mmm-yoso!!!

Cafe Athena

Finding a place to have Greek Food with the Missus can be a bit of a challenge. You see, the Missus doesn't care for the usual Moussaka-Gyros-Kabob-Dolmathes-Souvlaki-Greek Salad stuff. She'd much rather spend Her time with some pita and Fava Skordalia like this:

Or a simple Bamies (Okra) dish.

Unfortunately, it seems such Greek fare is hard to come by in San Diego. Or it could just be us; so if you have a recommendation let us know. Until then, we'll just kinda head off to Cafe Athena in Pacific Beach when we want something other than the Souvlaki-Gyros meatfest.

Cafe Athena is tucked back in the busy strip mall that houses Great Moon Buffet, Great News, and a ton of other businesses. It's kinda easy to miss, especially if you're circling around looking for a parking spot. There is outdoor and indoor seating, though the al fresco seating means the walkway, and you'll have patrons walking past you heading to and from the businesses upstairs, and if you rather not have the homeless dudes checking out your dolmathes you may want to sit elsewhere. The interior is clean, and a bit spartan, with the requisite paintings of the Blue roofed Santorini buildings. Our Server on each visit has been a very nice young lady whose name escapes us, but who is a joy.

The menu at Cafe Athena is a bit different from other Greek Restaurants we've been to in San Diego, and often times we'll make a meal of the various appetizers. Like the Fassoulia ($6.99), which in this case is a fairly simple marinated Fava Bean appetizer:

Mildly earthy, tangy, the Missus enjoys it with a dose of extra virgin olive oil.

Being garlic lovers, we of course always get the Skordalia($5.29), a basic garlic spread.

This is nice, fairly mild garlic paste. The grilled Anaheim Pepper is a nice touch, and the Missus often requests that I throw some peppers on the grill when I have the charcoal going.

 
When She first ordered it, I dared not tell the Missus that Taramosalata($5.49) was a Cod Roe dip. I don't think She would have ordered it if I had spilled the beans....

This has got to be the mildest Taramosalata I've ever had, though not in a bad way. It had the flavor of a very light Salmon Mousse and the texture of hummus.

Just a dip or two, some warm pita, and olive oil can make for a pretty decent meal on a warm afternoon or evening.

I will usually get the Papoutsakia (stuffed eggplant) Sandwich ($6.99), and share some of it with the Missus.

The ground lamb is usually fairly gamey, and the eggplant adds a rich texture and a tad of bitterness that is offset by the salty feta cheese and the tangy tomato sauce, all wrapped up in the fluffy pita. Add a touch of tzaziki and your good to go...... it is a bit messy though.

Once the Missus ordered the "Vegetarian Phantasia" ($15.49), the veggie version of the de riguer meatfest plate:

It was quite a lot of food. Along with the afore mentioned (and pictured) Fassoulia, there was some Yalandji, grape leaves stuffed with tomato, red pepper, onion, mint, and rice, which I found very puckery, but the Missus enjoyed.

The Imam Bayaldi(eggplant stuffed with raisins, walnuts, and tomato) was good, though I'm not a fan of raisins in savory dishes. I thought that a more savory filling would have done better.

The Missus enjoyed the above dishes, but didn't care much for the Spinach Pastitsio, much like a vegetarian version of Moussaka. This was a bit too rich and cheesy for Her.

So there you go........ Even though most entree prices are $11 and up, you can still get a pretty decent meal, going with the appetizers. And some of them are a bit more interesting than the usual Gyro or Souvlaki. Nothing against a good gyro, but sometimes you just want something a bit different.

Cafe Athena
1846 Garnet Ave.
San Diego, CA 92109

Greek Style Chicken- a revisit

You are reading mmm-yoso!!! a blog about food.  Kirk, ed(from Yuma) and Cathy and a few others all contribute in a strangely anonymous yet intimate way to this online diary.  Today, it is Cathy's turn.

Hi.  Just a quick post about one of my 'regular rotation' places, where The Mister and I came for one of our "seven days of feasting" meals (the week of our birthdays, which are seven days apart) (although the photos here are of two meals)...This location is close to home and we like the food.

