Cafe Agora
It took a food buddy (in my case, buddha) to get me into the loving hospitality of Al, owner-slash-host-slash-cashier at Cafe Agora. I don’t exactly know why I’m probably the last person in the city to go here considering I love Mediterranean food and have tried just about every other restaurant offering this type of cuisine; but it doesn’t matter now.
“Have you been here before?” asked Al sizing me up.
“Nope. And I eat everything,” I answered.
With that brief exchange, Al grabs a big plate and decides we should start with the Mixed Maza platter. Fine. I love platters. Of food. Minutes later, a smorgasbord of dips and appetizers (nine, if I counted right) came before our eyes. Not only was the offering beautiful, every single item on the platter was delicious.
The hummus was creamy with just the right amount of garlic and lemon juice, the sour cream-dill dip was divine — thick and creamy. The eggplant salad was very flavorful. I found a new favorite in their Havuc Salatasi (a carrot salad of sorts) with shredded carrots, parsley, dill, yogurt, and spices. It was so good. The tabouli was perfect, as were the babaganush (an eggplant dip), the red bean salad, and everything else on the plate. The grilled pita bread that came on the side was the perfect accompaniment, although the size of the pieces made it very hard to actually get a good chunk of dip onto them. No matter, forks to the rescue and rescue they did.
Starving as usual, FB decided we should get the Mixed Grill platter and a Gyro. I must have looked like I hadn’t eaten in days and seeing how I attacked the Maza platter, he decided to order another Gyro. For himself. Al vehemently said no, that it was too much food and that the platter and the gyro after eating the Maza platter were enough for the two of us. FB relented, “you don’t know this girl”, he told Al who then barks the order towards the kitchen.
The grilled platter came with an assortment of meats: beef and lamb gyros, lamb, chicken, beef, ground lamb. Every bit was as delectable as the next with my mouth sinking into tender, juicy morsels of meat that are full of flavor and grilled perfectly. I haven’t had it any better than this.
But the best came in the form of a Gyro — grilled soft, warm pita bread topped with tender slices of spit-roasted lamb and beef then topped with fresh shredded lettuce and tzatziki sauce. Tasty. Delicious. And the best in town. FB knew to order his own. I finished mine. And even had to make sure his last morsel of meat doesn’t get wasted — into my mouth it went.
I love everything about this place and can’t wait to come back.
Insider tip:
Save room for the complimentary slices of fresh-from-the-oven baklava courtesy of Al who says you must put it all in your mouth, in one shot.
Order and pay at the counter.
Limited street parking
The scoop:
Cafe Agora
262 E Paces Ferry Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 949-0900
Technorati Tags: Turkish cuisine, Mediterranean cuisine, gyro, Greek cuisine, Buckhead
