Sorry, Dennis Lee, the Best Gyros are in Andersonville
Sorry, Dennis Lee, the Best Gyros are in Andersonville
And they may just be the best gyros this side of the Peloponnese
I am here to challenge Dennis’ assertion that “The best gyros are just outside of Chicago.” The best gyros are available right here in the city, in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood, at a restaurant called It’s Greek 2 U Grill (5449 N. Clark St.).
For long-time Chicagoans, you’ll recognize the storefront as the former Sunshine Cafe. While this home-style Japanese spot is sorely missed, the soul and warmth of the current restaurant’s cooking and of its delightful owner Vicky makes this temple to Greek street food a worthy successor.
The spiffed-up facade reads “Yeeros, Souvlaki, Kalamaki,” suggesting this is not one of the city’s dime a dozen establishments slinging processed Kronos gyros meat alongside hot dogs and Italian beef.
The dining room’s atmosphere is as boisterous and familial as that of a Sunday supper at yiayia’s home. Vicky calls her regulars “sweetie” and many, in turn, refer to her lovingly as “mama;” laughter erupts frequently and Greek pop music plays on the sound system.
The vibe may seem breezy, however, peek into the immaculate open kitchen and you’ll find Vicky and her team preparing your food with the efficiency and precision of culinary officers in a warship galley.
The combination of affection and exactitude is the reason the gyro (spelled phonetically as yeero) is a standout item on a menu full of outstanding dishes. It’s made with herb-seasoned pork belly that is sliced and stacked on a vertical spit. As the rotisserie slowly turns, the fat from this succulent cut of meat drips onto the layers below, developing a lacquered crust around the edges.
As if this self-basted pork weren’t tasty enough already, after shaving the meat off the rod, the spit-master crisps it up on the grill before placing it into warmed, handmade pita bread. The sandwich then heads to the cold station where it’s dressed with sliced tomatoes, slivered red onion, flecks of chopped parsley and a generous dollop of tzatziki.
The finished dish is beautiful to behold. The presentation of the pork belly is as enticing as the body of a Classical Greek athlete, elegantly carved and lightly-coated in glistening oil. The lipstick-red tomatoes and vibrant green parsley enhance the sandwich’s visual appeal.
The first bite is awe-inducing. The unctuousness of the meat is cut by the cool, cucumbery tzatziki and slightly-sharp onions. The inclusion of juicy Romas and fresh herbs, cradled by toasted pita, results in the perfect sandwich.
I often pass on pork belly at restaurants because the standard presentation of cubed meat with a thick fat-cap is too rich to consume. But with these delicate wisps of meat, at once crispy and moist, I find it almost too easy to eat an entire sandwich without pausing.
When I tell Vicky how extraordinary her yeero is, saying it’s the best I’ve ever tasted, she nods because she already knows:
“You know why the yeero is so good? Because it’s real meat! Other places take shortcuts and just throw all the yeero meat on the grill, but we make ours to order.”
She sheepishly admits,
“Sometimes I make people wait twenty minutes while I have a lot of orders of yeeros to make. I tell people this is not a fast food joint. If only people can get that through their skulls, then we will be okay.”
While we wait, we always start with the taramosalata, a meze made from salted and cured roe. While it’s often too salty or too heavy on lemon, here the carp roe, lemon and olive oil coexist in perfect harmony.
The dip’s consistency is ethereal—its texture is on par with the aerated creations at Chicago’s Michelin-starred, molecular gastronomy restaurant Alinea. But its presentation is pure Vicky: two perfectly-sculpted mounds of flesh-colored cream punctuated by pricked-up kalamatas reflect her bawdy sensibility.
The pro move is to order Greek fries to accompany the taramo; there’s nothing better than dragging hot, fried potatoes showered with feta cheese and oregano through the luxurious puree.
Because I’m a potato freak, I have a hard time passing-up the oven-roasted Greek potatoes, which are remarkably creamy and bathed in fragrant oregano and olive oil.
On my most recent visit I ordered them in salad form. In this beast of a salad, the potatoes are dressed with dill, scallions, tomatoes, olives, tomatoes and a simple vinaigrette. Teeming with vibrantly-hued produce and elegantly composed, it looks like a miniature version of a sun-drenched garden and tastes like summer.
I also ordered the pork souvlaki to see how it compares to the pork yeero. While it is an outstanding representation of this popular sandwich, cooked over charcoal and seasoned with smoked paprika, the souvlaki’s pork loin just can’t reach the Olympian heights of the yeero’s pork belly.
As someone who has consumed a lot of yeeros over the years, of the lamb/beef variety at Greek diners throughout the US and the superior pork versions in my travels across Greece, I know a good yeero when I see one.
So at the risk of throwing some shade at the inimitable Dennis Lee, I stand by my assertion that the pork belly yeero at It’s Greek 2 U Grill is the best in Chicagoland. In fact, it may just be the best yeero this side of the Peloponnese.