Greek Deli & Catering

This was a take-out dinner from Greek Deli and Catering in the DC.

The place is very popular on Yelp. Many people seem to like any of their foods, especially meatballs. I studied their menu to decide what to order in advance. Also people talk about a long waiting line during the lunch time. The place opens 7 am to serve breakfast. I went the place around 10:30am. No line. Then, a lady in the store told me they only serve lunch after 11am. I see. It was a heavy rainy day. I was wet and cold. But I am usually patient for good (promising) food. So I killed 30 minutes near the cafe and came back to the deli at 11 o'clock sharp. No line there. I saw several large containers filled with steamy hot foods just arrived at the counter from the kitchen behind the door. I was the first customer for lunch, standing in front of the casher. The man, apparently the master of the deli, who was standing near those containers, said something. I didn't catch what he said. He said something again with angry voice. A lady and a young casher man whispered to me that I should tell my order to the master right now. Sorry, I didn't know the ordering system there. I asked him for meatball plater and lamb plater. And a piece of Baklava. Then, I was scolded again"Baklava is on the shelf behind you!" I was totally a stranger there. Anyway, I learned their culture and managed to get all what I would like.

As I knew after studying their menu in advance, the platers came with orzo, green beans, and salad. It was nice to pack salad separately. Everything was delicious! Meatball was nicely spiced with a lot of cumin. The lamb was a little dry, but flavorful. It might have been because the lamb, which was freshly sliced by the master when I placed my order, was the outside of the big lamb meat because I was the first customer for the lamb. The serving portion was so generous.

But we somehow made a space in the tummy for Baklava. It was pretty good too. Very nutty and nicely syrupy, but not overly-sugary or sticky or heavy. J enjoyed the whole Greek take-out experience and told me he would like to try other dishes on their menu. Good! My efforts paid off.

Greek Deli and Catering
1120 19th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
http://www.greekdelidc.com/default.aspx