Foreign Flavors in your Own Backyard: Plaka Grill incorporates Greek and American cuisine

One of the unique qualities of Plaka Grill is its ability to successfully incorporate aspects of typical American cuisine with homemade, traditional Greek dishes, a feature that not many restaurants possess.

You may not notice the little eatery, as it is tucked away in a small strip mall not completely visible from Maple Street. Plaka?s wide range of mouth-watering gyros and homemade Greek classics, however, will motivate you to find this restaurant.

Plaka Grill offers a variety of appetizers which are all showcased in the mezze sampler, a combination of several Greek dips (hummus, caviar, minced olives, garlic tzatziki dressing and garlic puree) served with fresh baked garlic pita bread, feta cheese and spinach turnovers. While it may seem like an appetizing starter, its is priced at $13 ? much too high for a sampler consisting mainly of dips. Instead, substitute the sampler for one of Plaka?s more affordable appetizers, priced between $4?$6.

Plaka?s signature dish is the Plaka gyro, a wrap stuffed with roasted pork, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, tzatziki dressing and french fries. The meat has a buttery tenderness to it and the tzatziki dressing adds a zesty kick to the wrap. The french fries are also a nice touch, even though a few ended up soggy. There are several other types of gyros including ones filled with lamb and beef as well as a vegetarian version which replaces the meat with roasted vegetables.

Nutritionally, the gyros may not be the healthiest items on the menu, due to the cream-based tzatziki, but these delectable Greek wraps will leave you with a full stomach. Delicious and substantial, they are a great deal for only $6.

If a gyro will not satisfy your cravings, Plaka offers a vast selection of homemade Greek classics like moussaka (Greek lasagna), bifteki (beef with rice) and saganaki (shrimp with rice), which all fit in the $10?$12 price range. While the price may seem steep, each entree comes with a side salad and a generous helping of pita bread.

Plaka also offers various desert options like baklava and rizogalo (rice pudding).

The overall bill can remain low so long as you steer clear of the mezze sampler. Stick to an appetizer or two and a couple of gyros for you and a couple of friends and the final bill should not exceed $25. So if you are in Vienna with an empty stomach or want a change of pace from your normal fare, drop by Plaka for a tasty experience.