Yes, we love this place.  Here is the 1/4 chicken combo meal ($7.25 when we were here in July, now $8.25). A perfectly seasoned and rotissiere grilled 1/4 chicken  served with Greek salad, garlic bread and either fries or zucchini, or as pictured, the lovely onion rings I crave.

                                                                     

The glorious strawberry shake($2.25). Not artificial tasting at all.

This location used to be a Foster's Freeze you know.  The ice cream machine is still in the store.

We went back for The Mister's birthday: Yet another gyros ($5.25) (in July it was $4.25 and looked pretty much like this photo; I don't want to bore you). The sandwich comes with onions and tomatoes, sauce on the side. Fresh bread.   

Chicken pita- huge! ($5.25) Served with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, feta and tzatziki on the side. The chicken is moist and flavorful.

Onion rings and fried zucchini sticks ($2.15 each). Nicely, lightly batter fried. Why play games? Way much food. Excellent food. Never have we been disappointed when we eat here. Never.

Another Happy  Happy Birthday meal.

Link to prior post

Greek Style Chicken 1468 Graves Avenue El Cajon 92021 (619)401-0700 11a.m.-9p.m. seven days

Babylon Cafe

*** Babylon Cafe has closed.

Got home late tonight, so just a quick post.......

When I saw the sign for Babylon Cafe on one of my trips to Ba Ren, I was intrigued.

Just what would be served at this little restaurant. I was pretty sure it would be Middle Eastern, but just what, exactly....would it be Babylonian-Assyrian inspired food? So a few months ago, I decided to check it out.

As I walked up to the door the Kronos Gyros poster gave it away. Babylon Cafe, was a   neighborhood Kabob Shop. The menu a simple mix of the standards: Gyros, Kabobs, Greek Salads, and the like.

Trying to hide my slight disappointment, I quickly took in the positives, the restaurant was well lit, clean, and the folks very nice. The prices, especially for the "sandwiches" weren't bad at all....all under 5 bucks. Unfortunately, there was no lamb on the menu.....

So I just decided to have the Beef Gyros Sandwich($4.59):

The meat was cut fresh from the spit, and was moist, the amount was on the generous side. I'm thinking that this is decent pre-fab Kronos meat.  Some tomato and onion finished up the sandwich, and no lettuce filler. The pita was nice and warm.

One thing I didn't care for was the Tzatziki, it is runny, and lacks flavor.  Hummus, which was on the pasty-bland side, and even more pita was provided to complete the meal.

This is pretty much the equivalent to "casual-fast" food, think Daphne's. The Gyros Sandwich is easily worth the $4.59, and provides some variety in the area. As mentioned earlier, the folks running the place seemed very nice, and I think they are related to the folks running the liquor store next door. Entrees run from $8.59-$10.99, Sandwiches $4.59-$4.99, salads come in 2 sizes, small($3.99 - $5.59 for a chicken salad), and large ($5.99 -$7.59). Probably not worth going out of your way for, but if you're in the area and need something quick and cheap, that's not chain fast food, or a taco shop.......

Babylon Cafe
4937 Diane Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Elsa's Kitchen-Greek Food that is really good.

mmm-yoso!!!  is the blog that Kirk and Cathy and ed and Vicky write on to tell you about meals they ate.  Once again, it is Cathy writing, because Kirk is still not feeling well.

Hi.  Happy Halloween.  I don't play games with treats, or decorations.  Fast food bags turned to luminaria.  Hope you had a nice day.

So.  The Northeast corner of El Cajon Boulevard and 70th Street, just next to the Exxon gas station.  That parking lot.  Here is the street sign.

Here is what the front window looks like.  Hopefully when you go, the  mall will be finished being re-done and there will be signs above the doors of the various businesses. 

Here is a close up of that front window.  Daily specials. Great prices.

The menu is simple.

As is the interior. Seven tables.  Simple. Clean.

ah- the food.

