Gyro

600 E. Fort Ave. Hours: 10 a.m.-2 a.m.Sundays to Thursdays, 10 a.m.-3 a.m.Fridays to Saturdays. (410) 752-1971. This small and friendly neighborhood restaurant between the Inner Harbor and Fort McHenry makes the best pizza I've ever eaten. Owners John, Michael and George Giorgakis were finalists in a 1991 statewide March of Dimes pizza contest.A 10-inch pizza starts at $4.50, and the 16-inch Hilltop deluxe (10 toppings) tops out at $14.50.The last time I was there, the neighborhood policeman stopped by for lunch.

Samos doesn't take reservations, doesn't take credit cards and doesn't have a liquor license. Yet it does have plenty of customers. What pulls people into this small, family-run operation is the food. The kitchen, supervised by chef and owner Nicholas Georgalas, dishes up zesty Greek fare in portions that would feed an All-American football player. The dozen or so tables split between two dining rooms, one offering a view of the open kitchen, are usually full — occupied by priests, workmen, staff members from nearby Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and extended families.

The Real Thing Samos Restaurant 600 Oldham St., Baltimore -- 410-675-5292 Hours --10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays Restaurant's estimate --10-15 minutes Ready in --8 minutes This Greektown fixture really nailed its lamb gyro, $4.73. It wrapped just the right amounts of tender lamb, tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber yogurt in a warm, fluffy pita. Every bite was an even mix of tangy, spicy flavors. Know of a good carryout place? Let us hear about it. Write to sam.sessa@baltsun.com.

Not everybody likes to admit it, but looks really do matter. One case in point is Soto's Grill, a new Greek, Italian and American food restaurant in Ellicott City. Judged solely by the food, Soto's, which opened in May, could easily be a no-frills order-at-the-counter Greek restaurant that also serves hamburgers, salads and pizzas. But this sparkling spot, tucked into a new housing and retail development in Ellicott City, charms diners with its carefully thought-out interior and above-average service.

1946 West St. Hours: Monday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; closed Sunday. Call 266-5200 or 266-5201.If you find yourself hungry in Annapolis and don't have the cash or inclination to visit one of the more upscale dining spots downtown, you should know about Chris's Charcoal Pit.This family-run, family-oriented restaurant just outside of town is one of the few dining jewels on West Street, an otherwise congested stretch of...

Some say gyro. Others yee-roh. Whichever way you pronounce it, the Greek sandwich of thinly sliced meat wrapped up in a pita is one of the specialties at Chris' Charcoal Pit, a 20-year-old family-run restaurant in Annapolis.There's nothing fancy about Chris' Charcoal Pit, as its name suggests. A few touches, like Grecian columns and a brass chandelier, try to dress up the simple space, painted in a blue and white scheme. But the walls are cinder block, the plates are molded plastic, and the napkin holders are affixed with table numbers, diner-style.

The Greek Village name can be found on several small restaurants scattered around Baltimore. I'm not sure how they're all related, but the one in Owings Mills is an independent operation. It sits in the Painters Mill Shopping Center on a busy stretch of Reisterstown Road and promises a small dose of good Greek eating in the far-flung suburbs. Alas, the promise evaporated during a recent visit. The long menu had little in the way of Greek food but plenty of routine carryout staples -- cheese steaks, cold-cut subs, etc. I'm certainly not opposed to such offerings, but the Greek Village's versions were consistently mediocre.

Appetizers are disarmingly good at Samos, a small Greek restaurant in Highlandtown named for an island in the northeast Aegean.There's garlic shrimp with sharp fried cheese on seasoned rice. Orange-spiked sausage tossed with feta, tomatoes, green peppers and red onions. Creamy taramasalata, the Greek fish roe spread, on golden pita triangles. Fried calamari, crackle-crisp on the outside and tender inside.If you face away from the lighted sub sign and the colorful potato chip display rack, or if you just close your eyes and taste, you will think you are in a much fancier restaurant.

The aptly named Side Street Cafe is indeed entered from a side street, just off York Road. Though it's not far from the newly glammed-up Hunt Valley Towne Centre, with its Wegmans and fancy stores, gentrified parts of York Road still seem a world away from this little alley. The location can lead to low expectations, but once inside this charming little restaurant, memories of the potholed parking lot quickly fade. The space, painted in tans and browns, has the cozy yet airy feel of a country cafe.

