We recently made a second trip to Athena Roasted Chicken in the Shoppes at Maitland. Their website boasts they “roast chicken like no one else”. This casual counter service restaurant also serves Mediterranean classics such as dolmades, gyros, spinach pie and tabbouleh.
When we stopped in earlier this year we ordered chicken, of course, and found the crispy skin had a nice peppery flavor yet the meat, while being incredibly moist, was disappointingly lacking in flavor. The sides of green beans and roasted potatoes didn’t elevate the plate; but a dab of their creamy, garlicky, tzatziki sauce did.
And then there was the gyro with its thinly sliced, skillfully seasoned meat (lamb and beef) complemented by amazingly fresh Mediterranean salad, and that wonderful tzatziki sauce. Every element of the gyro; pita, meat, salad, and tzatziki was extremely fresh.
Craving another gyro (and wanting to give the chicken another try) we headed back.
Our latest trip proved to be a repeat performance. The chicken, well…
The gyro – the same splendid goodness.
This time before heading out we decided to grab a piece of spinach pie. We’re glad we did, Athena’s spinach pie is unbelievably light and the slightly tart filling of spinach and cheese places this dish up with the gyro, a must try.
½ chicken with 2 sides: $7.99
Gyro: $4.99
Spinach pie: $3.49
Side of tzatziki (just ask): 95 cents
Dined June 2011