The Spanakopita and falafel side dish. ($4.25)

Three fresh made falafel nuggets.  Tasty.  Served with a yogurt based tzatziki sauce. 

The Spanakopita was very fresh, large and savory.  Feta filled and with flaky filo dough.

The Pastrami sandwich.  ($5.20) Not fatty, a lot of meat, mustard and pickles but the meat was kind of too peppered for my liking.   The bread was very fresh.

The small order of onion rings ($1.75) - perfect.  Almost every Greek place we go to just knows how to make onion rings the right way...a light batter, wide cut sweet onions..gosh I could eat these every day.

The Gyros sandwich, deconstructed ($4.50).

Lots of thicker cut gyros meat, with nicely crispy fried edges...a good fresh fluffy bread....tomatoes,  onions and the fresh tzatziki.  Simple and perfectly good.

We also got a vanilla shake ($2.25).  Not bad, but not

great.

When we were there, a few people came in and ordered the burger, done medium rare and took it to go.  I will try that soon.

Elsa's Kitchen 7022 El Cajon Boulevard San Diego 92115 Mon-Sat 10:30-9 Sunday 12-8  (619)464-6711

St. Spyridon's Greek Festival 2007

In keeping with my attempt to be as up to date as possible, I sacrificed my precious....ummm, precious....ummm... aww forget about it! If you've been checking out mmm-yoso over the last two years, you'd know that we almost never miss St. Spyridon's Greek Festival. So to spare you, you can read about it 2005 here, and 2006 here.

But for us, this year was a bit different. The Missus had to work the entire weekend, so I was on my own. Luckily for me, I found that this year St. Spyridon's started on Friday, and to kick things off had what they called the "TGIF" which stood for 'Thank Greeks it's Friday'. For me it was a double bonus. Not only was admission waived on Friday, but I felt better knowing that I'm not the only person in the world who spends his/her time formulating bad puns!

As with every year, there's the "dining room" with ala carte items presented in a more "refined" environment.

But it's always the wonderful fragrances outside that draw me in....

But in case you need more info, the "menu" is available here.

This year, I felt a bit out of place, since it was a solo visit, and the Missus was working......as they say "guilt, it's the gift that keeps on giving" or something like that. And yes, it's true, I felt guilty being here without Her. Which I've just realized can turn out to be rather rewarding for Her in the long run.... take the long line at the "Taverna" which is where we usually get our food.

I think She'll be rather happy with what I got...

And of course there's the pastries. On this day there was only the courtyard line, but everyone was smiling and having a good time.

And hopefully, I've done a good job for the Missus in absentia...what do you think?

Here's my dinner for the evening, I didn't recall a booth selling Souvlaki(2 for $5) and Fried Calamari($5) last time. So I decided to check it out.

The Calamari was nice and hot when I got it, and the seasoned breadcrumbs added some nice flavor. I swear that there some "cheese" going on in there....there was a bit of "stringy-milkiness" going on. But maybe I was just hallucinating????

Check out the meat...two people asked me if it was "beef"...but it's chicken souvlaki, very mildly seasoned, but moist. This was decent chicken on a stick. You gotta remember, it festival food!

Here's some of the other "stuff"....

Just so you're prepared for all the pastries, here're the prices:

Why do I enjoy this festival? Other than the food and the upbeat atmosphere, St. Spyridon does a great job on logistics, like traffic control and free parking and shuttle service (At Roosevelt Jr HS - Upas and Richmond St), plus everyone has always been very nice to us. Most of the other info can be found on this banner:

St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church's Greek Festival
3655 Park Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92103

Extreme Pita- Ch Ch Chain/Franchise and good and healthy!

Unfortunately, Extreme Pita has closed

mmm-yoso is not on vacation, and Cathy is blogging while Kirk is not feeling like doing anything today...except maybe recovering from something exciting at his job.

Hello again.  Sometimes I have urges for something semi-healthy and also fast.  I also like a good cup of coffee.  So, I ran into Starbucks the other day, and there wasn't even a place to sit down.  Next door, I saw this new place- Extreme Pita.  I *had* to try it, you know.