IF YOU ARE going to Greece for the Summer Olympics, Aug. 13-29, be sure to try the yogurt and the gyro sandwich. They taste much better than the versions we get here. If the closest you are getting to the action in Athens is sitting in front of the television set at home, then you can whip up some Greek dishes to eat while you're watching. One is shrimp cooked in wine and oregano, then plunged in a salty lemon dip. That is some of the advice that Susanna Hoffman, an anthropologist and author of a new book on Greek food, The Olive and the Caper (Workman, $29.95)

The Real Thing Samos Restaurant 600 Oldham St., Baltimore -- 410-675-5292 Hours --10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays Restaurant's estimate --10-15 minutes Ready in --8 minutes This Greektown fixture really nailed its lamb gyro, $4.73. It wrapped just the right amounts of tender lamb, tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber yogurt in a warm, fluffy pita. Every bite was an even mix of tangy, spicy flavors. Know of a good carryout place? Let us hear about it. Write to sam.sessa@baltsun.com.

The aptly named Side Street Cafe is indeed entered from a side street, just off York Road. Though it's not far from the newly glammed-up Hunt Valley Towne Centre, with its Wegmans and fancy stores, gentrified parts of York Road still seem a world away from this little alley. The location can lead to low expectations, but once inside this charming little restaurant, memories of the potholed parking lot quickly fade. The space, painted in tans and browns, has the cozy yet airy feel of a country cafe.

You can't judge a sub shop at a glance, but somehow I got all the right vibes when I ventured into Maria D's for the first time recently. Not only was it a clean, well-lighted space, it had the right greasy smell - baking pizza and cheese steaks on the grill. The menu boasts that Maria D's has been churning out subs and pizzas since 1978, well before Federal Hill began its upward trajectory. These days, Maria D's is surrounded by trendy bars and restaurants turning out Thai cuisine and sushi.

IF YOU ARE going to Greece for the Summer Olympics, Aug. 13-29, be sure to try the yogurt and the gyro sandwich. They taste much better than the versions we get here. If the closest you are getting to the action in Athens is sitting in front of the television set at home, then you can whip up some Greek dishes to eat while you're watching. One is shrimp cooked in wine and oregano, then plunged in a salty lemon dip. That is some of the advice that Susanna Hoffman, an anthropologist and author of a new book on Greek food, The Olive and the Caper (Workman, $29.95)

The Greek Village name can be found on several small restaurants scattered around Baltimore. I'm not sure how they're all related, but the one in Owings Mills is an independent operation. It sits in the Painters Mill Shopping Center on a busy stretch of Reisterstown Road and promises a small dose of good Greek eating in the far-flung suburbs. Alas, the promise evaporated during a recent visit. The long menu had little in the way of Greek food but plenty of routine carryout staples -- cheese steaks, cold-cut subs, etc. I'm certainly not opposed to such offerings, but the Greek Village's versions were consistently mediocre.

Diamond Multimedia's new GyroMouse Pro ($79.95 after rebate) offers dual wireless mouse capability. Take it off of its battery charger, put it on your desk, and it functions like every other mouse -- sans tail. Hold it in your hand and engage the gyro button and you can control your cursor from up to 40 feet away.The GyroMouse is a breeze to install, in spite of sloppy instructions, which tell you to turn off your computer and charge the mouse's battery for 10 hours. No special software is required.

You can't judge a sub shop at a glance, but somehow I got all the right vibes when I ventured into Maria D's for the first time recently. Not only was it a clean, well-lighted space, it had the right greasy smell - baking pizza and cheese steaks on the grill. The menu boasts that Maria D's has been churning out subs and pizzas since 1978, well before Federal Hill began its upward trajectory. These days, Maria D's is surrounded by trendy bars and restaurants turning out Thai cuisine and sushi.

Samos doesn't take reservations, doesn't take credit cards and doesn't have a liquor license. Yet it does have plenty of customers. What pulls people into this small, family-run operation is the food. The kitchen, supervised by chef and owner Nicholas Georgalas, dishes up zesty Greek fare in portions that would feed an All-American football player. The dozen or so tables split between two dining rooms, one offering a view of the open kitchen, are usually full — occupied by priests, workmen, staff members from nearby Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and extended families.

Appetizers are disarmingly good at Samos, a small Greek restaurant in Highlandtown named for an island in the northeast Aegean.There's garlic shrimp with sharp fried cheese on seasoned rice. Orange-spiked sausage tossed with feta, tomatoes, green peppers and red onions. Creamy taramasalata, the Greek fish roe spread, on golden pita triangles. Fried calamari, crackle-crisp on the outside and tender inside.If you face away from the lighted sub sign and the colorful potato chip display rack, or if you just close your eyes and taste, you will think you are in a much fancier restaurant.

Some say gyro. Others yee-roh. Whichever way you pronounce it, the Greek sandwich of thinly sliced meat wrapped up in a pita is one of the specialties at Chris' Charcoal Pit, a 20-year-old family-run restaurant in Annapolis.There's nothing fancy about Chris' Charcoal Pit, as its name suggests. A few touches, like Grecian columns and a brass chandelier, try to dress up the simple space, painted in a blue and white scheme. But the walls are cinder block, the plates are molded plastic, and the napkin holders are affixed with table numbers, diner-style.