Yummy Mediterranean at Yummy Town.

Yummy Town Food Truck

83 S. Main Street

Moab, UT 84532

Phone: (970) 799-3720

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/yummytownfoodtruck/

Website: https://www.yummytownfoodtruck.com/

There’s nothing like a meat/veggie packed pita dripping with tzatziki sauce, but where to purchase one?  Answer is solved, and so is the craving for Mediterranean food at Yummy Town Food Truck.  Primarily located in Moab (parking lot next to Eddie McStiff Plaza), it is the pride and joy of owners Joelle Riddle and Max Schon.  They opened up July 2017, have developed a loyal following, often traveling to events within San Juan County and the entire 4 Corners region as well.

Yummy Town caters to, and yes, they do catering, carnivores as well as vegetarians with recipes spanning Greece to Spain.  The food products used are locally sourced from farms; meats are hormone and antibiotic free.  Joelle and Max love what they do; making fresh foods daily for breakfast and lunch; yes, it’s all homemade! 

Tzatziki sauce and hummus smooth and creamy, full of rich flavor that every drop is licked up.  Pork shoulder is the primary meat used for gyro making; roasted for tender meat and crispy edges.  Falafel are pureed and seasoned garbanzo beans, fried (olive oil only) to crispy perfection and so tantalizingly good dipped in hummus.  Are you drooling yet!?!

Still skeptical that Mediterranean food is to your taste?  Besides being amazingly delicious, it’s healthy and heart friendly.  Don’t just take my word on this, the Mayo Clinic endorses it, “The Mediterranean diet emphasizes: Eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts. Replacing butter with healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil. Using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods.”  With any food culture/diet, it’s all a matter of balance and moderation for the most part.  Therefore…

Thinking the sweet tooth will get jilted, not so!  Breakfast offers a coffee cake made with Greek yogurt, cardamom spice, walnuts and pistachios; lightly sweet and moist.  Baklava for a lunch time dessert is buttered filo (also spelled phyllo) dough, walnuts, pistachios, orange lavender syrup.

Yummy Town also offers a unique drink called a “Shrub”, and here is the description from their website (https://www.yummytownfoodtruck.com/): “Shrubs are an ancient method of preserving abundant harvests of fruit and vegetables by macerating them with sugar, adding vinegar, and letting the mixture develop with time. Yummy Town uses organic cane sugar, high quality vinegar, and local produce, mixed with carbonated water and lots of ice, to create refreshing combinations like raspberry and golden beet, kumquat and mint, or peach and basil; and our shrubs pair wonderfully with the bold flavors of the Mediterranean.”

We wondered what a fruit drink made with vinegar would be like and were surprised that it was actually quite refreshing.

Whether you’re in, or visiting Moab, make sure to take a Yummy Town food break; look for them around the 4 Corners area and especially at the Founders Day and Fry Bread Festival in Bluff, Utah this April.

Mary Cokenour

Mountain Oasis is a Comfy Stop in Flagstaff.

Mountain Oasis International Restaurant

11 East Aspen Street
Flagstaff, Arizona, 86001

Phone: (928) 214-9270      

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/MountainOasisFlagstaff/











It was a cold day with light snow when we ended up at Mountain Oasis; a kind of happy accident, since we didn't know what we wanted to eat for lunch.  As we walked from eatery to eatery, reading the menus posted in the windows, we only became more confused on which one to choose.  Then we happened upon Mountain Oasis, spotted "Gyro" on the menu, and knew this was the one.  Upon entering, you are immediately hit with the cozy atmosphere, greeted in a friendly manner, and given time to read the menu and take in all the décor.  This bistro, as it portrays this term perfectly, is about 14 years old; it reminded us of a favorite bistro in Cortez, CO we like to go to, but on a smaller scale.

Our waitress was named Grace which seemed so perfect for her; she so reminded us of the actress, Bailee Madison who plays Grace on "Good Witch", the TV series.  She was very sweet, but also knowledgeable about the entire menu; we wanted something warm to drink and could tell us all about the various teas.  Now Mountain Oasis serves tea just the way we enjoy it, in huge cups that require two hands to hold them.  I had the Peppermint Tea which was so soothing, while my hubby had the Organic Kukicha Twig which was a stronger, slightly bitter tea perfect for warming the body.


