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njfoodies
Mar 3, 2010 07:11 AM
I stopped in again for lunch yesterday and had another good meal. The place was bumpin' and almost all the tables were full. Only gripe is that they need to work on their tzatziki which is a bit boring. Overall though, great meat on the gyro, with nice red onions and thinly sliced tomato...I opted for no lettuce. The fries could have used another minute in the fryer, but that is just me. All in all, another great meal, and an awesome gyro! -mJ
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re: njfoodies
njfoodies
Mar 3, 2010 05:59 PM
Here's the full report from the blog: If there is one thing other than deep dish pizza and Vienna Beef hot dogs that I miss about Chicago, it is the simple fact that you cannot find a good gyro (pronounced /ˈjiroʊ(z)/ or /ˈdʒɪəiroʊ(z)/,[1][2][3] from Greek: γύρος /ˈʝiros/ 'turn').
So far, the best that I have found comes from the Trenton Kebab House. Walked in today during the peak of lunch hour, and you could tell that all the State employees were walking around town for lunch. There were just a few open tables, and many people waiting for take out today, so that is a good thing.
I ordered my gyro, and watched it being freshly sliced off of the spit, with a nice brown char on it. I sat down with my gyro, fries, and Welch's Grape Juice, and was in gyro heaven. From the nice thinly sliced red onion, to the fresh, thinly sliced tomato, this was nice. As usual, I asked for sauce on the side, and dipped one of my french fries in it to get a little taste. If there is one thing that is lacking at Trenton Kebab house, it is their tzatziki sauce. They definitely need to work on their sauce, as it is thin, and just kind of boring. Regardless, it adds a nice element to the sandwich, but isn't nearly as flavorful as some of the good tzatziki back home.
The pita it was served on was nice, with a nice little grill to it to warm it up and give it some color, but the true winner here is the meat. Who knows for sure if they are using 100% lamb, or if they are using a lamb/beef mix, or some other hybrid. We may never really know for sure, but it truly is tasty. It;s cooked nicely, with a bit a browning to it to give it some good texture, but also that nice softness, and not too much grease. It is seasoned nicely, and just tastes good. It might not be as good as some of the best gyros in Chicago, but this is the next best thing I have found on the East Coast.
The fries were OK, but like I say often, they could have used another 2 minutes in the fryer. I like my fries golden, and I like them crunchy. These were actually a bit under done, with some toughness to them, and for being right out of the fryer, they could have been warmer in the middle. But hey, I wasn't there for the fries anyway.
All in all, another good gyro from the Trenton Kebab House, and I left once again with a full belly and gyro smelling hands. Nothing a little anti bacterial can't get rid of until I got home to wash them. Cheers! -F. Scott
TRENTON KEBAB HOUSE
226 East State Street
Trenton, NJ 08608
Phone: (609)278-0037
E-mail: trentonkebabhouse@yahoo.com
http://trentonkebabhouse.com/
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re: bgut1
njfoodies
Mar 5, 2010 03:40 AM
It was indeed tasty Bgut, and you are correct about Delorenzo's and Rossi's! Maybe do lunch at Rossi's one day, a snack at Delorenzo's, and then Rossi's for a burger in Trenton! In the mean time, you could walk around and do some sight seeing in our ever so charming capitol. LOL!
We should get tom246 and the 6 of us should do Delorenzo's one night. Whether it's the original on Hudson Street, or their new location in Robbinsville, which might be a bit safer, but there is nothing like experiencing the original. Regardless, the pies get more and more similar every time we visit the new location, and I think they are just as good now.
Back to the Kebab House, kudos to them. I don't understand why it is so hard to find a good gyro in NJ. The only other place I have seen the real deal, sliced off of the spit is at the place in Freehold Mall, which is not all that great, but expected as it's mall food.
Rumor has it there are some good gyro joints in New Brunswick, but I haven't found them yet. Supposed to be some great ones there, and I'll find them eventually. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Look for our blog in the New York Times on Sunday! Cheers! -mJ
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re: njfoodies
bgut1
Mar 5, 2010 07:44 AM
nj - There are a couple of gyro places here in Toms River. I have had mixed results at one called the Gyro Hut while I recall enjoying one a while back at Athens Grill. I beleive there are existing threads on both places.
I'm always up for a DeLorenzo's run. In fact a number of months ago, I decided to visit the "new" Robbinsville location and found out that I missed running into tom246 by a few hours later. It's a small world especially in the foodies community.
