Chicken Lemon Soup - A Columbus, OH Greek Food Favorite

As a young boy living back home in Greece, I always remember those rainy winters. Our home did not have heat so we relied on dressing cozy inside the home and eating plenty of soups, one of the most popular being the Chicken Lemon Soup, also known as Avgolemono soup. Coincidentally my godmother, who lived across the street, had several lemon trees and a fence that we had to jump over regularly to pick them before it got really cold!

As the whole world knows chicken soup is great and great for you if you are coming down with a cold. Chicken lemon soup does the same but it is twice as effective because of the vitamin C in the lemons. Many of my customers and friends wonder why it works so well but when I explain the vitamin C and the lemon effect, they see why it does the trick so well!

We start off making this Columbus, OH Greek Food favorite by boiling the chicken. Leg quarters are great or a whole chicken is also good.

Then we chop the vegetables, celery, carrots,

yellow onions, and also cook them in some water.

As the chicken is done, sift anything floating on the top and combine the chicken stock with the vegetable stock, bring to a boil and then add the orzo (small pieces of pasta) to this with some butter. When the orzo is very close to be done (aldente), turn off the heat under the soup. Debone the chicken in strips and add it in the soup. You can add some salt, lite pepper and fresh squeezed lemons all to your taste. If you wish you can add some fresh dill for more fresh flavor. Use parsley for garnish if desired.

It seems like unlikely combination at first, chicken soup and lemon but once they try it, many people enjoy it frequently. In fact, it is one of the most-ordered dishes in our Columbus, OH, Greek food restaurant!

This is a hearty soup and one everyone should try it. Grandma would be proud to serve it, so I am proud to serve it for Grandma!

Dine in, Take out, or Drive-thru at King Gyros Greek Restaurant - 400 South Hamilton Road, Columbus, OH. Order online at KingGyros.com, or call them at (614)866-9008! King Gyros serves wonderful Greek food in Columbus, OH. The staff is friendly, the portions are huge, and the flavor of the food is unique and superb. What’s more, all the prices are very reasonable. They even have a drive-thru, so you can get your Greek food fix on the run at lunchtime. You can visit King Gyros Greek Restaurant of Columbus OH on the web at www.kinggyros.com. Follow them on Twitter at @kinggyrosgreek.

King Gyros Greek Restaurant - 18 Years of Authentic Greek Food in Columbus, OH

In July, King Gyros Greek Restaurant celebrated their 18th year anniversary by thanking their loyal customers. For this 18th Year anniversary, King Gyros gave away some prizes to its loyal guests! To kick off the anniversary, Yianni Chalkias, King Gyros president, decided to give away prizes through the King Gyros Facebook page.




First prize was a jar of King Gyros famous dressing for the first fifty fans on Facebook. Originally from a family recipe, King Gyros makes their own Greek dressing from scratch and uses only the best ingredients like garlic, Greek oregano, and other herbs and spices. Congratulations to Rose Landon, Angel Spiroff, and Cathy Celanic for being the first three of the 50 dressing winners!



Also, in the middle of the month,Yianni stepped it up by giving away fifty Free Gyro cards for a year, which means each winner gets a free gyro each week for the whole year. Yianni simply asked his loyal customers to introduce a friend or a family member to King Gyros and the first fifty starting that week would get a Free Gyro Card. Noel Traver, Donna Poppendieck and J.R. Mc Millan claimed the first three of the gift card prizes.



King Gyros Greek Restaurant likes to give back to its customers. "Loyalty is a big thing. King Gyros would rather give something to someone that has been coming through the King Gyros' door throughout the year than give to someone that has not supported the business," says King Gyros founder, Yianni Chalkias. King Gyros of Columbus drives the value pricing very hard and the Authentic cuisine with homemade recipes that they offer makes it even more worth the drive.




