Midtown Lunch

I fell like every time I have ever brought up my quest for a real gyro here in Midtown, one out of bounds place has always come up in the comments: bZ Grill in Astoria. “bZ Grill this, bZ Grill that.” “You could make it out to BZ Grill and back in an hour” “bZ grill has the best gyros, hands down”. Well last weekend I finally made it out to Astoria for a little bZ Grill action, and I must say… if there is a petition to get these guys to open a branch in Midtown, I’d like to sign it.

You can order a gyro sandwich, and be pretty content- but I’d recommend going with a friend and ordering the mix grill… or as I liked it to call it, the “Big Mamma Jamma”.

For $19 you get chicken, gyro, two kinds of sausages, and their bifteki all piled high atop a mound of fries and veggies. A dollop of tzatziki, and Kopanisti (which is kind of like a feta spread) and you’re in business. (I don’t think my picture does it justice.)

The two sausages, which are both made in house, were delicious- but I think the bifteki was the best of the three- which they describe as a Greek version of a burger. That’s kind of accurate, if burgers had Greek cheese oozing out of the middle.

Yes, that is gyro-tastic pork fat resting beneath that bifteki

The chicken was fine, but the gyro… well, the gyro was as advertised. Whenever I think gyro, I usually think lamb- which I have to come to learn is a misconception. Authentic Greek gyro is usually (although not always) made with pork, and bZ Grill’s version is outstanding. In contrast to the processed gyro cones you get at most Greek restaurants, they have what appears to be a spit wrapped with actual pork- so what you get is delicious bits of what is clearly real meat, but also fat (hello!). Needless to say, it was delicious.

I know it’s pretty unlikely we’ll get a bZ Grill in Midtown anytime soon, but I’d settle for a spot that serves a real pork gyro. As much as I love the processed lamb/beef cone thingy, there is no substitute for delicious pork fat. It’s right off the N train, so if anybody would like to attempt a lunch hour sprint to Astoria- time it and let us know how it goes. For those of you who are less adventurous, it’s worth a weekend trip to Astoria just to check out. And if you live in Astoria already? Well, you are a lucky bastard!

bZ Grill, 2702 Astoria Blvd, Astoria, 718-932-7858 map

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