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18 | December 26, 2019 | the frankfort station dining out frankfortstationdaily.com The Dish Diners can go Greek at Tinley Park’s Gyro Grill T.J. Kremer III Contributing Editor The phrase “It’s all Greek to me” takes on a whole new meaning for patrons of Gyro Grill. From the cuisine to the ambiance, owner and chef Michael Vasilas makes sure his restaurant gives customers a unique Greek- American dining experience. “I know we have fast food gyro places on every corner here, but I wanted something different; I didn’t want hot dogs or burgers or beefs,” Vasilas said. “I wanted authentic, original, homemade stuff. So, I came up with the concept with having kabobs with filet mignon, chicken, pork, shrimp, veggies. I use the best-quality gyro from Kronos and make all the pastries that I was taught by my parents. And here we are.” The Greek atmosphere is immediately apparent before customers even walk through the door. Greek music calls out to customers from a speaker outside of the entrance, conjuring subliminal images of the mythical Greek Sirens of Homer’s “Odyssey” luring sailors to the Greek isle — only without the unfortunate crashinginto-the-shores business. In just the four short months since Vasilas opened Gyro Grill, he has already drawn a loyal customer base, so much so that he already has plans to open a second location in Mount Greenwood in the spring. One of those loyal customers even made a video of Vasilas at work in the “When I have that taste when my mom and my dad were cooking, I know that I’m on point.” Michael Vasilas — owner of Tinley Park’s Gyro Grill Gyro Grill 15960 S. Harlem Ave. in Tinley Park Hours: • 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays • 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays • 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays For more information ... Phone: (708) 620-8440 Web: gyrogrilltp.com kitchen, showing people how he makes some of his most popular dishes. That can be viewed by visiting Gyro Grill Tinley Park on Facebook. “This has taken off faster than expected, which is awesome,” Vasilas said. “I’m very proud of what I do. I put a lot of time and effort and love into it. I’ve got my family [involved] — my kids, my wife. I’m glad to keep the family recipes going.” One of the more popular dishes, the Hercules platter ($29.99), comes with a suggestion — or warning — printed on the menu: “*FOR SERIOUS EAT- ERS ONLY*” The Hercules platter includes two chicken skewers, two pork skewers, two filet mignon skewers, two shrimp skewers, a halfpound of gyro meat, pita, tzatziki and choice of two sides. For serious eaters only, indeed. Another popular dish is one of Vasilas’ own creations, Mikey’s Gyrolls ($7.99), which are three egg rolls — each roughly the size of a burrito, cut in half before served — stuffed with gyro meat, feta cheese and grilled onions. For those who love the traditional Greek staple saganaki, Vasilas put his own twist on that, too. Gyro Grill’s saganaki bites ($7.99) are not be presented to the customer and then set ablaze, as in many Greek restaurants. Instead, Vasilas makes them fried, similar to mozzarella sticks. And, of course, there are the desserts and pastries, the recipes for which have been handed down from Vasilas’ parents, Antonios and Galatiani “Mama Tia,” both of whom were also in the restaurant business as chefs and pastry chefs in Oak Lawn; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Chicago’s Greektown neighborhood. In fact, Vasilas said that Owner Michael Vasilas holds a gyro platter ($9.99) and saganaki bites, Vasilas’ own take on the Greek cheese staple. Photos by T.J. Kremer/22nd Century Media Mikey’s Gyrolls ($7.99) are three egg rolls — each roughly the size of a burrito, cut in half before served — stuffed with gyro meat, feta cheese and grilled onions. he knows when he’s on to something good when what he creates reminds him of his time spent growing up with his parents’ Greek cooking. “When I have that taste when my mom and my dad were cooking, I know that I’m on point,” he said. “It’s just keeping it simple, original and tasty.”