It is a newer franchise, started in Ontario, Canada and this location on Convoy, in the parking lot of Dixieline, is the first one in San Diego, there is one in Mira Mesa and more are coming.  The menu should be the same at all of them, and I suppose prices may vary a little, since it is a franchise. 

The larger, color menu has descriptions and these are the price listings.     

Basically, its like Subway in that you walk up and order a pita and then they will be grilling some of what you ordered, asking what vegetables(mushrooms, onions and green peppers) you would like grilled with your meat (or falafel) or not  and then what cold veggies you would like,  and then what sauces you would like (Tzatziki, hummus, light mayo, light Caesar, light Italian, light Ranch, Greek Feta Dressing, Chipotle-Mayo, BBQ, hot sauce, Hot Cajun BBQ, Honey Mustard, Bistro Sauce, Guacamole).  The  the pita is tightly wrapped and put into an ingenious double paper/plastic wrapper that will tear off at a perforation IF YOU READ IT the first time, as I didn't... anyhow, so this is an opened small falafel pita ($4.69) with all the grilled veggies, all the available cold veggies, hummus and tzatziki sauce. Small is 6 inches, regular is 9 inches.

It tasted great and was sloppy.   The falafel(s) were the small nugget kind and had been cooked on the grill with the vegetables.  I liked it.  I read the packaging after I was done eating..

OK, went back with The Mister for lunch and got the small turkey pita (reg $4.99 but on Wednesdays its $3.99...there are daily specials posted at the back of the store; the best day to go is Friday when it is $3.99 for any small pita and a cup of soup).

It looks like this wrapped: and then when you tear at the clearly marked perforation, half of the pita is exposed and you can cut it in half..and viola! Turkey that was sauteed with all the veggies, and I had lettuce, tomato, olives, pickle and light mayo added. It was large enough, juicy, not overly turkey tasting but not weird chemical-ly tasting either. The pita was warm and very, very good. It was a good sandwich.

The Mister decided on an Extreme Classic Flat Baked Pita (its pizza style pretty much, with a pita as a crust)... ($5.29) It's the larger pita(9 inch), topped with a tomato-y (not spicy) sauce and cheese, then the toppings (4 slices of cooked bacon, pepperoni, mushrooms) are put on top and then more cheese. Then its warmed /melted/nicely crisped in a salamander type broiler. As you can see, its quite large...the mushrooms were good in that they were cooked from raw and not pre-cooked, the sauce was good. It was a very nice and more or less healthy (532 calories, according to the Nutritional Info Guide available at the counter).

This is a newer Franchise in San Diego/the US (many in Canada) and there is another one at 8250 Mira Mesa Boulevard more are planned in San Diego. 

I like that you can order online or by fax and that their mission is a healthy alternative. 

It isn't  authentic Greek by any means, although they do have gyros (its not on a spit, so its that frozen pre-sliced stuff that is sold in the Mediterranean markets around town..but it is pretty darn good)..and for the most part you can say the ingredients are mostly Mediterranian.  Its a unique product that can be extremely healthy.  If you think of it as food, it's good tasting and healthy food and a little bit of something different on Convoy Street.   Try it.  You will like it.

Website for this location is here.(if you want to order online).  The link on that website seems to not have the Nutrition Information link working.  The Corporate Link does have the nutritional info working.

Extreme Pita 4898 Convoy Street San Diego 92111 (in the Dixieline parking lot, next to Starbucks) Phone (858) 560-0142 Fax (858) 560-0563

Road Trip-Las Vegas (Mad Greek)

mmm-yoso is again on a short road trip.  Cathy was on one also and here is what she ate on her way home.

Hello again.  If you've driven to Las Vegas, you've seen the signage on the I-15:  (Notice there is no "The" in the name of the place...there is a restaurant in Stanton, CA called "The mad Greek".  They are not affiliated)

Hmm,  recalling what I have said..."don't be afraid to stop someplace that has been there forever"..."there's a reason"...