About King Gyros Greek Restaurant: People finally get it. Made from scratch and fresh is important to them and a reasonable price is even better. King Gyros Greek Restaurant (http://www.kinggyros.com) is a Columbus Greek restaurant that offers 36 seats in the dining room, provides catering, and is set up with a take-out counter for convenience. Drive-thru is also available for the full menu. Seventeen percent of King Gyros customers live more than fifteen miles away so order accuracy and quality is very important to them. King Gyros also has an online ordering system which has full color pictures for most of the menu items.

Thanks, Columbus, for 18 years of Greek Love!

Press Contact:
Yianni Chalkias
400 South Hamilton Road
Columbus, OH
(614) 866-9008
gyros2nv@yahoo.com

King Gyros Greek Restaurant, A little Gem in Whitehall

Reviewed Friday, July 18th, 2009

At first glance, the little building at 400 South Hamilton Road in Columbus, OH looks like any other small fast food restaurant, but spend two hours inside sampling the food and anyone will understand why there is a steady stream of customers lining up even in the middle of the afternoon when other restaurants are typically experiencing a lull.

King Gyros in Columbus is owned and managed by Yianni Chalkias, can seat about 36 people comfortably and has a drive-thru. Yianni is a first-generation Greek-American. He and his family opened the restaurant in 1991 using a handful of recipes handed down from his father. Most of the dishes on the menu do not exceed $10, so a family dinner at Columbus' King Gyros will not break the bank. Parents will be happy to know that there is a kid’s menu with some less exotic options, such as hamburgers and chicken fingers.

Yianni started our team out with some heavy appetizers, including the spanakopita with feta cheese and kalamata olives. One Taste Caster exclaimed the spanakopita was the best he had ever eaten, hands down. (It might have also been the biggest spanakopita we have ever seen.) The filo dough is flaky and flavorful, and the spinach and cheese are extremely fresh. The flavor of the olives is nothing like what anyone has come to expect from olives, and the team recommends eating them by themselves to fully appreciate it.

King Gyros' Spinach & Feta Pie

The next dish served was the fried calamari and smelts, which are fish fries. Both were very tender, and the crust was crunchy and not oily at all. The dressing added a nice flavor for dipping. Definitely a good appetizer option that’s a bit less exotic.The team then sampled Greek cabbage rolls and meatballs, which looked like they should be served at a more expensive restaurant. The flavor was extraordinary. The lamb, beef, and rice mixture in the rolls combined nicely. The light acidity of the tomato sauce over it provided a nice contrast in flavors.

Fried Smelts

King Gyros' Calamari

For the main course, Yianni brought two lamb dishes to the table. One was a combination of lamb legs, lamb shanks, and peppers, which were served over saffron rice. Saffron is one of the most expensive spice in the world, which is why you don’t often see it in everyday cuisine. The other dish was King Gyros' Lamb-kabob, marinated lamb, peppers, and red onions served over the saffron rice.

Papa's Lamb Shanks

King Gyros' Lamb Kabob

Yianni then presented a plate of four types of Greek pastries for dessert. King Gyros' baklava was extremely fresh, and Yianni does the baking on-site everyday. The picture should speak for itself.

A selection of King Gyros' Baklavas

King Gyros is a hidden gem here in Columbus that you must try. The staff is friendly, the portions are huge, and the flavor of the food is unique and superb. What’s more, all the prices are very reasonable. They even have a drive-thru, so you can get your Greek fix on the run at lunchtime. You can visit King Gyros of Columbus on the web where you can actually order your food for pickup. King Gyros can also be followed on Twitter at @gyros2nv.

Dine in, Take out, or Drive-thru at King Gyros Greek Restaurant - 400 South Hamilton Road, Columbus, OH. Order online at KingGyros.com, or call them at (614)866-9008!

