February 10-16, 2005

food

The Lady is a Champ

by Elisa Ludwig

No matter how much loyalty you have to a food truck, there is always an underlying fear of getting too attached — the thing is on wheels, after all. It can leave at any time, and then what are you going to do with your $5-a-day saag paneer habit? So it's a relief to see that after 20 years, University City's Greek Lady carts have gone bricks and mortar at the Hamilton Village shopping center. The restaurant is now firmly anchored to the asphalt, and there's even a place to sit.

Already, neighborhood residents have taken to the place like pistachios to so much honey. The young kitchen staff, attending to the meat spits and grill tops, run the sandwich assembly line to the beat of blaring techno music. The room is bright and clean, and the Greek Lady looks like a really shiny pizza parlor with greater aspirations — an image bolstered by the fresh flowers on the tables and the selection of loose teas displayed in glass jars above the front counter.

While the Greek Lady offers your standard cart cuisine (hoagies, steaks, burgers), there is also a small menu of authentic Greek dishes that make a visit worthwhile, even if you have to abandon your usual truck: cool tzatziki garnished with olives and freshly grilled triangles of pita, or a cigar box-sized slice of spanikopita, the layers of phyllo dough bonding to a breadlike density. There are also entrees like stuffed peppers, moussaka and pastitsio, a casserole of ground beef, macaroni and bechamel sauce. In the meantime, the less-authentic Greek Supreme salad spruces up a mountain of iceberg and tomato with creamy blocks of feta, hard-boiled egg slices, rice-stuffed grape leaves and anchovies.

Tender, well-seasoned gyros come in lamb, house and chicken flavors; the lamb is highly recommended. Vegetarians needn't get too excited over the meatless version, which is essentially the vegetable accoutrements of a meat gyro — shredded lettuce, tomato, sliced onion and French fries — stuffed into a pita with tzatziki sauce. Either sandwich can be arranged on a platter with a side of Greek salad and a choice of tomato-sauced green beans, mashed potatoes, lemon-roasted potatoes, rice, roasted peppers or still more fries. It's a lot of food, and it's good value. University City denizens ought to be happy that the Greek Lady is, apparently, here to stay.

Greek Lady 422 S. 40th St., 215-382-2600 www.greeklady.com

• Hours: Sun.-Tue., 8 a.m.-11 p.m.; Wed.-Sat., 8 a.m.-3:30 a.m.
• Appetizers, $2.50-$4.50; entrees, $4.50-$8.75
• Takeout and delivery available.
• Reservations not accepted.
• Wheelchair accessible.
• All major credit cards accepted.
• Smoking not permitted.