It's supposed to start on Wednesday at 11:30. It will be epic. Think back to the Greek civil war in the 1940s. Not sure which side is the left and which one is the right, but all I know is the left cooks a lot better than the right, so they'll have my support.If you're not following, the Big Greek Cafe, is scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, July 8 at 11:30 AM at 8223 Georgia Ave. The BGC is replacing the very short-lived Oasis Pupuseria. What, we're they open even two months?
But, we still have the Greek Place just up the block (8417 Georgia Ave), which was previously the Big Greek Cafe until a squabble took place between the owner and the family who was actually operating the restaurant. Everything is clear, right?
It'll be curious to see how the 'hood handles 2 Greek restaurants literally 2 blocks apart from one another. We survived many years with the only place in SoCo to get a falafel fix being Lebanese Taverna. Now we'll have 3 places all within very close proximity of the other. The question is: can we support them all?
I see Lebanese Taverna surviving since the restaurant has been in SS for several years now and obviously there are others in the area. It has name recognition - and good food too. However, I just cannot imagine that both the Greek Place and the BGC can survive. It might have been better a few years ago when money was growing on trees for homeowners - otherwise known as Mont County real estate prices - but not anymore. This will be a battle royale. I'm wagering by the end of the summer you'll be seeing $1.00 gyros, then $0.99. You get my drift.
In a month I'll run a scientific poll of all my readers to see which one folks prefer. Maybe I can get a commitment that the loser relinquishes their space to a braiding salon.
Please note: According to their ad on the SS Penguin, the first 50 guests at the BGC on Wed will receive a free Gyro platter. I don't know about you, but I'm bringing my sleeping bag and camping out Tues night. I mean, come on, a free gyro platter! It ain't $0.99 yet.
9 comments:
I walked past The Greek Place two weekends ago and while it looked fine for take-out, it seemed like a depressing place to dine in.
I hope the Big Greek Cafe is a nicer place. There's nothing like having a leisurely meal in a Greek restaurant, listening to bouzouki music and gazing at a corny mural of crumbling ruins and people in togas while downing beers to go with all those great appetizers-as-meals.
I'll be there for free gyros!!!
BTW, does anyone know what's up with this new place opening on Roeder? I moved here a couple years ago, and there was always this empty place called "The House", and I had no clue what it was. Now something's opening up called Dama Cafe and Restaurant. It looks like there's Ethiopian writing on their signs, but I can't tell. Is this going to be a 4th Ethiopian place in the DTSS area? Looks like we'll have a Greek war and an Ethiopian war going on at the same time.
I just heard about Dama too. I feel terrible "the House" is gone. I loved that place. Just kidding - never went, never heard anything about it. But maybe there is a battle royale lurking if another Ethiopian place opens its doors. But first things first, let's see if the BGC can bring back the magic.
By "The House," are you guys talking about that place behind the liquor store?
I just ate at The Big Greek Cafe tonight and long live the king. It is great to have the real Hercules Burger back in town. My wife's chicken soulvaki platter was equal parts huge and delicious.
I would love to see both places succeed, regardless of the behind the scenes circumstances. Walking down Georgia it definitely appears that the Greek Place has built a following and earned a fair share of positive press. Many casual folks outside the blogosphere do not know the whole behind the scenes story, they just know they are hungry! Big Greek Cafe may be the original, but I hope they capitalize on the things that make their place unique - such as the outdoor seating and the specials.
Full disclosure: I am a proud Greek American from Boston. Since moving into So Co I have been thinking the ONE thing that was missing was a good diner. While my neighbors were working for more neighborhood parks, I would pitch the idea of a So Co location to the Greek diner owners I knew. As time went on my collection of Greek cookbooks skyrocketed to 20...
Recent dining at The Greek Place was puzzling. The food was fair at best, and I kept going hoping it would spring back to the BGC standards. I now know that it was not at all a Greek battle, but tacos vs gyros food expertise. I wish them well, but for authentic Greek food I hands down will spend my bucks at the (Original) Big Greek Cafe--8223 Georgia Ave., tel. 301-587-GREEK/4733.
The interior is pleasant in white and blue. THe music was Glykeria last night, who we Greeks call "the Best" rather than endless loops of the the theme from Zorba. The yogurt is even higher quality than Fage!!! String beans the right consistency, philo light, grilled shrimp aegan...Well, you see we Greek Americans are a funny lot, we always miss the homeland though so separated. Now that The Big Greek Cafe is open, I am REALLY GRATEFUL FOR SO CO GREEK HOME!!!!
Greek food has something for everyone. WIth the real ingredients, some think it is the healthiest diet in the world.
Look forward to lots of visits and it is a center for our neighborhoods enjoy one of the gifts of an ancient culture.
Sorry Eleni but your "comment" sounds more like a commercial than an unbiased review.
All I know is I better get over to the BGC and give them a try. I just wish one of them served beer. Is that too much to ask?
SocoblogBoy and I have now dined at the new Big Greek Cafe twice and I wanted to share my thoughts. First, the food was terrific! I had the grilled shrimp souvlaki the first time and it was as good, if not better, than what I'd had when they were two blocks up Georgia. We started with the crabcake appetizer and it was fabulous. I am very picky about my crabcakes, so I was dubious when I saw them on the menu. I'm so glad we tried them though. Lots of lump crab meat and almost no filler, perfectly fried to a crisp on the outside but nice and soft on the inside. They are served with some fiesty feta on the side, yum. SocoblogBoy had the felafel and raved about it. And the fries were perfect. The second trip, I had a crab cake on a pita with tzatziki for my meal and spanakopita for a starter, all fab. The spanakopita has a nice lemony zing to it. SocoblogBoy had the shrimp souvlaki pita and said it was good, but that the shrimp were just a tiny bit over cooked.
Both times we were there they had some interesting specials on the chalkboard, like lamb chops. They are also doing house made sausage.
I also like this space better than the other place. There is a big window in the front and it's all very bright. The decor is similar but even cuter than the other place. Two brothers, Simos and Nikos, along with a colleague, Marcos, are running the place. Simos has been very friendly both of our visits.
So TBC gets my vote!!
Post a Comment