Baker: Mad Greek

If you have ever drove to Las Vegas, you have seen it. That crazy little diner in the middle of nowhere next to the World's Tallest Thermometer. Never bothered to stop there before since my family usually packs in one last buffet before heading homeward, but since this time I was leaving before my fatherI got to stop this little curiousity. Its plug on Food Network helped to encourage me to stop as well. It's pretty easy to find since almost all the freeway signs point to it. If you're heading towards Death Valley or Las Vegas, you will see and be able to find Mad Greek with ease.

Inside the joint is a rather gauche interior filled with Greek newspaper clippings, tacky statues, and pictures of random celebrities while 80s Greek music blasts. The cashier was difficult to understand above the din of the restaurant, but somehow I manage to order 1 large drink, 3 Baklavas for dessert, 1 Spanokopita to share amongst my siblings, 1 Beefeater for Little Brother, 1 Beef Gyro for Little Sister, and 1 Schwarma for Me. Except when the order came out, my sister decided to take my schwarma and give me her gyro. The meal came out to a hefty $45.

The baklava was not to my taste as it was sickly sweet with a vague recollection of reduced rum or something. I am not a baker or Greek, but it wasn't very good. On the other hand, the Spanokopita with its spinich and cheese filling was quite wonderful. Only downside to the savory pastry was that it was cold. If it had been fresh, it would had been a little slice of heaven. My brother's beefeater was a plain beef and cheese sandwich with a side of fries. Nothing fancy. Boring tasting. My sister's schwarma on the other hand was on the salty side. The rice pilaf that was served on the side was delicious. The rice was buttery goodness that would have been a great complement to the gyro had it not been so salty. The schwarma's saltiness was balanced by the cool creamy tzatziki sauce on the side. However, I personally disliked how salty it was.

My gyro on other hand was really well balanced with in terms of its savoriness and actually taste of the meat. A mixture of moist beef cuddled in the fleece of warm fluffy pita bread. The pita bread for both the schwarma and gyro were out of this world. Nothing like any pita I have had before. It's reminiscent of Indian Naan, but not really. Super fantastico pita! While my sister thoroughly enjoyed her schwarma, I personally felt that the gyro was superior and secretly jumped for joy that she traded with me. However, despite the deliciousness of my schwarma I doubt I'd make a stop again at the Mad Greek simply because the overall quality and ambience of the resturant doesn't warrant the cost. This one stop fulfilled my curiousity about this desert diner. Though I do have to admit that the strawberry shake I bought on the way out might convince me that it's a great restroom stop and pit stop for shakes, but that's about it. Smooth, thick, sweet yet not overly so, the strawberry shakes are quite the masterpiece. Alas no pictures except for that of my lonely gyro.

My gyro.

Mad Greek.
72112 Baker Blvd Baker, CA 92309.
(760) 733-4354