Meatless Monday: Gyro at Little Palace

When Tina and Ray Corbin took ownership of Little Palace in 2010, they wanted to pay homage to the spot's long history of dishing Greek cuisine. So Tina studied the previous owner's tried-and-true gyro recipe (which is still on the menu) and worked alongside her kitchen staff to develop a just-as-good vegetarian version-one of my favorite meatless finds in the city.

White beans, brown rice, quinoa, egg and thyme (the subtly minty herb makes all the difference, Tina says) are blended, molded into a patty and lightly fried. It's then tucked inside warm pita bread with onion, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and a cucumber- and lemon-based tzatziki sauce, same as the kitchen's lamb rendition.

"In this day and age, it bums me out when [vegetarian dishes] are really boring or should have used more exciting ingredients," Tina says. "A lot of meat eaters have had the [vegetarian] gyro and even told me they liked it better than our meat one."

The real kicker with the Vegetarian Gyro is its $4 price tag. If you order one during happy hour (4 to 7 p.m. on weekdays), you can wash it down with a draft beer or cocktail-while keeping your bill under $10.

Photo courtesy of Lindsay Sanders