Maddie paused in the new restaurant's door as we passed, sniffing. "Hey, let's go in here," she said, tugging at her lead. "Something smells good."

I shook my head. "It's only 9:30, Maddie" I answered. "Come on."

"But I'm hungry," said Maddie, sitting down on the welcome matt and scratching an ear to stall. She twitched her button nose. "And it smells good in here. I smell lamb and beef and "" she paused, sniffing at the doorway. " "chicken, I think."

"Come on," I said with a tug. I had to admit, the place smelled good. I walked a few feet, then stopped to read the menu posted in the window:

Real Doner (Gyro)
Mediterranean Turkish Food
We do Excellent Catering

Reading the descriptions, Real Doner's Falafal sounded good, Spinach pie and a big Greek salad sounded better, but that ever popular combination, Hummus and Baba Ganouj, sounded best of all.

But Maddie and I walked home toward home. "It's too early for lunch," I explained.

"Oh, foo," said Maddie, looking up at me as we walked along. "I wanted a Gyro." She said it as you would gyroscope: jī'rō.

"Say it more like this," I corrected. "Yee-ro."

"Gear-o."

"Yee-ro."

"Hero?"

"That's close enough."

Maddie stopped, held her ground. "That's it. I'm holding out for a Gyro," she demanded.

I bent down and scratched Maddie's ears. "'Til the morning light?"

"Huh?" said Maddie. "I don't get it."

"Never mind," I said, changing the subject. "Just two things you forgot to consider."

She looked up at me, squinting. "What'd I forget?"

"One, I can easily pick you up and carry you home."

"And number two?"

I pointed. "Those are our front steps. We're home."

"Nuts." said Maddie.

"Would you settle for some jerky?"

Maddie ascended the stairs. "I guess," she said, pausing by the door. "But I'm going to pretend it's a Gyro."

---

I went back to Real Doner alone at about eleven and ordered the Appetizer Combo Plate ($9.95 - which seems to be the going price for most of their combo plates). To go.

Real Doner's food is impressive, from first taste to final olive. Everything is attractively presented, fresh, and toothsome, with each flavor complementing the next. The garlicky bite of the hummus (Jennifer's sure to insist I sleep on the couch tonight) is offset by the smokiness of the Baba Ganouj; the spice of the ezme well-balanced by the complexities of the tabouli. The dolmas are tightly wrapped and dripping with flavor. And the bread, a thick, seeded flatbread, is perfect.

Décor-wise, Real Doner has made the best of an odd location, what was previously a long-shuttered liquor store tucked behind an automotive garage near the corner of F Street and Petaluma Boulevard South. A fresh coat of paint, a stereo playing festive Turkish music (loudly), a few posters of scenic Turkey, and the antique shisha holding court on a corner shelf go a long way towards setting the right mood of culinary exoticism that helps make a Mediterranean restaurant fun. The staff is friendly, though I get the sense everybody's still getting figuring out the finer points of running a restaurant. Opening day was the only 6th, less than two weeks ago, so I'm perfectly willing to cut them slack in this department. Besides, it adds to the homestyle charm.


Hmmm- guess I should have taken a picture before I ate half of it.