Olympic Flame: 2920 London Rd.
Theresa Schneider
Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: Scene
I love Greek food. Seriously, I dip bread in olive oil, hummus has its own block in my food pyramid and anything with feta and you've pretty much got me sold. And I know that I should be morally opposed to lamb, but it tastes so good. I can't help myself. Being from the Twin Cities I had a pretty good selection of Greek eats, so when I heard that Olympic Flame has the best Gyros in Eau Claire, I had to check the place out.
Hidden in a little strip mall on London Road, I wasn't sure what to expect walking into the little diner. I admit, I was a little unimpressed by the décor on first glance, although after a while the faux, plastic columns on the walls and blue checkered, plastic table cloths grew on me. They're quirky and in no way pretentious. This isn't Greece after all, I guess.
Instead of sitting and waiting for a waitress, at Flame, you just walk up and order at the counter. The menu is actually quite limited as far as Greek food goes, which was a little surprising for a hole in the wall brandishing the name "Greek Restaurant." It just wasn't feeling too, well, Greek. The only Greek foods actually offered are gyros, Greek salads and baklavah. Also on the menu are American classics such as burgers, hot dog baskets and fish sandwiches. Honestly, I was a little skeptical about the gyros.
I ordered a gyro dinner instead of just a gyro for $8.50, which comes with a little bit bigger portions of meat and toppings, as well as fries or a Greek salad. I ordered the salad and was quite happy with my choice. Yes, you can make a bad salad and this one had just the right amount of feta and real olives, not just the out-of-the-jar-pitted-no-flavor-olives. The Flame was off to a pretty good start.
The rest of my meal came fast and there were definitely plenty of fixings, especially in the onion department (which, for the record, I'm all about). In fact there was way more than could fit into one pita and I ended up ordering an extra pita for 50 cents. The strips of meat were salty and delicious, but the tzatziki was a little lack luster. Normally tzatziki, a white sauce that is sometimes also an appetizer, is chock-full of cucumbers, garlic, dill, parsley, pepper, lemon juice and sometimes even mint. I could have used more dill and cucumber in mine, but for someone who hasn't even eaten tzatziki before, it's a nice, mild introduction into the sauce. The onions were cooked perfectly and the pitas were served so hot and fresh I had to let them cool. Nothing says comfort (Greek) food like hot pita bread.
The restaurant is tucked away and small, but would be a great place for a quick lunch or dinner. Olympic Flame is a nice change to the other restaurants around Eau Claire. And if you're nervous to try the gyros, there are comfortable Americana fallbacks to choose from. All in all, it wasn't the best gyro I have ever had in my life, but as far as best Greek food in Eau Claire, the Olympic Flame definitely takes the cake, er, baklavah.
- Theresa Schneider
Hidden in a little strip mall on London Road, I wasn't sure what to expect walking into the little diner. I admit, I was a little unimpressed by the décor on first glance, although after a while the faux, plastic columns on the walls and blue checkered, plastic table cloths grew on me. They're quirky and in no way pretentious. This isn't Greece after all, I guess.
Instead of sitting and waiting for a waitress, at Flame, you just walk up and order at the counter. The menu is actually quite limited as far as Greek food goes, which was a little surprising for a hole in the wall brandishing the name "Greek Restaurant." It just wasn't feeling too, well, Greek. The only Greek foods actually offered are gyros, Greek salads and baklavah. Also on the menu are American classics such as burgers, hot dog baskets and fish sandwiches. Honestly, I was a little skeptical about the gyros.
I ordered a gyro dinner instead of just a gyro for $8.50, which comes with a little bit bigger portions of meat and toppings, as well as fries or a Greek salad. I ordered the salad and was quite happy with my choice. Yes, you can make a bad salad and this one had just the right amount of feta and real olives, not just the out-of-the-jar-pitted-no-flavor-olives. The Flame was off to a pretty good start.
The rest of my meal came fast and there were definitely plenty of fixings, especially in the onion department (which, for the record, I'm all about). In fact there was way more than could fit into one pita and I ended up ordering an extra pita for 50 cents. The strips of meat were salty and delicious, but the tzatziki was a little lack luster. Normally tzatziki, a white sauce that is sometimes also an appetizer, is chock-full of cucumbers, garlic, dill, parsley, pepper, lemon juice and sometimes even mint. I could have used more dill and cucumber in mine, but for someone who hasn't even eaten tzatziki before, it's a nice, mild introduction into the sauce. The onions were cooked perfectly and the pitas were served so hot and fresh I had to let them cool. Nothing says comfort (Greek) food like hot pita bread.
The restaurant is tucked away and small, but would be a great place for a quick lunch or dinner. Olympic Flame is a nice change to the other restaurants around Eau Claire. And if you're nervous to try the gyros, there are comfortable Americana fallbacks to choose from. All in all, it wasn't the best gyro I have ever had in my life, but as far as best Greek food in Eau Claire, the Olympic Flame definitely takes the cake, er, baklavah.
- Theresa Schneider
Be the first to comment on this story