There is no shortage of Mediterranean restaurants in the Queen City, and the cuisine is a favorite among the Our Gourmet teams.
In the past 14 months, the teams have reviewed Fotia Greek Taverna and Al Basha, both on South Willow Street in Manchester.
Add The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, which opened in December, to the list.
A co-worker and I headed over there recently for a rare workday lunch to check out the latest Mediterranean offering.
I didn't know that the restaurant was a chain before committing to reviewing it, but it is New Hampshire's first and only location, and the food is made "in-house using fresh, high-quality ingredients." They are located across the country, but the next closest location is in New Jersey.
The restaurant seats about 40, but even with the place bustling, we didn't feel crowded. And on a not-so-rare recent cold day, it was nice to sit in the sunny front windows.
I was relieved that they had a printed menu I could read instead of trying to focus my tired eyes on another confusing menu board. The menu was shorter than I expected, but I like that it is focused with a short list of items under each heading -- appetizers, sandwiches, salads, entrees, kids' menu and desserts. If you're looking for pizza, you'll have to head to Fotia, and if you want a slightly more Middle Eastern menu, Al Basha would be more up your alley.
The Souvlaki Plate (chicken, steak, lamb or shrimp) or Great Greek plate (gyro meat, salmon or falafel) served with choice of sides were tempting. But we needed to get something quick, so entrees were out.
Given the weather, I was all in on the Avgolemono (Greek lemon chicken) Soup ($8.99). My dining companion opted for the Great Greek Gyro ($12.99), and we ordered the Four Dip Combo ($14.99) to share.
You place your order at the counter and the staff brings the food to your table. Before we knew it, a mountain of food arrived at the table, and we struggled to make room for it all. It looked like a feast.
I wanted to eat my soup first before it cooled down. The chicken was tender, and the rice texture was perfect. The broth, commonly made with eggs, lemon juice and chicken stock, was thicker than I remember it being at other places, but it had a good punch of lemon, and the topping of dill freshened up the dish. Served with pita bread, it was a hearty meal.
My co-worker dug into his gyro -- gyro meat, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, tzatziki and feta -- which he could barely hold because it was stuffed full.
Unfortunately, it was stuffed mostly with a lot of lettuce. He remarked that it needed more meat to be better balanced.
He described the flavor as being a bit off, which he thought might have been the onions. He did give a thumbs up to the crispy fries that you can add (along with drink) to make it a combo.
The big hit at lunch was the Four Dip Combo made up of tzatziki, hummus, tirokafteri and melitzanosalata (similar to baba ganoush), and served with a bunch of pita bread.
My co-worker proclaimed the hummus -- garbanzo beans, garlic, tahini and lemon juice -- to be some of the best he's ever had (and he's a hummus lover).
I was a huge fan of the tirokafteri (cream cheese, feta and roasted peppers) -- creamy with a a spicy kick. What really moved this appetizer up a notch were the very fresh pita wedges served alongside.
We hadn't even made a dent in the dips when we decided to bring them back to the office to share -- and they were a hit.
The level of service was above average for a fast-casual restaurant. The staff knew we needed something before we told them, including all the containers needed to pack up our food to go. They were patient and pleasant.
Before leaving I ordered baklava ($5.99) for later. The layered dessert of honey syrup, phyllo dough and walnuts was good, but not memorable.
Overall, The Great Greek is a good spot for a quick meal if you are craving Mediterranean flavors.