Gyro Shack

​A couple of Fat City readers have written to say how much they like the little Middle Eastern carry-out joint, Gyro House at 240 E. Linwood, tucked into half of the building that was once occupied by the original Lamar’s Doughnuts location on Linwood Boulevard (the eastern side of the building, where Ray Lamar sold his iconic doughnuts for decades, is now a mobile phone store). It’s really more of a shack than a house with a few table inside and a couple of outside tables, for those who prefer dining al fresco with a view of the midtown Costco building.

Now while I’m a big fan of Middle Eastern cuisine (although not particularly of the roasted meat sandwich known as the gyro), the fare at this unassuming little cafe — which isn’t that cheap — can’t hold a candle to the dishes served at the equally casual, but superior Jerusalem Bakery or the full-service Aladdin Cafe or the Jerusalem Cafe. In fact, the person taking the orders is often the same guy cooking the food and maybe because he’s busy,  none too friendly at that. The gyro sandwiches aren’t terrific and the combination vegetarian plate was a big disappointment: the dolmas tasted as if they had just been defrosted, the falafel had been fried to the point that the two thin discs would have made better coasters than lunch, and the generous portion of hummus, while creamy and good, had been doused with what appeared to be half a bottle of olive oil. We asked for an extra piece of pita bread — priced at 50 cents and not served warm, by the way — and the counter guy suggested we buy the $3 bag of pita instead.