Greek Style Chicken will take you on a taste journey to the Mediterranean!

In 1973 I tasted my first gyro sandwich at a sidewalk café in New York City. The place was loud, bustling and we were fortunate to find seats. The gyro, made with lamb, was an exotic flavor that I had never before experienced.

Years later I was able to enjoy an even tastier gyro, this time on the Greek Island of Mykonos. It was moister, with more onions, and a generous slathering of tzatziki sauce.

The Mykonos gyro was better, and a lot of it had to do with the tzatziki. This sauce is made with simple ingredients – cucumber and yogurt – but it is not simple to create. I tried, but failed to capture the consistency or flavor of the Greek islands tzatziki. But, Greek Style Chicken in Fallbrook can closely replicate it. This marvelous sauce neatly ties the gyro ingredients together.

The lamb for Greek Chicken’s gyro sandwich is cooked on a rotating spit, then shaved off, and grilled once again. With the second grilling, the flavor is enhanced. A warm pad of pita bread envelopes the cooked lamb, thin slices of red onions, and tomatoes.

If you are a patron of Greek Chicken you may have noticed a subtle improvement in the food flavors. This is the result of an ownership change. The new proprietor, Hamid Moallem, a newcomer to Fallbrook, bought the establishment in April. A former resident of Dallas, Texas, Moallem founded a restaurant called Soho nineteen years ago. Dallas is a tough market for restaurants, but Soho has been a rousing success, earning a Five Star rating. Moallem, an aerospace engineer with a Master’s degree in management, has a passion for food, and will, no doubt, continue to translate his Dallas success to Fallbrook.

Moallem feels that emphasis placed on overseeing the staff makes a difference. “People [staff] are paying more attention, and if they have a passion for it, the end result is quality.”

The addition of television sets, music, and tabletop flowers has already improved the ambiance; with more décor changes coming.

Moallem was born in Iran, but has lived in America for 43 years. Growing up in Iran he developed a passion for food. Moallem explained that in Iran rice is the main staple – most families serve rice at both lunch and dinner. The rice is seasoned with pungent spices.

“The aroma of rice fills the neighborhood – if anyone passes your house they can smell it,” he said.

Spices such as cardamom seed and saffron are used frequently in Iran. He learned that the higher quality spices have a direct effect on the taste of the food. Drawing on his experience with spices, Moallem has already introduced chicken breast flavored with saffron, and has stocked the restaurant’s cabinets with spices of a higher quality.

As a world traveler and food connoisseur, Moallem has experienced, and learned from, various culinary cultures. When he travels, Moallem not only looks at the food, but how the dishes are prepared. He pays particular attention to the Mediterranean countries and their use of spices.

Greek Chicken’s kabobs – both chicken and beef – are marinated for 48 hours before cooking, lending a marvelous exotic flavor. The marinade for chicken is different than the beef marinade, but both are complicated and consistent. The kabobs are cooked on two different grills – seared on a flat grill and then charbroiled. (This means about a ten-minute wait for diners, but calling your order in ahead of time speeds up the process.) The kabobs, roasted with bell peppers and onions, are juicy with an exotic, charbroiled flavor.

Their rice is cooked in spices and chicken broth, which lends a moist texture and marvelous flavor. It’s a perfect side for the kabobs.

A chewy slice of baklava crowns the meal perfectly with layers of flaky honey-soaked filo on a base of honeyed walnuts.

Find a truly international taste experience at Greek Style Chicken. I did. The kabobs took me back to a holiday in Turkey – the gyros and baklava transported me to Greece... and I am looking forward to many more exotic taste journeys.

Greek Style Chicken is located at 904 South Main Avenue in Fallbrook. Their telephone is (760) 723-8050. Free WiFi is available.