Yiayia's Stuffed Grape Leaves

I have eaten many different type of Stuffed Grape Leaves in all my years and many people make them with odd ingredients or flavorless. Yiayia means Grandma. My Yiayia would be a housewife all her life so she had perfected the flavor and the texture along with the cooking of the Grape Leaves.
She would take pride in every batch that she would make it would be to our expectations. Growing up in a family with four boys it was a challenge some days! Yiayia cooked daily and when she cooked those Grape Leaves for those special occasions, I personally ate at least 3-4 out of the pot even before being served. As good as they were I had to be careful not to eat too many because as a Greek tradition, you cannot leave any food in your plate because it does not look good on the cook.
The way I cook my Stuffed Grape Leaves are in a oven pan, because they cook all even. There is only one layer which does not make the bottom layer of rice inside real mushy and the top real firm. The best grape leave to use for wrapping is either imported from Turkey or grown in California. They cannot be big leaves because they will be stringy
trying to eat them. I start with ground Lamb, ground chuck, diced up onions, peppers, and spices like dill, pepper and salt. When wrapped and the pan add some lemon to the
boiling water, it gives it an extra tang. Depending on your oven, on 350 degrees it take about 1 hour to cook. When serving must be topped with a lemon dill sauce. It gives that extra punch to the Grape Leave and makes them real tasty!

Celebrating 18 Years of Greek Love!!

Yianni and the whole crew took part in the Parade and kicked off the celebration for King Gyros' 18th Year Anniversary, 18 Years of Greek Love!!. The crew passed out over 400 bottles of King Gyros Spring Water, 10 lb of Jolly Ranchers Candy and more than 2,000 Mini Gyro Cards to locals. "Many residents expressed their appreciation and thanked us for being part of the community. Many also were clapping as we were going by and touting our food and brand", Yianni said. "That makes me feel like it is worth it what I do daily for people, to see their smiles and to relate with our group and our enthusiasm to give them our thanks in a very festive way!" King Gyros is also doing other promotions, specials and complimentary items for the Anniversary taking place Month of July.

Greek Kataife

I still remember the first time I ate my first kataife. My grandmother made it for a special occasion and my parents decided that I can have some. We would usually eat baklava or Galactobureko (Greek Custard) and the older people and parents would eat the kataife but not for kids. I knew I was growing up in their eyes from that day on. Kataife is a little more labor intense to make and you would have to appreciate pastries in general to feel good about eating Kataife. There is not any Greek Restaurants in Columbus that I know have Kataife. I love the flavor and the texture of it and of course the cinnamon mixed with walnut filling. You can start by opening up the shredded dough, a good thick layer and right in front set the filling end to end. Roll the Kataife dough until it looks like a large shredded wheat. Brush some butter and set in the preheated oven until it is brown on top. You should turn it once for even cooking. Bring it out and pour some honey syrup over it while it is still hot so it would drink as much as possible. Let it cool down and then serve. I like to make mine a larger size because a small one would not be enough. It is much too often people come in at my restaurant and cannot believe we offer it. My little one loves it and recently she has been eating it at least once a week. She does not need to be grown for me to offer it to her because I know what she would be missing! King Gyros Greek Restaurant is located in Columbus, Ohio and Yianni offers the largest variety of Greek desserts and pastries in Central Ohio. Menu is online at http://www.KingGyros.com .

Wild Caught FRIED SMELTS

People love to tell stories when it comes to these Smelts. They always talk about how they used to catch them with their group of friends coming down the river. I find if you lived north of Columbus and into Michigan, and like fish, you have a smelt story. In Greece at home or at a Greek restaurant, we share these with everyone and set in the middle of the table to enjoy. Among like other Greek foods like calamari these are really popular as well. These little fishies are tasty if breaded and cooked with care. The smelts are Wild Caught Canadian Lake Smelts. The are not farmed, as might think and it makes them appealing. For preparation, first you must pour the batter on them and mix together. Then you would flour them in the bread crumbs/flour combination and make sure each one is totally covered. Next, you would put them in the fryer to cook in canola oil. For best results the oil has to be 325 degrees and you must cook them crispy on the outside to insure they are cooked on the inside. Serve with our homemade Greek sauce and sprinkle a little lemon if desired. We serve these for eat-in or take-out. This item is fairly new and is currently not even listed on our menu yet. If you are a fish lover you will totally enjoy this as an appetizer or a dinner.

