BZ Grill: Going Greek

Greece: Land of enchantment, an ancient Mediterranean paradise whose images humble even the most persnickety amongst us and cause us to revel in wonderment at this source of all the myths and legends we’ve all come to know and enjoy. Thousands of years of history and culture compressed into a landmass roughly the size of the state of Mississippi. But of course, as is the case with every country, culture, or any other organized grouping of people found across the world, what shines out to make it most unique and distinct is none other than that which provides us with the nourishment to sustain our daily lives: THE FOOD!

I have somewhat of a soft spot for Greek food, mainly because I consider it the twin cousin to my favorite cuisine found anywhere on this little blue planet we call Earth; that of course is Arab Food. Greek and Arabic Cuisine are like two parallel lines that mirror each other but never quite intersect, they share quite the few similarities which mostly stem from the fact that Greece and much of the Middle East were under Ottoman rule for quite sometime. That along with the fact that Arab countries such as Palestine, Lebanon, and Egypt all had direct interaction with Greece due to the fact that trade between them via the Mediterranean Sea was so frequent that the mixing and sharing of culture was inevitable. But despite their similarities, they each have their staples that set them apart. Such as the sauces they use, meat they consume, etc.

Today’s run in with Greek food happened during the first of what I am positive will be many visits that will result in eventual permanent residence in the City of New York. …New York City, it speaks for itself. Nothing can be said about this perpetually roused metropolis that hasn’t already been spoken. It’s a unique melting pot of the worlds diversity blended and spread throughout five distinct boroughs. I visited this city for the weekend and was astounded not just by its diversity but by its seemingly infinite array of restaurants catering to just about any and every taste whether it be Greek, Chinese, Soul Food, Thai, Dominican, Middle Eastern, Italian, Vietnamese, Mexican; just name your preference and you can be sure that it can be found somewhere within the unceasing bustle that is New York City.

When in New York it’s pretty much impossible to walk down more than two blocks without running into some sort of food cart at the intersection of any given road. Maybe about 80% of the time that food cart will have Arabic Calligraphy sequined across it and the distinct block letters “HALAL” residing somewhere within the sea of overlooked foreign typography. Its here that one will might find probably the most easily identifiable and most well known of all Greek foods, the Gyro. Pronounced “yee-roh” by Greeks and “jai-roh” by everyone else, this Mediterranean morsel is one of my favorites because it so closely resembles my absolute favorite treat (Shawarma) in appearance, content, preparation, and somewhat in flavor. In my opinion, the gyro has surpassed the Hot Dog in personifying everything that is NY street food. Surprisingly enough however, the Gyro I will be presenting to you was not bought on the street but in an actual restaurant.

The restaurant in question is none other than BZ Grill located in the heart of Astoria, Queens. BZ Grill is a quaint little establishment that boasts the best Greek food in all of NY. It’s critically acclaimed and can definitely back it up. The meal I had on this wondrous occasion was their Gyro Sandwich. The name itself doesn’t do the meal any justice and is somewhat misleading. For those who don’t know any better, its easy for one to immediately assume that by ordering a “Gyro Sandwich” you will get your run-of-the-mill gyro meat wrapped in a pita with Tzatziki sauce… If that is what you thought the case was this time around, you might find that you are refreshingly mistaken.

The BZ Grill Gyro Sandwich is made with a little twist that made me fall in love with this wrap. Pork is the star of the show; juicy, tender, succulent pork. Now I’m no expert on Gyros and their preparation but as far as I am concerned, the pork was an unexpected yet much appreciated curveball. The combination of the pork and the Tzatziki sauce made for a perfect collaboration for this meal along with the crisp lettuce and fresh tomatoes thrown in. As I took each bite, I couldn’t help but wonder where else could anyone ever find any Gyro on this side of the Mississippi that can match up to this masterfully crafted wrap. Now although the Gyro was not accompanied by any side or anything else of the sort, the whole thing alone made for a good lunch snack on a chilly November Sunday afternoon.

At a price of $5.97, the Gyro Sandwich at BZ Grill might be a little pricy. But the way I see it is that you are paying for quality ingredients for quality preparation in a quality environment. I definitely recommend that if you ever find yourself in Astoria, Queens in NY look for BZ Grill and take a bite out of this $ix Dollar $itdown.