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re: njfoodies
This place is taking off like crazy! I was in there today. I decided to switch thing up a little and get the Lentil Soup that is served with a warm toasty pita. I like to kick up the heat in the Lentils with the hot sauce they have available. I also ordered the Sigara Boregi (Cheese Rolls). MAN ARE THEY GOOD. They make them with a nice phlyo dough that they wrap around feta cheese with dill, then they are pan fried to order. They serve them with Tadziki sauce.
I think the tadziki is very mellow. When I go with the meat selection, I prefer the Tahnini Sauce. Sometimes I like to mix the Tahini with a small amount of the hot sauce, it really pushes the flavors of the grilled meats into overdrive. I like to dip the french fries into the sauce.
The newer staff really take the time to make sure that you order gets to you quickly. They doner (Gryo) is fresh from the spit. This is a much more expensive way to serve the meat but the flavor is unmatched.
I think its a great place to stop in and get a quick meal. They will also deliver locally, which is a great option. I like that the food is always fresh and tasty. I like my fires crispy so that's how I order them.
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Trenton Kebab House is located in Downtown Trenton, near City Hall. The food here is classic Mediterranean tasty stuff. They have a menu of Doners (Gyro) fresh from the spit, and Kebab's which are flame grilled. There are many Veggies friendly dishes as well. My personal favorite is the Chicken Adana Kebab! its served as a sandwich on a fresh pita with salad and onions. I like using the Tahnni sauce though some like tadziki instead. They also have hot sauce. I also enjoyed the cheese rolls, they come deep friend in phylo dough with feta, they are awesome to dip in the homemade hummus.
I think they food is awesome, if you have been to the Quizno's the Kebab House took over their location, hence the decor is early quizonos meets Turkish.
The staff are awesome and you will enjoy your food. They are open till 8PM which is a great thing if you want to pick up something to take home, or you stop by after work at the courthouse or city hall. If your going to MVC they are right around the corner.
All in all the place is great!-----
Trenton Kabob House
226 E State St, Trenton, NJ
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njfoodies
Dec 8, 2009 04:21 PM
Just got back. The place is not in a bad part of town in the least. Parked right in front of the joint, and we were the only customers in there. The place was a little smokey from the grill and the rotisserie spits, so they must have been cooking just before us. The place needs som ambiance and decor, that is for sure, but I am sure that 90% of their business is from the state workers at lunch. It is what it is. Vinyl table cloths, some booths, those black leather chairs, etc.
The guy behind the counter was taking the gyro meat off the spit, which looked charred and dry. When I ordered, he pulled a new one from the freezer, and let me tell you I was a bit hesitant that I was going to get some cold, frozen meat. Regardless, I ordered one anyway. Zelda ordered the falafel appetizer, as well as hummus, and we took cold ginger ale's from the cooler.
Sat down after we ordered, and the place looked cleaner than I expected. Out came the hummus and it was as good as anywhere else around here. Nice portion, and very tasty with some nice spices sprinkled in.
A few minutes later the lady we ordered with brought out the gyro and falafel. I can say that my gyro was fabulous, and the real deal. I opted for no lettuce, so just onion and tomato, with the tzatziki on the side. Also came with a nice side of right out of the grease fries that we unsalted. Salt and pepper were on the table. Let me say that the only thing disappointing was the tzatziki as it was think, and didn't have a whole lot of flavor. Other than that, it was a great sandwich with a good portion of meat.
Zelda's falafel was not as good as others I have had around here, but it was plenty edible with a side of tzatziki, as well as another sauce on the side. I had one, and it didn't wow me, but it was far from offensive.
All in all, not a bad meal for under $20. I'd go back just for the gyro, but they are hard to find around here, as most of them are not fired an slived from the spit. They are the processed ones off the flat top, and that doesn't do it for me. On a scale of 1-100, I'd give it an 82. -mJ
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njfoodies
Dec 8, 2009 03:58 AM
Can't say that I ever had, but it looks like their gyro's are the real deal, with the meat being shaved right off the spit. This is VERY hard to find around here, and I wonder how their tzatziki sauce is. Definitely not all that far from us, and worth the drive, I however don't know how that neighborhood is. Any thoughts? I don't frequent that part of Trenton all that often except when going to the art museum at Cadwalader Park. -mJ
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