It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and my friend and I decided to go Greek. To Greek town, that is, in search of the famous Samos Restaurant. Cruising with the top down, we embarked on our culinary journey.
Twenty minutes later, however, we were lost and confused. It turns out Greek town is not next to Little Italy, as this foodie originally thought.
Instead, one must go to the outskirts of the city, past the Inner Harbor, past Little Italy, past Fells Point and even past Highlandstown. In short, Samos Restaurant is far away - you definitely won't be able to get there without a car.
After having a lengthy conversation with the 411 operator, we finally made it to Greektown, only to wander the street, still trying to find where this place actually was. Nearly every car that passed was honking at us, clad in miniskirts and sunglasses - we couldn't have looked more out of place if we tried.
An old man eventually had to guide us in the right direction, but not after first yelling, "Pretty girls, come over here!
Once we actually entered Samos Restaurant, we entered a whole different environment, one of a slightly kitschy but nevertheless family-oriented, bright, clean, friendly (but not overly so) atmosphere. Samos Restaurant is a true corner stone of Greek town: this hole-in-the wall dive that seems like it's been here forever will leave you feeling like a Baltimore native in no time flat. If you're searching for outstanding homemade Greek food, however, look no further.
The moussaka is covered with rich and flavorful meat sauce, the souvlaki is wrapped in thick and warm pita bread and the spanakopita (spinach pie) is covered with crispy phylo dough.
Main courses come with Greek salad and salty Feta. Other Greek specialties are cheese pies, gyros with tzatiki sauce, and baklava, spinach pie, rice pudding, and dolomades. Other restaurants in Greek town, while probably offering the same slice of Greek food, can only come close.
Unfortunately, only a small portion of the menu is actually Greek. Much of Samos Restaurant's lunch menu is devoted to sandwiches, Italian fare, burgers and fries, and the ubiquitous crab cakes one can get pretty much anywhere. However, the few Greek foods they had were well worth all the trouble we had getting there.
In addition, the service is surprisingly quick considering Samos seems to be perpetually busy. Even with our waitress running in seven directions at once, she still managed to be more than courteous to us.
The best part about Samos Restaurant, perhaps, is that it's dirt-cheap. Even with the two of us feasting, the meal came out to be just over 20 bucks. Most dishes are under 10 dollars and combination platters are offered at just a fraction more.
Also, Samos Restaurant is BYOB, so come clutching your brown paper bag, chow down and feel like a regular (well, almost) at this small neighborhood joint. Just be prepared to drive out of your way, probably get lost and meet old sketchy men.
Once you get there, Samos Restaurant's inexpensive Greek treats are well worth the journey, but you'll feel like you're on your own personal Odyssey along the way.