OK...kinda old looking signs on old semi-trucks...

oooh, and the kitschy-est looking place...kind of, um, ever...

Well, there is truck parking, and there were trucks.  Therefore following the logic of eating where the Mailman eats and stretching that logic to eating where Truckers eat...combined with definite recommendations from Mr. G, a good friend who always stops here, along with illtaketwoplease, well..we had to stop.

Mad Greek is in Baker, on Interstate 15, home of the World's Tallest Thermometer, about 75 minutes from Las Vegas and seems to have been there forever...in the middle of the desert... It isn't just a restaurant that has Greek food, its decorated like its in Greece Greek restaurant, in a kind of tacky neighborhood (way too many silk flowers and reproduction statues) and they also have burgers and Mexican food, and shakes.  The decor is, well, Greek.  There is a sign, near the coffee machine offering "Tourist Help" in various languages: American, English (accent), Greek (ancient and modern), Arabic, Hebrew (weekends only), Chinese, Japanese, Hindu, Korean (by phone), French, Italian, Spanish, Mexican, Turkish and Russian.

You walk in, order, pay, and food is brought to your table, or, if you get a shake, your number is called when it is done and you pick it up at the shake counter.

   The shakes ($4.25 each)...Mine was strawberry and Ms. T's was a date shake.  She said the taste of Hers reminded her of her childhood date shakes, she was quite happy with it.  My strawberry shake tasted like it was made with fresh strawberries and even had seeds and was not too sweet.  The umbrella decorations were a nice touch.  We were getting breakfast, and had ordered coffee also.  It's Seattle's Best, which is a company owned by Starbucks, and its *good* coffee.  We tried the ever popular gyros sandwich and a gyros omelet.  Each platter was about $8 and was made fresh, with tomatoes, onions, lettuce in the gyros sandwich (Tzatziki, with dill, on the side).  The omelet was made with 3 eggs, had a *lot* of gyros, sauteed tomatoes, onions and mushrooms as well as feta inside, and feta on the top, as you can see..and served with a slab o' hash browns, which were OK, but did not send me.  Here is a cross section view of the inside of the omelet:

As we were leaving, I saw these two stands near the door, with coupons.   We could have stopped here on our way to Vegas, and got some even better deals, maybe...Next year when I am driving here with The Mister, we will stop here first.

Mad Greek, Baker California (760) 733-4354

The Alien Fresh Jerky store was closed, or I would have stopped there you know.   The outside signs said they sold beef, turkey, clam and alligator jerky...and had samples available...oh yes, next time, definitely.

Greek Style Chicken-mmm!

mmm-yoso is NOT on vacation. Cathy is merely blogging about food while Kirk has a day off.  You tuned in to see what was new, didn't you? Here it is.

Hi, again. 

So, say you are driving north on Highway 67...hmmm, most likely the reason would be to go see Autumn colors in Julian, or perhaps you are really going to a casino. Whatever your reason, on the south end of 67, close to Interstate 8, you see this sign at that first exit, Bradley.

I know you've asked yourself.."Self, I wonder if that place is any good?..." and you kept driving.  You really should stop.

This used to be the Fosters Freeze next to the DMV (hey, if you live in East County, you've been to the DMV), so it still has the drive though lane (yes, if people can drive through Starbucks for a beverage, they could also drive though for soft serve ice cream).

This place took over the Fosters Freeze about four years ago now and makes the best flavored Greek Style foods, served in great sized portions in the East county.

You order, pay at the front counter, sit down, wait for your number to be called and pick it up to take back to your table.  You don't have to buss your table at the end.

This is the gyros sandwich ($4.25) and I bought a small side of zucchini sticks ($1.75)...yes, that is the "small" order.  The zucchini is cut like french fries then breaded with cornmeal and fried.  You can see some of the zucchini skin in the photo and the cut is just thick enough you do taste the vegetable. The gyros is tender, well seasoned, served an a remarkable fresh textured/tasting bread with tomatoes, onions and the tzatziki sauce is on the side, also very fresh made with cucumber.   The zucchini is breaded with a *very* light crust that has a light herb seasoning to it and is served with a quite large container of ranch dressing.  I cannot convey enough the breading is light and crispy. 

