I went with a Mountain Dew and Tom chose coffee. During the course of our stay the waitress would keep our beverage glasses topped off.
Tom chose the turkey club sandwich deluxe, $7.99 (with French fries or a cup of soup). It was the traditional three slices of toasted bread, quartered, with very generous portions of turkey, bacon, tomato and lettuce. The sandwich comes with a small side of coleslaw which was nestled in the ample serving of golden brown and piping hot French fries. We were both hungry and Tom started off at a good clip. By the time he was to the last quarter of his sandwich, he was picking out “the good stuff,” as he called it, and leaving the bread behind. It was a good sandwich, tasty and of sufficient size to satisfy just about any appetite.
Mamas offers traditional gyros and chicken gyros. I chose the chicken gyro deluxe, $7.29 (with French fries or a cup of soup). It also comes with a small side of coleslaw. The coleslaw was slightly tart, slightly sweet, a good balance, the cabbage crisp and fresh. Without the fries the gyro and the coleslaw would have made an adequate meal. The fries were golden, crisp and hot on arrival to the table. Very tasty, Mamas seasons their fries. I don’t know the mixture but it is a very good flavor combination. If I had a complaint, it would be that the pita bread was so full of chicken that it was necessary to eat it with a knife and fork. And that complaint is really a compliment about the generous size of their servings. There is no skimping. The chicken was tender, well seasoned and cooked just right. The lettuce was crisp and the tomatoes ripe and with some flavor. The tzatziki sauce was a good blend of the yogurt and the cucumber, neither dominated, both were present and complimentary. I considered that I made a good choice for my lunch sandwich.
It was towards the end of their lunch rush. Even in their rush, the serving staff was patient, attentive and displayed a genuine good nature that made us feel welcome. There were always booths available so we felt no urgency to finish and there was no urgency on the part of the staff that we should leave. It was a nice long and leisurely lunch which gave us time to plan our next photo-safari.
Mamas Kitchen II
5885 Seminiole Blvd
Seminole, FL 33772
(727) 319-4040
5885 Seminiole Blvd
Seminole, FL 33772
(727) 319-4040
Tom and I had been out on a photo-safari. It was nothing exotic; just some pictures of the St. Petersburg pier and the city skyline. It was a warm day and thoughts of refreshments crossed our minds; a cool drink perhaps? Maybe even some lunch! And so it was we went to Mamas II in Seminole, Florida. I first wrote about Mamas II back in December of 2006. I pointed out that, “Mamas Kitchen isn’t what you might at first think. It isn’t Mama like your mother, it is said Ma-mas, the Protector of the Shepherds, based on a medieval Cypriot legend. Mamas is regarded as the Patron Saint of Cyprus and Naxos. The lion of the legend is the logo of the restaurant. The Seminole restaurant is one of three operated by the Saint’s namesake, Mamas Antoniou and his family.”
We arrived a bit after the lunch hour. The parking lot was nearly full and we feared a long wait before being seated. The hostess asked to wait for just the barest moment while a booth was cleared and we were led to our table almost as quickly as we had entered. The waitress was there almost immediately with menus for us and she took our beverage order. Mamas serves Pepsi products so I went with a Mountain Dew and Tom chose coffee. During the course of our stay the waitress would keep our beverage glasses topped off.
Tom chose the turkey club sandwich deluxe, $7.99 (with French fries or a cup of soup). It was the traditional three slices of toasted bread, quartered, with very generous portions of turkey, bacon, tomato and lettuce. The sandwich comes with a small side of coleslaw which was nestled in the ample serving of golden brown and piping hot French fries. We were both hungry and Tom started off at a good clip. By the time he was to the last quarter of his sandwich, he was picking out “the good stuff,” as he called it, and leaving the bread behind. It was a good sandwich, tasty and of sufficient size to satisfy just about any appetite.
Mamas offers traditional gyros and chicken gyros. I chose the chicken gyro deluxe, $7.29 (with French fries or a cup of soup). It also comes with a small side of coleslaw. The coleslaw was slightly tart, slightly sweet, a good balance, the cabbage crisp and fresh. Without the fries the gyro and the coleslaw would have made an adequate meal. The fries were golden, crisp and hot on arrival to the table. Very tasty, Mamas seasons their fries. I don’t know the mixture but it is a very good flavor combination. If I had a complaint, it would be that the pita bread was so full of chicken that it was necessary to eat it with a knife and fork. And that complaint is really a compliment about the generous size of their servings. There is no skimping. The chicken was tender, well seasoned and cooked just right. The lettuce was crisp and the tomatoes ripe and with some flavor. The tzatziki sauce was a good blend of the yogurt and the cucumber, neither dominated, both were present and complimentary. I considered that I made a good choice for my lunch sandwich.It was towards the end of their lunch rush. Even in their rush, the serving staff was patient, attentive and displayed a genuine good nature that made us feel welcome. There were always booths available so we felt no urgency to finish and there was no urgency on the part of the staff that we should leave. It was a nice long and leisurely lunch which gave us time to plan our next photo-safari.
Labels: Antoniou, chicken gyro, Cyprus, gyro, lion, Mamas, Saint Mamas, Seminole. Florida, turkey club, tzatziki sauce
¶ 10:37 AM 0 Comments
