By Maria A. Pardalis

Tucked away in New York City’s hip Lower East Side is a little taste of Greece, Souvlaki GR. This cozy Greek restaurant began as a food truck that impressively won the Vendy’s 2010 rookie award in its first year and instantly became a NYC street food favorite. With its iconic white walls and Aegean blue colored shutters, Souvlaki GR conjures up memories from Mykonos and a sense of tranquility instantly washes over you.

The concept is simple and appealing. Souvlaki GR makes you feel at home by offering you a relaxing environment coupled with comforting Greek fair such as charcoal-grilled souvlaki, oregano dusted hand-cut fries, plump biftekia and crisp salads. Being so enthralled with my surroundings and delicious food, I didn’t notice that I was sitting next to a fully functioning periptero, complete with sokofreta and all! Owner Kostas Plagos saw my excitement over the sokofreta and alerted me that honey drenched loukmathes were being added to their menu soon.

As I was basking under the cascading bougainvillea enjoying my Mediterranean food coma over a frothy frappe, I realized I couldn’t leave without getting a recipe! Plagos was nice enough to share Souvlaki GR’s garlicky melizanosalata recipe.

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