Samos: Home to My Favorite Sandwich in Baltimore

Long before this blog was in existence you could find me perusing the internet looking for ideas of places to visit, hoping I could find a bite of food that might be considered a step above the usual. And on one such occasion I was fortunate enough to have discovered a restaurant that has become one of my all time favorites. This restaurant is small, a little off the beaten path, and home to my favorite sandwich (is a wrap a sandwich?) in all of Baltimore. I’m talking about Samos of Greektown.

In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.
-Benjamin Franklin 

With all due respect to Mr. Franklin, I’m going to need to modify this famous quote to represent one of my own universal truths. In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death, taxes, and Baltimore’s favorite food blogger ordering Hummus and Pita with a Grilled Chicken Pita Wrap at Samos.

One of my pet peeve’s in life is the type of person who only ever orders the same exact thing at restaurants, visit after visit. How boring, right? But if you try to get in the way of my Hummus and Grilled Chicken Wrap while at Samos, we’re going to have a serious problem. It’s just that good. And when you come across something as delicious as this wrap, you just leave well enough alone and savor one of the best parts about living in our city.

What makes the wrap great is the simplicity of the ingredients involved. There’s pita, grilled chicken, tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki sauce. You can’t get much more straight forward than that, but every ingredient is cooked and served perfectly. The pita is served hot which helps keep biting through easy since it’s so tender. Inside the pita is OVERFLOWING with tender chunks of chicken, onion and tomato, and the best tzatziki sauce I’ve ever come across. The sauce is so thick and tangy, full of fresh cucumbers and herbs, and served cool. The drastic temperature difference between the hot pita and chicken versus the cool tzatziki is a fun contrast to experience. Most importantly, the wrap boasts one of the most important traits every truly inspired sandwich must have…it’s a dripping, sloppy, mess.

If you've never been to Samos or perhaps permitted a little too much time slide by between visits, be sure to hunt down a parking spot in Greektown, hop in line, and order a wrap. You've no longer got an excuse for letting such an awesome spot go without your business any longer.

Acropolis

I've driven up and down Eastern Avenue approximately 840 times since I've lived in Baltimore. Most of those 840 trips were spent with me wishing that I was stopping for some Greek food in Greektown. On my 823 trip down the Ave, Deana and I finally stopped for dinner at  Acropolis. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but post visit I realized two things. First, I now know that Acropolis serves up some excellent food. And two, I need to do my due diligence and try out a few of the other options in the area in hopes that they are just as good.

I don't know if it was the day or hour of our visit but we were one of only 3 tables in what was an average sized dining room. The fact that there were so few patrons had me a little concerned. Most times when there are so few people eating it's because the food sucks. And if it doesn't suck and you just happened in on a slow time of day you end up getting subpar service/food due to the fact that the employees aren't as focused.

Acropolis proved both of my assumptions wrong. Our server was super attentive without being annoying. She was right there every time we needed her, but she wasn't there so often that you felt like she was interrupting your dinner. And man, what a dinner it was! Deana's exposure to Greek food is somewhat limited so she went with what she knew and ordered Chicken Souvlaki. I decided to go with a dish I hadn't had in far too long and ordered Pastitsio. Both were excellent.

The souvlaki was served a little differently than we've had it before. Instead of coming "sandwich" style with everything already put together, they served the pita, and tzatsiki on the side. The chicken was served kabob style. This allowed you to build bite size sandwiches with as much or as little of the sauce as you'd like. It also made it very nice for sharing (and thank you for that). The chicken had great grill flavor with just enough flavor from the oregano it was seasoned with. The tzatziki sauce was the best Deana and I have ever had. It was thick, creamy, and a little more tangy than what we were used to. In fact, it may have been the highlight of the whole entire dinner. If you're a fan of souvlaki, I highly recommend a visit to Acropolis. On a side note, the Greek salad they served with this dish was very good. I'm not always a fan of feta cheese, but this was some high grade feta and I really enjoyed it.

For those that don't know, Pastitsio is kind of like Greek lasagna. Acropolis serves up a mean interpretation. The brown sauce you see in the picture is sweet and savory. There is flavor from the meat, cinnamon, and while I'm not sure it's an actual ingredient there is a raisin quality to it. The meat and sauce is mixed in with these super long ziti style noodles and topped with a creamy bechamel and cheese topping. I absolutely loved it. If you're semi-new to Greek food and looking to try something new, Pastitsio will not let you down.

Next weekend, if you're like me and you find yourself making your 684th trip down Eastern Ave, maybe you should make the effort to try this excellent restaurant out. The service was some of the best I've had since I started this blog and the food is up there with anyone around. I know I'll be back. Maybe I'll see you there on my next visit.

Price: A little on the pricey side
Recommendation: Definitely visit.
What to Order: Souvlaki or Pastitsio are both winners