I chose the Pork Lettuce Wraps for an appetizer, since my hubby had never eaten anything like this before.  The sauce is vinegar based and was sweet, spicy, but a mild heat; it made our mouths hum, and it was very difficult not to lick the plate clean.  The pork was tender and the vegetables, especially the lettuce, had that freshly picked from the garden taste.






For our main lunch courses, I went with the Gyro; the meat was juicy with a slight char on the edges, fresh vegetables and a delectable tzatziki sauce; on the side was a cup of the tomato vegetable soup which was very herbal and savory.  Hubby had the Cheesesteak with a perfect blend of peppers, onions, cheese and meat on a warm, crusty roll; pumpkin soup was his choice and it was sweet with a rich, pumpkin flavor.  By the way, all the sauces and soups are house made; no bottled or canned stuff loaded with preservatives; Mountain Oasis is proud of being fresh!

Gyro and Tomato Vegetable Soup

Cheesesteak with Pumpkin Soup.

No matter what time of year it is, if you are looking for cozy and comfort in your dining, and just happen to be in the Flagstaff, Arizona area; definitely check out this little bistro...Mountain Oasis International Restaurant.

Mary Cokenour

Pantele's Desert Deli is an Oasis of Freshness.

Pantele's Desert Deli

98 East Center Street
Moab, Utah, 84532

(435) 259-0200
Fax: (435) 259-0050

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Panteles-Desert-Deli/260445626649

Several times I have tried to have a meal at Pantele's Desert Deli, but they've always been closed early; I have finally found out the secret why. The menu items are so good, they're sold out in mere hours; better get in there between 11am to 2pm; or place an order via phone or fax, otherwise you're out of luck.

The interior of Pantele's is simple; counter for ordering and simple tables and chairs for dining at.  The staff, however, make it special by being very friendly and welcoming; Mary is all smiles and very cheery; owner Bella is vibrant, and passionate about her food and the business itself.  Bella owns the business with her husband, Eric; but she is the tidal wave force behind it all.

Arriving at 2:30pm, there was a "Sorry, We're Closed" sign on the window and I thought we'd missed our chance to try Pantele's again.  However, there were diners inside, so I decided to try anyway; good thing I did!  Yes, they were sold out of most items, but ingredients for a Gyro were still available; yelling out to my hubby in the car, we both ordered the Gyro with a side of potato salad. 

After getting our drinks, it did not take long for our order to come to our table.  The potato salad was to die for!!!  Chunks of tender, real potatoes in a creamy, seasoned mixture of mayonnaise, salt, paprika....and I couldn't get Bella to give me her secret recipe.  I was so enjoying the potato salad, I almost forgot about the Gyro.  Again...to die for!!!  The meat is cut into sections instead of long strips, and grilled to sizzling goodness.  The tomatoes, onions and herbs are so fresh, and the Tzatziki sauce was amazing; not a drop went to waste.  My hubby inhaled his meal; I had to keep swatting his hand away as he kept reaching for mine.

Perusing the menu as we ate, we saw many items we wanted to try out at another time.  For convenience, boxed lunches are available which is great for all the hikers and adventurers we get in the area.  Bella explained that Pantele's only creates about 20 servings of the menu items per day to keep the freshness scale at 100%.  Instead of buying cheaper ingredients in bulk, these smaller amounts of servings ensures freshness and high quality.  Impressive nowadays when fast food and frozen ingredients seem to be becoming the standard in too many eateries.

So here is the gist of Pantele's Desert Deli; get there or order early; owner and staff are friendly and let you know they want and appreciate their customers; the food is made daily with fresh, high quality ingredients.  It's a win situation!!!  Unfortunately, now that you know about Pantele's, it's going to be even harder to get a meal there in the future.

Mary Cokenour

My Big Fat Greek Restaurant, Opa!

My Big Fat Greek Restaurant

3500 E Main Street
Farmington, New Mexico, 87402    
(505) 326-2000                                                    

Website: http://www.eatmoregreek.com/

After reading many mixed reviews of this Greek restaurant in Farmington, New Mexico; we decided to give it a shot anyway.   The exterior is quite impressive and hard to miss; located at the entrance to the Best Buy/Home Depot shopping center.

The building has many windows to allow the bright sunlight to naturally illuminate the interior.  Beautiful Greek decor, including a long mural of the God of the Sea, Poseidon adorns the interior.  We were cheerfully greeted by the hostess immediately upon entering, and taken to one of the many booths in the dining area.  Our waiter didn't keep us waiting at all as he came to take our drink orders, and left us to peruse the menu.   Our entire party of four were definitely in the mood for Gyro, so latched onto that item as soon as we looked at the menu. After ordering and receiving our food, our waiter was very friendly, helpful with questions and attentive to our needs throughout the meal.


