Gyro Time

You'd expect worthy gyro at a restaurant called Gyro Time. You'd get it at this casual table-service spot, too. The namesake specialty is made entirely in-house, unlike at most Long Island Greek restaurants, where the gyro comes, preformed, from a commercial source.

Here, pieces of marinated meat are stacked on a vertical spit, rotisserie roasted behind the counter and sliced off as needed. Gyro Time serves three kinds: the more common variety, which resembles a moist, savory beef and lamb meat loaf; pork doner, which comes off the spit in little shards, and chicken doner, made with breast meat, the thin shavings dry but well-seasoned.

Understand, though, that Gyro Time is about more than gyro. Lots more.

GREEK GIFTS

There are true bargains to be savored. Three skewers of juicy marinated grilled meat - pork, chicken and filet mignon - go for just $3.50 for the trio. An eminently likable turkey burger is $3.70. You'll also find a nice pork souvlaki or chicken kebab sandwich (on good pita) for $5.95. A glass of perfectly drinkable red wine from Crete costs $4.

On a night I felt under the weather, the bright citrus notes in the avgolemono soup (chicken, egg, lemon) picked me right back up. So did a choriatiki salad of tomatoes, cucumber and parsley, which was colorful, fresh and sprightly.

Tender grilled octopus made me a big fan. I also found the charcoaled calamari imbued with lots of smoky flavor. Loved the creamy pastitsio (Greek lasagna) and moussaka (eggplant and potato casserole), both topped with an airy béchamel.

To conclude, there was galaktoboureko, lush vanilla pudding in phyllo pastry.

GREEK GAFFES

I found inconsistent grilling at work; a chicken kebab sandwich was perfect one time, way overcooked another. The same held true of the grilled chicken and pork doner. Baklava proved a bit dry, needing a drizzle of syrup.

In blustery weather, sitting near one of the many floor-to-ceiling windows can be a chilling experience.

BOTTOM LINE

The price is right. So is the food.