52 East Main Road
Middletown, RI 02842
(401) 847-8900
May 16, 2014
Welcome to the first installment of “Laura’s Lunch,” a
new (and hopefully weekly) segment where I’ll be visiting some of the best
places to grab a quick, inexpensive meal in the Newport/Middletown area of
Rhode Island.
Eligibility Criteria:
I have to be able to get to the office and back in 30 minutes and the entire
meal has to be under $10.
I’ve been working in Newport for over two months now and
I could probably eat at the International Pocket Café daily. I absolutely love the food there. I’ve had the chicken shawarma wrap, the
chicken slovaki wrap and the grilled chicken and falafel salad – all have been
amazing. My co-workers have dubbed it, “That
place you like.”
Since I can’t stay away from there, I decided to make it
my first restaurant for “Laura’s Lunch.”
I pulled into the always busy parking lot and saw that the line of
customers was just about at the door. I’ve
often seen people waiting outside – that’s how good the food is. Luckily for me, I called ahead and I figured
that I wouldn’t have to wait long.
When I got inside, I had to wait longer than normal. They seemed to be a bit short handed on today’s
visit, but you could tell the staff was rushing to make sure that everyone was
being taken care of. The guy in front of
me was waiting on $30 worth of food for his co-workers and he told me about how
much his stomach was growling because of all the awesome smells in the
restaurant.
On this visit, I was going to try a gyro (pronounced “year-oh”)
for the first time ever. I’ve always
been scared to try lamb because … it’s lamb.
It just sounds like it’s going to be gross. However, if I’m going to dive head first into
the world of Lebanese/Greek foods, I need to get acquainted with Lambchop.
I grabbed a bottle of Coke, got cashed out and headed
back to the office to chow down. I was
both nervous and excited to get started.
I actually got to watch them make my gyro because they do everything
right in front of you like Subway. All
of the ingredients are fresh and I’ve never had a problem with chewy meat
because everything is cooked perfectly on a flat top grill.
Once I bit into the gyro, I was wondering if I was even
going to be able to taste the lamb because of all the different Mediterranean spices and
sauces used. The deliciously chewy wrap
was stuffed with feta cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and topped with yogurt
sauce and I believe I tasted dill. There
was probably more stuff in there but whatever the mixture, it was fabulous.
I finally got to the meat. It was actually a lamb and beef blend, so the
first flavor that hit me was beef.
However, once I started chewing it, I could taste something different. It wasn’t a bad taste, just … different. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it. I kept going.
The thinly sliced lamb/beef combo was actually a great compliment to the
sauces. There was something yummy about
the way they tasted together. I can see
why people go crazy for gyros. I’m sorry
it took me so long to try one!
- Minutes from the office: Three.
- Cost of the meal with drink: $9.70.
There you have it.
A fantastic lunch at my favorite new place for under $10 and I was able
to get back to work on time to eat it. I
highly suggest the International Pocket Café as they serve all sorts of food
in a very clean environment. The staff
is always friendly (albeit really busy), the portions are large and you can always count on your meal
being made with high quality ingredients.
