Greek Food in Marietta, Georgia by Ruth Paget
When my husband Laurent and I visit Atlanta (Georgia), we always make at least one trip to Marietta Diner, located north of Atlanta by Kennesaw State University and Dobbins Air Force Base. Marietta Diner has an extensive all-American menu, which is popular with Atlanta Braves fans, military personnel, and students alike.
However when I go to Marietta Diner, I study their menu and specials to look for Greek food, which hearkens back to my student days in Detroit and Chicago.
I have been able to order delicious Greek meals like the following with the specials menu:
For me –
Greek pasta, which came with soup. The soup I ordered was naturally Greek, avgolemono, lemon-egg soup. Avgolemono soup is made with onions, rice, chicken stock, shredded chicken breast, eggs, and lemon juice. It is a sour cold fighter, which I like warm or room temperature.
The Greek pasta was made with al dente penne pasta, melted feta cheese, sliced sun-dried tomatoes, small black olives, and bite-sized grilled chicken. The Greek pasta was salty and sour and perfect in Atlanta’s sweltering summer heat.
For Laurent –
A gyro (pronounced ‘yeer-o’) platter, which came with spanakopita (feta and spinach pie squares in buttered phyllo dough) and garlic fries. A gyro is shaved and roasted beef and pork served in pocket pita bread along with tomato, onion, and cucumber-yogurt (tzatziki) spread. The gyro disappeared. Laurent let Ruth, who likes vegetarian food, have the spanakopita.
For dessert –
A yummy baklava with rich lemon custard in the center of nutty layers of butter rich phyllo dough that were doused in honey.
We ate this delicious meal for $44 and had leftovers to take home. We made 4 meals out of what we ordered, which averaged $11 each. I thought that was a pretty great price for Greek Isles food.
Marietta Diner 306 Cobb Parkway SE South
Marietta, Georgia
By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