We began with a Calamari appetizer served with a mild cocktail sauce and tartar sauce. The Calamari included tentacles as well as the body rings; it was deep fried perfectly; not chewy nor still raw, but just right.

Three people went for the simple Gyro in a pita; two chose the Greek salad as a side while one person chose the Greek Fries. I chose the Award Winning Gyro platter. Gyro is a mixture of lamb and beef that is pressed into a form that can be placed on a spit.  It is roasted in a vertical manner, mildly seasoned and then carved into thin slices, placed in pita bread with veggies and tzatziki sauce.



The Gyro itself came in a soft, warm pita loaded with fresh vegetables and heavenly tzatziki sauce.  The Greek Fries cost extra as a side; they are shoestring fries with Feta and Parmesan cheeses with a lemon Dijon sauce.  The person who had this meal loved the Gyro, but was not impressed with the Greek Fries, "fries are fries" he stated.  Now on many reviews I read the biggest complaint was the Greek salad; however the salads served with the Gyros were excellent in taste, size and texture.  If you're going to go Greek, definitely get the salad; fries just don't have a place with them.

The Award Winning Gyro is a very generous portion of the meat with grilled zucchini, lemon roasted potatoes, wedges of pita bread and tzatziki sauce. I was blown away, and so were the others who tasted my meal...piece of meat, piece of zucchini, dipped in the sauce...absolutely divine! It was so good like that, I kept forgetting about the pita bread. The lemon roasted potatoes were so delicious, the person who had the Greek Fries said he would have paid extra for these potatoes instead of the fries.



The meal portions are very generous, so we decided to purchase dessert to go; and our waiter assured us that all desserts are housemade.  The Baklava Cheesecake is decadently rich and creamy; infused with honey and nuts.  The Baklava is loaded with nuts and honey while the pastry is very flaky.  Do not turn away from desserts at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant; get the full experience.

Overall we gave My Big Fat Greek Restaurant a 9 out of 10 rating, and that is only because we felt that shoestring fries have no place on a Mediterranean menu.  Whether you have had Greek food before, or this is a first time try; definitely try out this restaurant.  Opa!

Mary Cokenour

Feeling Welcomed at Iron Horse Pizza.

Iron Horse Pizza

400 S. Camino Del Rio, Unit B
Durango, CO, 81301

(970) 259-9089

Website: http://www.ironhorsepizza.com/

When we first entered Iron Horse, we were welcomed by Ryan; a very friendly and personable man. We later learned that he originally came from Florida, lived in a primarily Greek area and brought many of the recipes and cooking techniques with him to Iron Horse.

Iron Horse looks like a typical small restaurant, but while red or green diamond patterned tablecloths remind you of a Italian pizzeria, the murals on the wall speak of the Southwest. There is a patio area for outside seating, but what we noticed inside and out was that everyone was laughing, talking and having a good time. The atmosphere at Iron Horse emits good feeling and no one was fighting it.

The menu contains items such as Subs, Gyros, Stromboli, Calzones, Pasta and most especially, Pizza - Neapolitan (round) and Sicilian (square). There is also an extensive salad bar which you can order slices of pizzas with or without, or as a side. I wished I had read the menu a bit more carefully before ordering, as I would have certainly gotten the Sicilian, but we ended up ordering Gyros.

The Greek Gyro is loaded...loaded with thin slices of a beef and lamb mixture, freshly diced tomatoes, sliced onions, delicious gobs of feta cheese and a fabulous tzatziki sauce. Make sure to have plenty of napkins for the sauce runneth over, but is oh so yummy...fresh and delicious are the key words for this and....

the Chicken Gyro. The same ingredients as the Greek Gyro except for large slices of tender and juicy chicken. Oh, and the pita bread for both were warm and tender; delicious bread pillows indeed!

Definitely hit up Iron Horse Pizza if traveling through Durango, Colorado and can't decide where to eat; you will not regret the decision!

They do have specials and the current one we saw advertised was called "Four Corners Family Pizza Special", $35 for 6 sourdough knots, large bowl of salad, 14 inch pizza up to 4 toppings, 4 soft drinks or a 2 liter bottle - take out or dine in.  Save $15 off regular prices.

Mary Cokenour