frankfortstationdaily.com puzzles the frankfort station | December 26, 2019 | 19 crosstown CROSSWORD & Sudoku The crosstowns: Frankfort, Homer Glen, Lockport, Mokena, New Lenox, Orland Park, Tinley Park Crossword by Myles Mellor and Cindy LaFleur Across 1. Champagne bottle title 4. Tiny battery size 8. Modus operandi 14. Renaissance, for one 15. Tibetan monk 16. Affairs 17. Setting for Frankfort’s Farmers Market 19. Door frame part 20. “Little piggies” 21. Kind of song 23. Antiquated 27. It may be trimmed in a haircut 32. Bygone auto 33. Something to pick 34. Easily broken 35. Refuel 37. Knotted attire 38. Awareness 43. Pasternak heroine 44. Wooded 45. Interweave 49. Pitcher’s pride 50. Venture capitalists, abbr, 53. Gypsums 54. Dweller along the Mekong 56. Raven haven 58. Witty Bombeck 59. Botched 63. Animals seen on Breidert Green as part of Christmas celebrations 67. “Hold it right there!” 68. Consequently 69. Big galoot 70. Spooled 71. Ghostbuster played by Harold Ramis 72. A Cadillac model Down 1. One in the red 2. National rival 3. Manage 4. Mound 5. Auto insurer with roadside service 6. Quantity, abbr. 7. Sounds of contentment 8. Peninsula near Singapore 9. “8 Mile” rapper 10. Heap 11. Pizza ___ 12. Danish coin 13. Cable alternative 18. Comparative suffix 22. Waterlogged 24. Much may follow it 25. Catchall file abbr. 26. Case for pins and needles 28. Restrained 29. Sluggers’ stats 30. Arena shouts 31. “Scream” director Craven 35. Nibbles 36. Boiling equipment 38. Source of some sugar 39. Dinner scraps 40. Caspian Sea feeder 41. Fluids 42. Lost fish 43. Itinerary portion 46. Become electrically charged 47. Vital 48. Curvy letter 50. Insect-eating songbirds 51. Attacked 52. Gulps 55. Koppel or Kennedy 57. Yard shader 59. Producer, abbr. 60. Road rage 61. Observe 62. Marina __ Rey, Ca. 64. Unit of energy 65. “Here ___ Again” (1987 No. 1 hit) 66. ___ negotiable How to play Sudoku Each Sudoku puzzle consists of a 9x9 grid that has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3x3 squares. To solve the puzzle, each row, column and box must contain each of the numbers 1-9. LEVEL: Medium Crossword by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan answers FRANKFORT Pete Mitchell’s Bar & Grill (21000 Frankfort Square Road, Frankfort; (815) 464-8100) 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays: Free N’ Fun Bar Game. Free to play. ORLAND PARK Traverso’s Restaurant (15601 S Harlem Ave, Orland Park; (708) 532- 2220) ■5-7 ■ p.m. Mondays: Free bar bingo TINLEY PARK 350 Brewing (7144 W. 183rd St., Tinley Park (708) 825- 7339) ■6:30 ■ p.m. First Thursday of each month: Laugh Riot. Cost is $25 and includes dinner, two beers and a comedy show. For tickets, email todd@350brewing. com. LOCKPORT Port Noir (900 S. State St., Lockport; (815) 834-9463) ■6p.m. ■ - 12 a.m. Thursdays: Comedy Bingo ■6p.m. ■ - 12 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays: Live Band ■6p.m. ■ - 12 a.m. Sundays: Open Mic Night MOKENA Fox’s Restaurant and Pub (11247 W. 187th St., Mokena; (708) 478- 8888) ■6 ■ p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays: Performance by Jerry Eadie NEW LENOX Hickory Creek Brewing Company (1005 W Laraway Rd, New Lenox. (779) 803- 3974) ■3 ■ p.m. -close Fridays: Happy Hour from 3 to 6 p.m. followed by Smokin’ Z BBQ food truck from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and live music. To place an event in The Scene, email b.conboy@22nd centurymedia.com.
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