What: The lamb shank
Where: Santorini Gyro Hamburger/Greek Food and Grill, 68375 E. Palm Canyon Drive, Cathedral City
How much: $16.99
Contact: 760-831-3663
Why: It’s fall-off-the-bone delicious.
It was a hectic, deadline-week Tuesday. I was driving down Highway 111 through Cathedral City, and dinner time was approaching.
I realized I’d soon be driving by Santorini, a new Greek restaurant in the strip-mall space that used to house Frickleburgers (R.I.P.). I was craving some gyro. I’d heard good things about Santorini from readers.
Yep, it was time to get some takeout.
I walked in to the 24-seat restaurant and ordered a gyro plate ($9.99), along with some dolmades (grape leaves; $4.75) and, why not, the lamb shank. Ten or so minutes later, I was back on Highway 111 with a bag of great-smelling food.
I got home and put all the food on plates. Then we dove in.
The five grape leaves were tasty—better than average, in fact. The same could be said for the lamb gyro meat, which came with a small Greek salad and some fine pita bread. However, the star of this food show was most definitely the lamb shank.
It, too, came with a Greek salad and pita bread, as well as some fantastic mashed potatoes. (This was a surprise; the menu says entrées come with rice pilaf, but I love mashed potatoes, so the change was a-OK with me.)
I grabbed the plate and attacked the oven-baked shank with a fork—no knife was needed, as the meat was falling off the bone. I assembled a bite with some tender meat, some potato, some gravy and some tzatziki. I popped said bite in my mouth. Then I smiled.
Mmmmmmm. Good stuff, this.
Santorini offers the fare one would expect a Greek restaurant to offer, along with a nice selection of burgers. If the lamb shank and the other goodies I tried are any indication of the quality of the rest of the food, Cathedral City is now home to a great Greek restaurant.
Opa!