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