Beef & Lamb Gyro

Adil Altamimi | International Market & Deli

Gee-ro. Jye-ro. Hee-ro. There’s a reason a lot of people just point at the menu, or just move on and order the falafel.

If you happen to be at International Market & Deli, however, you shouldn’t give up. Their beef and lamb gyro catches from the first bite. With the fresh snap of cucumber, the blush of tomato and that rich yet breezy tang of tzatziki, the first impression is bright and pleasant – like a salad of spring vegetables.

Yet husky shards of meat lurk underneath, with an earthiness that snares the garlic in tzatziki and brings it forward to complement the raspy snap of red onion.

And this is from Greek street food prepared in a dark and narrow market on Lighthouse Avenue in New Monterey. The beef and lamb can be parched and chewy in spots. But there is a sneaky heat that creeps through the gyro. The depth, the freshness and the intricacy in this wrap gives you reason to forgive a patch of dry meat.

The beef softens some of the funk of lamb, which might worry purists a bit. But really, it’s a pretty damn good yee-ro. Or is it zhihr-o?

INTERNATIONAL MARKET & Deli, 580 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey. 375-9451, internationalmarketanddeli.webs