The Greek Food Festival was this past Thursday through Saturday. And yes, that's the title of it. I like that they don't try to make it about any other aspect of the culture than the food. We're just here for the loukoumades.
My friends live right across the street from the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, so every year they have a party at their house. It's genius, because you can slip across the street, make a beeline for the gyros, and then return to your beer and game of Cornhole.
While the tent is a festive place, with music, and lots of socializing, I'm just here for the food.
It's like Sophie's Choice in there, deciding what to order. Fortunately, you can do like I did and just get one of most everything. With the Greek fest happening once a year, why pick?
But my favorite is the gyro. Hands down. Soft pitas, warm beef, and a ridiculous amount of tzatziki. The only thing I would like is fries inside, like they do in Greece. But in Greece, they wouldn't have given you a bathtub of tzatziki to go with your gyro, so it's a fair trade.
And the baklava, ohhh, the baklava. Why didn't I get a stockpile? Who are these Greek grandmothers making this stuff and how do I get to know them?
And it's actually OK that I can't get loukoumades more frequently than once a year. These donuts, covered in honey, nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar are to die for. They disappeared way to fast. And being right across the street was dangerous, as we were tempted to go get 4 more orders.
Should I start going to the Greek Orthodox Church as a ploy to get more Greek pastries? I'm not above that, you know. But see you next year, Greek fest!