I escaped last night's cold and rain with a a quickie trip to Greece by way of Greek Night at Galloway Station Bar & Grill. It was my first time doing Greek Night, and I got there way early to secure a good table for our group right by the dance floor. People-watching is a secret pleasure of mine, so I didn't mind sitting solo for a while, listening to Greek music, sipping a glass of Boutari Naoussa -- the main red wine of Greece made from the Xynomavro varietal, very dry with a bit of spice -- and checking out the crowd. Quite a mix, too: some young hipsters, probably of the sorority/fraternity Greek variety; a table of sixty-something country clubbers that just wandered in for cocktails and decided to ante up the cover charge to experience Greek Night; and lots of lookie-loos like me eager for a new experience. Finally my group showed up, including Linda and Marjorie, two older clients from Details Salon where I work, their stylist Candace, her boyfriend Shelby, and Linda's daughter Tammy. The gals had come to Greek Night before and kept telling me what a great time it was, and they weren't kidding!
First of all, the food was awesome! While the others stuck with typical American bar fare, Marjorie and I went native and had chicken Gyros (the "regular" Gyro was made with lamb, but I just couldn't bring myself to eat a little lamb!). Considered a "starter," we got all we could eat with a delicious salad, crowned with yummy kalamati olives and feta cheese; a Gyro the size of a big fat burrito and topped with a zazzy, creamy Greek yogurt sauce; and rice pilaf (rather dry and bland, I should have tried the fries instead). The veggies in the salad and Gyro were delightfully crunchy and fresh, and the red onion was the best I ever recall tasting. The Gyro was an adventure in itself to eat, as the insides kept falling outside the pita, but I scooped up the spillage with my fingers and ate every bite. Marjorie was more refined and used her fork to get every last bite. The wine was decent but a bit pricey, so I switched over to Aris beer -- a nice easy sipper, rather like a light Heineken -- to finish out the meal and take me through the entertainment.
The second part of the great time was all the ways we were entertained! While our group was munching down, the real Greek contingent started flooding in and filled the long reserved tables next to us as well as many smaller tables around the room. They were loud and raucous, with hugging and back slapping going on all around, arms flung in the air to punctuate the shouts of "Opa," and so much fun to watch. (Based on how it was used, I'm guessing the term "Opa" is the Greek equivalent of the Ozarkian "yeehaw.") Then came the belly dancers! Decked out in real belly dancing garb -- except there was a skin-toned netting over the actual belly area, I'm wondering if this is some sort of food safety requirement, like wearing a hair net? -- and even sporting finger cymbals, these two dancers were mesmerizing. One was young, pretty, and waif thin with a long torso. Her style was more a graceful, interpretive dance. The older lady was fluffy around the middle, with more than ample breasts and hips, but she could move her body in ways that didn't seem physically possible. She oozed pure sex with every shimmy! During one song that had a very strong beat, she was popping her hips in perfect sync with the drum, the fringe on her skirt quivering with every pop, and working the audience into a frenzy of whoops and "Opas!" Those two dancers collected quite a bevy of dollar bills in appreciation and they didn't have to do a single lap dance. In between the belly dancing displays, the Greek crowd -- and quite a few Greek wanna-bes -- got the circle dances going to the Greek tunes, arms intertwined, weaving the circle through the other dancers and the crowd. If you've ever seen the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," this was just like having a front row seat in the wedding reception scene. I loved it! That is until the dancing crowd started getting bigger and wilder, coming dangerously close to crashing through our table, and included a gangly pregnant gal teetering on 4-inch stilettos. That looked like an ugly accident waiting to happen, and I just couldn't watch anymore. Plus I'd had enough fun by then, so it was time to head home.
Springfield can sometimes feel like a wasteland for anything but "kountry cookin'" and hillbilly music, so Greek Night was a welcome pop of culture -- delicious food and beverages, enchanting music, and entertainment galore! Galloway Station Bar & Grill is fun anytime, but be sure to check it out on the next Greek Night coming May 10!
Galloway Station's website: http://www.gallowaystation.com/
Video from Greek Night courtesy of Galloway Station: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10153905910925252&set=vb.182505195251&type=2&theater
First of all, the food was awesome! While the others stuck with typical American bar fare, Marjorie and I went native and had chicken Gyros (the "regular" Gyro was made with lamb, but I just couldn't bring myself to eat a little lamb!). Considered a "starter," we got all we could eat with a delicious salad, crowned with yummy kalamati olives and feta cheese; a Gyro the size of a big fat burrito and topped with a zazzy, creamy Greek yogurt sauce; and rice pilaf (rather dry and bland, I should have tried the fries instead). The veggies in the salad and Gyro were delightfully crunchy and fresh, and the red onion was the best I ever recall tasting. The Gyro was an adventure in itself to eat, as the insides kept falling outside the pita, but I scooped up the spillage with my fingers and ate every bite. Marjorie was more refined and used her fork to get every last bite. The wine was decent but a bit pricey, so I switched over to Aris beer -- a nice easy sipper, rather like a light Heineken -- to finish out the meal and take me through the entertainment.
The second part of the great time was all the ways we were entertained! While our group was munching down, the real Greek contingent started flooding in and filled the long reserved tables next to us as well as many smaller tables around the room. They were loud and raucous, with hugging and back slapping going on all around, arms flung in the air to punctuate the shouts of "Opa," and so much fun to watch. (Based on how it was used, I'm guessing the term "Opa" is the Greek equivalent of the Ozarkian "yeehaw.") Then came the belly dancers! Decked out in real belly dancing garb -- except there was a skin-toned netting over the actual belly area, I'm wondering if this is some sort of food safety requirement, like wearing a hair net? -- and even sporting finger cymbals, these two dancers were mesmerizing. One was young, pretty, and waif thin with a long torso. Her style was more a graceful, interpretive dance. The older lady was fluffy around the middle, with more than ample breasts and hips, but she could move her body in ways that didn't seem physically possible. She oozed pure sex with every shimmy! During one song that had a very strong beat, she was popping her hips in perfect sync with the drum, the fringe on her skirt quivering with every pop, and working the audience into a frenzy of whoops and "Opas!" Those two dancers collected quite a bevy of dollar bills in appreciation and they didn't have to do a single lap dance. In between the belly dancing displays, the Greek crowd -- and quite a few Greek wanna-bes -- got the circle dances going to the Greek tunes, arms intertwined, weaving the circle through the other dancers and the crowd. If you've ever seen the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," this was just like having a front row seat in the wedding reception scene. I loved it! That is until the dancing crowd started getting bigger and wilder, coming dangerously close to crashing through our table, and included a gangly pregnant gal teetering on 4-inch stilettos. That looked like an ugly accident waiting to happen, and I just couldn't watch anymore. Plus I'd had enough fun by then, so it was time to head home.
Springfield can sometimes feel like a wasteland for anything but "kountry cookin'" and hillbilly music, so Greek Night was a welcome pop of culture -- delicious food and beverages, enchanting music, and entertainment galore! Galloway Station Bar & Grill is fun anytime, but be sure to check it out on the next Greek Night coming May 10!
Galloway Station's website: http://www.gallowaystation.com/
Video from Greek Night courtesy of Galloway Station: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10153905910925252&set=vb.182505195251&type=2&theater
