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Head to Sunabe Gyros for an authentic Greek experience February 11, 2007

CHATAN, Okinawa > This island is a cornucopia of great eats, there’s plenty of authentic Okinawan, Japanese, Mexican, Italian and just about any other cuisine to be found.

And if it’s not authentic, like, say, Okinawa’s famous “taco rice”, it can have a weird island twist. But for a Long Island lad who grew up in the shadow of New York City, there was always something missing in his Asian subtropical paradise: good Greek food. Until now, that is.

Welcome to Sunabe Gyros. That’s pronounced “gear-roes,” as in those tasty meat and veggie Greek sandwiches guaranteed to drip yummy yogurt sauce down the front of your shirt. It’s the original Greek fast food. Sunabe Gyros opened in August and since then, according to co-owner Howard Harford, it’s been doing a brisk business with Americans longing, for something different.

It’s a small, no-nonsense shop about a block from the Sunabe Seawall near the main gate to Kadena Air Base. There’s seating for only 16 people, but gyros are basically a take-out food anyway. Grab a pita wrapped around slices of beef or chicken with tomato, onion, lettuce and the out-of-this-world tzatziki yogurt sauce, and glide on down to the nearby seaway to watch surfers and divers, or just catch some rays.

Or you could try the falafel, a chickpea-and-herb-based substitute for meat. Basically, it’s a veggie gyros, and very tasty. The only real complaint about Sunabe’s is the lack of lamb, my favorite gyros meat. According to Harford, the cost of getting lamb to the island is prohibitive. Harford said he and his partner, Keith Ehman, spent quite a bit of time looking for just the right place to open an authentic gyro shop.

“Gyros is probably the most popular fast food in the world, and we missed that here on Okinawa,” Harford said.

The prices are more than reasonable, five bucks for the authentic chicken and beef gyros and the same for the slightly different tuna pita or BLT pita sandwiches. For an extra buck you get more meat, but our gyros were already jam-packed with goodies and threatening to slide out of the pita bread and onto our laps. Combo meals cost $6.50 and include your choice of a gyros or pita sandwich, chips and a soft drink. Kirin beer is also available.

The decor is fun, with pictures of Greece on the walls and an empty bottle of Ouzo on the counter to give a hint of authenticity.

Sunabe Gyros > Fast, Greek food.
English Menu: Yes. Dress: Extremely casual.
Clientele: The beach crowd and Americans from nearby Kadena Air Base and Camp Foster.
Location: Chatan near the Sunabe Seawall. From Highway 58, turn west, toward the water, one stop light south of Kadena’s Gate 1. Sunabe Gyros is about a block from the Sunabe Seawall, on the right.

Mr. Gyros > Greek diner earns customer loyalty February 11, 2007

The Jovaras family has been serving Greek food, such as the gyro sandwich and small Greek salad, at Mr. Gyros since 1982.

It was a late-night confession, whispered in a smoky bar, his voice husky from the glass of wine in one hand, a smoldering cigarette in the other. I didn’t say a word, just listened as this noted local foodie secretly, guiltily, spoke of the food he ate at Mr. Gyros. He loved their food, he said, and stopped in whenever his work took him to southern Johnson County.

Mr. Gyros (pronounced “YEE-roh-s” in Greek) is a family-run restaurant owned by Ted and Soula Jovaras and their son, Chris, and his wife, DeeDee. At Mr. Gyros, homemade Greek fare draws a loyal clientele. Even though it was after 1 p.m., the parking lot was full, and a line of diners was waiting to place orders. Color photos of some dishes headlined the menu board.

Through the pass-through window into the kitchen, I spied five spits of meat, one chicken and four beef and lamb blend each shaped like a cyclone and slowly twirling on its axis. A pastry case held rows and rows of shiny, layered sweets, many made with delicate sheets of phyllo dough. I recognized the baklava and pecan blossoms. The others were exotic and hard to pronounce: galaktoboureko (custard baked and layered in strudel), flogeres (phyllo dough stuffed with nuts and honey) and kourabiedes (buttery cookies).

I ordered the daily lunch special: a gyro sandwich with a small Greek salad. By definition, a gyro is made of spiced, minced lamb, shaved off a spit, and piled onto a grilled pita with onions and tzatziki. But, bowing to American tastes, Mr. Gyros serves several variations, including chicken, KC Strip and vegetarian.

I wanted authenticity, though, and ordered the standard version. Ribbons of almost paper-thin meat were laid accordion-style on warm pita bread like old-fashioned, hard Christmas candy. Ringlets of white onion and slices of tomato were tucked into the sandwich. A tiny paper cup of tzatziki was part of the meal deal.

The tzatziki was as thick as good-quality sour cream, flecked with dill and chunky with tiny cucumber and garlic bits. I smeared the sauce, rich and robust in flavor, all over the meat, which was terrific, with slightly crunchy edges and the dusky, sweet taste of good lamb.

The salad, a mix of several kinds of lettuce, cucumber slices, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, Greek olives and feta cheese, was dressed with a house-made herbed vinaigrette. The dry feta was crumbled into tiny flecks and nuggets, and the cucumbers were as crunchy as potato chips.

I took home a side of moussaka, an earthy eggplant and ground beef casserole richly seasoned with nutmeg and topped with a traditional creamy béchamel topping that had the consistency of mashed potatoes. I also took my sweets to go, including the baklava, galaktoboureko and flogeres. The desserts are made by Soula using recipes from her family.

After my visit, Chris Jovaras explained his family got into the restaurant business in 1968, serving American-style food. In 1982 they opened Mr. Gyros. They spent 14 years in a building across the street from their present location. In 1996, they moved to their current location. In a few weeks, the family will be opening a second Mr. Gyros at 135th and Antioch. Although it will be slightly bigger, with 125 seats, the food and the hours will be the same.

Mr. Gyros Greek Food and Pastry: 8234 Metcalf, (913) 381-4218. Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.