Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Street Food Before the food trucks came, there was Paizi's
Posted by Kat Robinson on Tue, May 3, 2011 at 9:10 AM
- Grav Weldon
- FAIR FOOD ON THE STREET: Paizi's on Rogers Avenue
What I discovered was Paizi’s Gyros, an old favorite in a new place… an old favorite I usually enjoy only once a year. Usually in October.
- Kat Robinson
- PAIZI'S SIGHTINGS: At the 2010, 2009 and 2008 Arkansas State Fairs
No matter. When we pulled up there were easily half a dozen customers hanging around the trailer, some already consuming gyros wrapped in foil in both hands or picking bits of meat out with a fork.
Of course I asked. And yes, they are the same Paizi’s from the Fair. Turns out, they park somewhere for the spring season (March through early June) then pick up and hit the festival circuit. They’ll travel from one festival to another through early September, then spend a week and a half at the Arkansas Oklahoma Fair in Fort Smith. The final stop of the year is the Arkansas State Fair… then, a quiet winter. So, how’s the food? I’ve enjoyed the Black Angus in Pita before, and the Rosemary Chicken is very nice. But it’s been a while. And there was hunger involved. So a combo was acquired — a gyro, fries and a drink for $9. The drink even came in a souvenir Arkansas State Fair cup.
Paizi’s lamb gyro meat is what you might expect — the big cone of lamb-beef compressed meat rotisserie roasted and carved vertically. It’s served up on a nice fluffy pita and topped with a mixture of spring greens, both red and white onions, fresh tomato slices, a cucumber-garlic taziki sauce and… Feta cheese. The Feta gives the gyro a
particularly different flavor — it’s in a sauce, very piquant and bright. The combination is pleasing… but I have to say, you can’t eat this daintily. Yes, you can grab a fork from the table at the end of the trailer, but then you miss out on the cacophony of flavors inside that pita. Nope, best way is to get both hands around it, squish it a bit and bite in. No need to be surprised when sauce and meat juice drips down your chin. None at all. The surprise for me, though, were the fries. They were appealing, appetizing, and completely without need for ketchup. They were skin-on, fresh and fluffy inside, with a nice Greek seasoning about them. I was quite pleased with them. You could also choose chips with your gyro on the combo… but why? Why would you choose a pre-packaged bag of chips?
Anyway, Paizi’s won’t be there forever… they’ll be picking up some time in June for a summer of gypsy-like wandering. So if you’re in Fort Smith and want a gyro fix, they’ll fix you up. They have baklava, too.
You’ll currently find Paizi’s in the Toys-R-Us parking lot on Rogers Avenue. No phone number — it’s a trailer, after all — but there is a Facebook fan page.
Speaking of...
-
Whirlpool to close Fort Smith plant June 29
April 30, 2012The City Wire reports the official closing date of Whirlpool's plant in Fort Smith will be June 29. /more/
- More »
Author Archives
-
Burger joint of the week: Stoby's
Most folks don’t think of Stoby’s as a burger joint. It’s best known for a big sandwich called The Stoby that consists of three different types of meat, two cheeses and whatever else you want to throw down on there, on whatever bun you like. But the burgers are pretty notable.
- Sep 8, 2011
-
Pieday followup: Lemon pecan at E's Bistro
The pie originally sought on the trip to the North Little Rock eatery is discovered to be an extraordinary piece of work, guaranteed to surprise and delight.
- Aug 10, 2011
-
Weiner tales: Another Chicago dog found in Fayetteville
Feltner Brothers in Fayetteville are putting out a Chicago dog worthy of the name. Their burgers, on the other hand, are straight out of a previous era. I swear, it's Bob Feltner's original Whatta-Burger, revisited.
- Jun 13, 2011
- More »
Event Calendar
-
Re: All-new menu at Juanita's
This is potentially some very exciting news. Let's face it: food was never the first…
- on May 25, 2012
-
Re: Fletcher pulls a fast one: Rocket 21
Actually, Leslie, Rocket Twenty-One didn't exactly "win the Breeder's Cup." She ran 13th out of…
- on May 24, 2012
Top Commenters
Blogroll
Site Index
News
Cover Story / Arkansas Reporter / The Week That Was / Smart Talk / The Insider / The Observer / Editorial / Max Brantley / Ernest Dumas / Gene Lyons / Bob Lancaster / Words / Guest Writer / Letters
Entertainment
A&E Feature / To-Do List / In Brief / Movie Reviews / Music Reviews / Theater Reviews / A&E News / Art Notes / Graham Gordy / Books / Media / Dining Reviews / Dining Guide / What's Cookin' / Calendar / The Televisionist / Movie Listings / Gallery Listings
This Week's Cover
Quick Links
Special Publications
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (0)