This is the  #6 Combination: 1/4 of a chicken, with  a beef kabob and a side of onion rings as well as a quartered pita bread. ($8.55)

The chicken is so nicely marinated with Greek herbs and lemon.  It is cooked so the skin is wonderfully crispy and the meat also has the flavor of the lemon and herbs.  The kabob is placed on the skewer interspersed with thin sliced onions and is marinated before cooking just enough for the meat to cook but remain very juicy.  Oh those onion rings... fresh made, thick sliced with that light crispy slightly seasoned crust.  Delightful!

The Greek chicken salad is always a favorite($7.45).It is really the Greek salad-with onions, cucumbers, feta and topped with warm, herb infused chicken meat..a *lot* of chicken..I swear, this bowl weighs close to a pound.  Yes, this is the small side of onion rings, again...($1.75)..fresh made, lightly corn meal breaded and wonderfully not greasy.

This is the fish and chips plate ($6.25) with the zucchini fries substituted for the "chips" part (no extra charge)(ALL of that stuff under the 3 pieces of fish is zucchini; I think that is what the "large" side order consists of, but I have never been that hungry to order it) ..and a banana shake: vanilla soft serve blended with a fresh banana ($2.25).  The fish is cod, but it isn't the preformed, frozen with batter on it stuff; its made for you, with a very light egg and herb infused batter...very nice..and also served with garlic bread.

Next time you are on Highway 67, take that exit and stop in.  The portions are huge and the food is quality.

Greek Style Chicken 1468 Graves Avenue (at Bradley) El Cajon, CA 92021 (619) 401-0700

11 a.m. to 8 p.m. 7 days

Episode 13A/Week Two-Happy Chef, Happy, Happy!

mmm-yoso is on vacation. The part usually played by Kirk will be played by Cathy in in the interim.

*** Update.  The name has changed to Kayson's.  The people who work there all seem to be the same (even the husband and wife who I thought were owners) including Aurelio, the Chef.  The walls don't have photos of famous Channel 8 ex-personalities.  The tables and chairs all match now. There is a wide screen TV and new flooring.  The menu has the same foods, but the prices all went up by about $2 per item.

Update of the Update:  Happy Chef and Kaysons are now closed.

Ahh, its a weekend and, well...there is this place The Mister and I have been going to since about 1984 and its still there, and I think the tables and chairs are still the same and, well, nobody has ever had a mention of it.  YET, Kirk has mentioned Sammy Sushi as being his favorite place and here, Happy Chef is technically in the same building, sharing the same parking lot.

Its only open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday thru Saturday and is busy most of that time.  The sign says "Home Style Cooking" and if your home is American-Greek-Mexican, then yes, it is.

The menu has American, Greek and Mexican breakfasts and for lunch, Greek Food, Mexican Food, Charbroiled burgers, salads, sandwiches, two "Oriental Plates", seafood and combo plates.  Note that there is gyros listed under  "Mexican Food" and under "Old Favorites" in the breakfast section, the shrimp and mixed cheese omelet....I suppose I grew up deprived...

Here is a better photo of part of the lunch menu (the descriptions are difficult to read on the paper menu because its kind of grey ink on yellow paper) :

The Mister got himself the souvlaki and eggs breakfast with pita ($6.35) and I got my all time favorite- chilaquiles with shredded beef ($4.99).  The souvlaki was excellent- tender and served on a kabob with a side of tzatziki. (Those are poached eggs in the cup on the plate).   I do *love* the chilaquiles here, some places only make them vegetarian style but you have the option of getting them with shredded chicken or beef and the shredded beef is excellent.  Chilaquiles are tortilla strips cooked in a sauce, kind of an enchilada sauce, and then mixed in are meat or eggs or vegetables.