Lamb Kefte Pita Sandwich

When starting this Kefte Pita Sandwich, I remember how we would eat these keftes as young kids, and were a treat. We would even eat them like finger food with tzatziki. In this recipe I am showing you the kefte pita pita from the preparation to the cooking and the finished sandwich. You start by dicing the green and red peppers, shred the onions, finely dice the garlic, squeeze the lemon and add the Greek spices. Primary spices are cumin and mint. Next, add the ground chuck and ground lamb. Little more ground chuck, which is less fatty than the ground beef, and as much lamb. Lamb has Allot of flavor so do not need as much to get that flavor. Mix everything real well with your fist for 7-10 minutes. Then, put in the refrigerator until it is cold. When brought out, patty in egg shape patties and put on the char grill. Make sure you mark twice on one side and twice on the other side as shown on the picture. Do not overcook, make sure patties stay juicy, that will retain the flavor. Put on a fluffy pita bread with sliced tomatoes, red onions and some banana peppers and lettuce if desired. In this sandwich I did not use any of my Famous Gyro Sauce, because it came out of the grill with allot of aroma and very juicy.

Walnut, Strawberry cheesecake baklava & tiramisu Tray

I love putting together baklava trays. To me it is like baking a cake and then finishing it with all the decorations and and colors. Baklava Trays are usually pretty uniform, and are cut up triangle pieces smaller than the regular piece to put in a cupcake paper cup and make them bite size treats.
I have been making these trays for allot of years and I got a request for a birthday baklava tray Ms. Williamson's daughter wanted this tray for her birthday and picked from several types of baklavas including the Strawberry Cheesecake Baklava and the Tiramisu, set it up all together in a tray. The challenge was to make sure you would be able to see all the baklavas, cheesecake and Tiramisu displayed beautifully.

Gyro & Feta Bowl

This is the New Generation Greek. When you want all of the great flavors of our thinly sliced Gyro meat, set on top of our perfect Saffron rice, crumbled Greek feta cheese, our famous Gyro sauce topped with diced red onions, diced tomatoes, and fresh shredded lettuce, this is a hit! This dish (bowl) is very filling and bursting with flavor. There is also a Supreme Gyro & Feta Bowl version of this. If you prefer our grilled chicken, we also offer the Chicken & Feta Bowl, Regular or Supreme. Regular customers, friends or employees that tried this, WOWed the flavors! You have got to try it. Eat and enjoy! Kali Orexi!

Save Now

Greek Gourmet Baklava

I grew eating the traditional Old Fashioned baklava. My mom used to cook it in the sheet trays then she would cut it in triangles or squares and it would be a good snack too not just dessert. Baklava is one of the few desserts that have healthy and pure ingredients, like walnuts loaded inside. The great thing about the gourmet baklava is made in large swirls so when we pour the honey syrup on top of the baklava, it soaks in. There is no dry spots! and you can taste everything evenly, the cinnamon, the walnuts and honey syrup. I recommend the baklava should be heated back up again, that is how the flavor bursts out.

Papa's Lamb Shanks

The staple of Greek cuisine is Lamb. An outstanding Greek Restaurant is rated by its Lamb Dishes and lamb sandwiches. This Lamb Shank dish is the "King" of Lamb dishes. This recipe was cooked in our family's kitchen mostly on holidays especially Easter. This particular recipe is prepared with rubbing herbs and spices on each leg shank placing in oven with potatoes prepared the same way in large wedges. The lamb must be in the oven for over 5 hours at 300 degrees. This would be planned from the night before since it takes so long for cooking. It is also covered for the first 4 1/2 hours and the last 1/2 hour the lamb cooks without a cover for color. Serving this with vegetable is a good option since it tends to have a lot of meat on the bone. Each lamb shank is usually over 14 oz before cooking. This is also served with lemon dill sauce that makes it a great treat. This is Lamb dish should be "falling off the bone" to be a great success as a meal and and a great meal to remember as a Greek food favorite.

