Ekko's - Greek Dining at a Gas Station

Fuel for the Body and Car!

The Bouboudakis family no longer owns this little oasis of food and fuel,  but the Greek recipes live on!  Imagine the convenience of filling your tank and grabbing a plate of Beef Souvlaki!
5 bonus points for the first GAS/RESTAURANT on the blog.   (must admit, in pre-blog days I dined on great Thai food at an Exxon Station in Burnett, TX!)

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Who would even notice?

When you drive by this place on Richmond near the Galleria, there is little to lure in hungry diners.  The  station sign says "Shop & Deli", but that makes me think of microwaves and wilted hotdogs on slimy rollers.  Ekko's has an actual, fold-out menu!

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People Encounter... Plus  Chess!
There were only three tables outside and one was occupied by Kevin and Terry.

I decided not to waste my People Encounter Time with restaurant owners or servers. I had a lot more fun jumping in and playing chess with my new friends... than learning about the history of gyros.
I must give 3 bonus points to Kevin and Terry, for allowing me to mess with their chess pieces. Kevin looks like he might slap my hand any minute.  And Terry is giving me a tense sideways glance.

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Good Sports!

But in truth, Kevin and Terry were incredibly good fun.  They even wrote down some great suggestions for future dining adventures. Terry also offered some useful information about dining with  Groupons.  Kevin on the other hand seemed a little puzzled and asked more than once,  "Now why again do you do this blog?"   He is one of those people who makes me ponder why I do the silly things I do. I mostly shrugged and said something about the blog forcing me to explore...and chat with people...which I don't ordinarily do when I dine. 3 bonus points for a People Encounter that provided me with some dining advice and encouraged me to rethink my goals in life.  Hmmm?  Just how much time do I waste on this dining blog?

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Interior!

Ekko's was hopping inside!   There were people paying for gas, buying lottery tickets, ordering food and even eating at a couple tables tucked into corners!  I love a restaurant that has window washer fluid for sale.  And I love a gas station that has framed food awards, newspaper articles and maps of Greece!  4 bonus points for the best of both worlds!

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The Food

It was crazy busy inside, so I could hardly chat with Jamal the owner.  But Marco, brought our food outside to the table and graciously posed with Cheryl for a blog photo.  2 bonus points for their cooperation!

I ordered the daily special of Beef Shish Kabobs, Pita and "Greek Potatoes"...which seemed to be French fries.  Cheryl ordered the Gyro sandwich.  The pita was spongy good and the tender beef was especially tasty with the Tzatziki sauce. The fries...were fries.  I would give our food 4 points with maybe an extra .5 for being served on real plates! 

Authenticity?
 
I'm afraid I must give a minus 2 points for meeting no Greeks and hearing no Greek music.   Can't have it all! 

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Food with a View

I do love dining outside...even when it's almost 90 degrees in Houston.  Here are all the things we got to experience as we nibbled and chatted.  1- bus stop!  Hissing of buses and folks loading up at the bus stop. 2- Sirens!  Excitement zooming right down Richmond!  3-People gassing up with throbbing tunes on their radios. 4- Non-stop roar for 20 minutes while a fuel truck loaded the pumps!  5- Fumes? Luckily we didn't smell any. 6- Police excitement!  I acted like an 11-year-old Harriet the Spy and slipped inside to buy some gum to do some eavesdropping.  But the policeman and the counter clerk halted their intense conversation until I left. Wish I had a bigger story there.
But all together, I will give Ekko's 6 bonus points for dining amusement! 

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TOTAL OF 23.5 POINTS FOR THE EKKO'S EXPERIENCE!