Lowcountry Cuisine Spring/Summer 2019

lowcountry cuisine LC 61 www.LowcountryCuisineMag.com | www.CharlestonRecipes.com kabobs, the chicken they put in a gyro, rotisserie chicken, lamb and grilled chicken. I love a lot of spice, and the rotisserie chicken had the most. It was tender, juicy and came right off the bone. I also tried their Greek salad, which was complete with chopped cucumber, the most delicious and juicy tomatoes, romaine lettuce, Kalamata olives, Greek peppers, feta cheese and their house dressing. Next came the lemon chicken soup, which has a rich lemon flavor. The final savory items I tried were the spanakopita and the moussaka. The spanakopita was unique in that it was comprised mainly of a cheesy, spinach filling and had a tangy flavor and a thin phyllo dough crust on the top and bottom. The moussaka had a similar texture, except it was filled with eggplant, potatoes, ground beef, spices and cheese and topped with a delicious thick and slightly sweet custard sauce. I enjoyed two of the restaurant’s most popular desserts: the chocolate layer cake and the almond cookies. The cake was decadent and rich, and the cookies seemed to melt in my mouth. The almond flavor provided a great nutty contrast to the sweetness of the cookie. I was quite pleased with my experience at Olympik. The owners were welcoming and enthusiastic about the food they served. I love a restaurant that truly believes in its product and strives to bring the best to its customers. PAPA ZUZU’S My second stop was at Papa Zuzu’s in Mount Pleasant. The layout of this restaurant is quite similar to Olympik; it is family-owned with a casual, family-style setting. I tried a gyro pizza, a Greek salad and the signature gyro served with pasta salad. I never imagined a gyro being made into a pizza, but this restaurant does it well. It was topped with lamb, portabella mushrooms and grilled onions and smothered in melted mozzarella and feta cheese. The mushrooms and onions were fresh and full of rich, sweet flavor and the sharp taste of the feta made for the perfect topping. The Greek salad was made with fresh lettuce, juicy, ripe cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumbers, red onions, pepperoncini peppers, Kalamata olives, feta cheese and the house Greek vinaigrette. It oozed the rich flavors of the fresh veggies, and the feta and Greek vinaigrette provided a complementary tangy flavor. The gyro was delicious, and I particularly loved the spices used on the lamb, which seemed Photos by Ashley Melton Designs. Photos by Ashley Melton Designs.