Strawberry Cheesecake Baklava

Everyone loves desserts or pastries. Not as much in the U.S., but in Greece there is a pastry and homemade ice cream shop in each corner. It is the neighborhood favorite. In Montreal, my wife's hometown, there is three pastry shops within a block of each other. In general people love baklava but they might go outside the box if it looks and sounds good. This Baklava gets creative and goes outside the box without the the walnut with cinnamon baklava that you would be used to seeing in a baklava. I start with the homemade cheesecake and topped it with the strawberry glaze. Wrap it inside the fillo with some buttered layers, and bake it til it's golder brown, then drizzle it with honey syrup when coming out of the oven. When it cools off I sprinkle some powder sugar on top and then you dive in. This to die for. This piece is made for two "this way you can share with your better half" and still feel satisfied at the end.

Falafel Greek Salad

For the Falafel itself, I start out with Fava beans, ground them down, mix the cilantro, fresh green onion,
and the mix of spices, then we fry the falafel golden brown. This of course is not a mix out of a box.
This is an authentic Egyptian falafel recipe that I have. It is one of the few recipes that I have that is not Greek from our region. The Greek Salad itself is mixed with the Iceberg and Romaine lettuce and surrounded by sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, banana peppers, and topped with crumbled feta cheese and kalamata olives. The falafel is set on top and a side of the Greek dressing to pour over and enjoy. Try this! It is a great alternative to a meatless salad with flavor you have been waiting for. Most guests I talk to cannot believe I use actual Fava beans and it is not a mix.

Pecan Birdsnest Baklava

Roasted Pecans have this great deep delicious flavor when are eaten with a little honey syrup. This baklava is filled with homemade custard and swirled, then on top go the roasted pecans with some cinnamon and our special recipe of pecans with a drizzle of honey syrup. It is recomended that you would warm this baklava up because it brings out the flavors and makes the custard on the inside more tasty. Check it out! It is a pretty big size piece. I would not pass it up.

Fried Smelts

I have been preparing Smelts all my life. Greeks eat these at Greek restaurants all over the Islands and are brought in fresh from the days fishing trip to serve their guests. These were easy to relate to when I was young and the breading was easy to do in order to help with preparation at my Uncles restaurant. Smelts was one of the first items to prepare and learn to work with. Hey, it was fun I got to be covered with breading and flour from head to toe and then I got to eat those little fishies when I took a break. They remind me of my past as a very young prep cook. This is my father's batter and breading recipe that I hold so close. Of course mixed with Greek spices and then deep fried to create a crispy outside and a juicy inside. This great tasting fish comes with my family's Greek dressing recipe. It is out of this world!!!. I found out recently that if someone loves smelts, they love smelts! I always here a story behind an experience in the past with family. Something like this "We used to catch them by the bunches and take them home and fry them and eat them. The whole family would love them." They go great with a white wine. Give them a try and let me know what you think of that flavor!!

Cappuccino Baklava

My newest creation came up when I thought, while making baklava, hey what goes great with Baklava!? Coffee!!!
I tested it for a couple weeks and thought about it for a couple of days and I decided to create the Cappuccino Baklava. It is pretty suttle coffee flavor without making you climb walls. The layers of fillo dough and the crushed walnuts are baked with butter and honey syrup is drizzled on top when coming out of the oven. Then I use some chocolate to for the top of the baklava to give it some extra zing. That cinnamon and coffee flavor along with the honey syrup give it an unforgetable and after a couple bites an addicting taste.
This is not a good time to watch my weight and enjoy this the way I would like! And then again, it never is. I put on some weight coming up with this Greek baklava recipe. Just like any good Greek food, the flavor is there as long as the recipe is done right! And of course cooked by a Greek makes all the difference.