For lunch one day, the Mister wanted the Fish and Chips, which came with 1/2 of the plate covered in salad, the other half with in store cut potatoes and three large pieces of fish, covered in a cornmeal batter. All very tasty. The tartar sauce is made here and is very chunky with jarred relish, kind of tart in taste. I opted for the gyros with onion rings, which were whole slices of onions covered in the same cornmeal batter.  The gyros was way overfilled in the pita, nice and thick sliced and had chopped onions and chopped tomatoes in it.  The tzatziki is a good one, made without dill.

Now the place is called Happy Chef and the clock on the wall has been there forever. ...you know I don't have photos of people in any of my posts.  But when I saw how Aurelio was dressed on this day, I just *had* to ask permission. He did not want to have his photo taken and I told him it was for my mom to see.  She will see it...(click onto the photo for it to enlarge and look at the clock).  Doesn't he look happy, just like the guy on the clock?

Anthony's Happy Chef 7905 Engineer Road San Diego 92111 (across from Pacific Honda) (858)569-1582

Monday-Saturday 6 a.m.-3 p.m.

Episode Ten/Week 2- Daphne's

mmm-yoso is on vacation.  The part usually played by Kirk will be played by Cathy in the interim.

So, as I am getting hungry (again) and looking for something relatively inexpensive, I check my email (because in September, The Mister and I share birthdays seven days apart and I let everyone at my spam email address know this) and there are a few e-coupons with some good deals:
Rubios sent me a coupon for a free chips and guacamole with purchase (worth $1.99)
Sammys Woodfired sent me a coupon for a free "Messy Sundae" (worth $7.95, which I would never pay that much for, but we ate it anyhow)
Pat and Oscars sent some sort of two for one coupon, have until Oct 15 to use..
and then there was Daphne's;

Yes, it is a chain. They call it  "contemporary, casual, delicious Greek food".  The owner, George Katakalidis, is a former San Diego Socker who also played for other Professional Indoor Soccer teams and also was the Captain of the National Youth Team of Canada. He was born in Greece and adapted the foods for Daphne's to be Greek, but also consistent throughout the chain.  There are presently 65 locations throughout  California and Arizona. This is a photo of the one in Santee, next to the trolley station.

So, when you sign up on the Daphne's website to be a VIP member of their e Club, you get a few benefits...one of those benefits is a monthly coupon for something...This month it was for the gyros pita, fries and beverage for $5.49 which is $6.99 as a lunch special or the sandwich by itself is regular $5.29.  This is incentive for us to go. (No, I did not get any coupon for my birthday).

The pita is fresh, the gyros meat is moist, tender, sliced thin and plentiful.  It comes with lettuce, tomato and tzatziki sauce, which is made with yogurt, cucumber and dill. It is a good, filling sandwich.

The menu is simple, also on the website and prices are consistent throughout the chain.

I usually get the vegetarian platter which has a nice spanakopita, falafel, dolmas and hummus and is served with a Greek salad, rice pilaf, tzatziki and pita bread.  ($8.29)

Today the Mister wanted the Greek chicken salad with avgolemono soup ($6.49 at lunch).

The soup is creamy, rich with chicken stock and rice and with a good lemon overtone.

The salad is a plentiful Greek salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, pepperocini, feta cheese, kalmata olives and a home made Greek dressing.  The marinated chicken placed on top is warm.  It is served with more tzatziki and warm pita.

Daphne's offers a "Fire Feta­®" cheese, which we have tried.  It costs 79¢ more and it just isn't that thrilling and doesn't add anything for either the Mister or I..but I see lots of people buying it.

You can always add rice pilaf to any salad for no extra charge here and it is good.

The eclub has its benefits in addition to the monthly coupons.  You register with Daphne's and can either get a card or give them your phone number each time you order and after you have ordered $200 of food, you get a coupon/gift card for $25.  This is a good deal if maybe you are ordering a lot or go there regularly, maybe for an office. 

Yes, it is a chain.  Yes, you have probably seen it. Go and try it.  The food is not bad and always fresh.

Daphne's- 65 locations in California and Arizona

Check the  website for specific locations.