Gyro Wars: The Phantom Menace

All eateries serve food, but not all eateries have wheels. Mobility is a simple thing to overlook in a food cart, until it's gone. The 86th street strip spans from fourth to sixth avenue and features three gyro carts, all of which are a staple except one: the illusive green wagon.

This quiet challenger makes appearances in the 86th street area once every few months, but always leaves in less than a week. Why the owners wish to be so mysterious is unclear. What is apparent though, is that this buggy brings a completely different taste to contested territory.

A cursory glance at both the chicken and lamb gyro don't yield any immediate findings: a pita wrapped around the choice meat, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and white sauce. But, there's more here than what one initially sees.

First, there's the new approach to chicken. This chicken, unlike that presented by the other two competitors is sweet. There's lingering traces of honey-like flavor, contrasting sharply with the usual emphasis on garlic.

Second, the sauce here is altogether different. It has a thicker consistency and a more minty taste to it, lending itself more to salads than sandwiches. A copious amount of veggies helps balance the equation, making for a well-balanced wrap worth its price.

With good comes bad in this case, as not everything is spectacular. Regrettably, unlike its brother-in-bread, the lamb falls short of being special and sinks into the pit of being hard and dry. Likewise, it's better to avoid the falafel, given they look and feel like burs.

For the low price of $3 a sandwich, it's obvious why in some cases the food is sub-par, but where this kitchen excels is its ingenuity. It has a wider menu, offering lamb chops and other less available plates that smaller carts can't produce. More importantly, this place offers a different take on the traditional chicken wrap, making its rare appearances worth celebrating as a divergence from the norm.

Originally posted November 3rd, 2010