The Trojan Horse: Review

Eating ethnic food is always an adventure, whether you're journeying through the East with aromatic spices and herbs or nibbling your way through Europe's creamy sweet confections. One of the benefits of living in Bloomington is the overabundance of ethnic restaurants available and easily accessible. Whether you're walking down 4th Street or Kirkwood Avenue, you're bound to run into at least one restaurant that tickles your tastebuds, just a bit. For us, that restaurant was called 'The Trojan Horse.'

Located off of Kirkwood and Walnut, The Trojan Horse is a nice formal Greek restaurant, offering all the authentic flavors of Greece, from spanakopita to the best
Greek dish ever created, saganaki.

I had the pleasure of visiting the restaurant with three of my friends, one of whom comes from a Greek family and eats Greek food on a daily basis back at home.

Yes, I'm kind of jealous...but I get Indian food everyday at home so...I win! :)                 Photo Credit:[breadedtenderloin.wordpress.com]

Going with friends also means that you get to share dishes, a concept that is VERY appealing when you want to try everything on the menu.

We started off with some saganaki, an appetizer consisting of flaming (yes, you heard right) cheese and warm pita wedges. After cooking the cheese, the waiter serves it tableside, first lighting it on fire by using a little brandy, then dousing it in lemon juice, giving the cheese a tart, yet pleasant, flavor.

Even better than this, however, is the enthusiasm with which the server brings OUT the dish. Not only does she light it on fire, but she also convinces us to yell Opa! with her and cheer when the flames catch. This, my friends, is dedication to the art.

 After devouring our saganaki, we moved onto our entrees. I was overjoyed at the fact that the menu of The Trojan Horse boasts of many, many delicious vegetarian entrees and a decent amount of non-vegetarian entrees.

My friend and I decided to split the Falafel sandwich, an item consisting of "a spicy blend of chickpeas and bulgur wheat, deep-fried and wrapped in pita with lettuce, onion, tomato, and Tahini sauce." Although heavy on the tahini, the sandwich did NOT disappoint, delivering a power-packed flavor punch. Slightly disappointing, however, was the portion size. Alhough, I admit, deciding to split one sandwich was probably not a smart idea.
 

 

And of course, we had to end with some dessert! The dessert menu is an interesting mix of desserts, some drawing from their Grecian roots, like baklava, and others maintaining their role of mainstream, 'feel-good' desserts. To get the best of both worlds, we decided to go with two desserts: one complex and unique, the other simple and elegant.

 

First up? Pitas and Cream:

 

 A beautiful vanilla bean ice cream swirled with chunks of crunchy and sweet baklava, topped with lightly toasted elephant ear-like pita wedges...

One word: WOW.

Hands down, the BEST part of the whole meal...that's right, even better than the saganaki.
Perfectly balanced and slightly addicting, this dessert lives up to its description.

And to finish things off?

Cheesecake: Creamy, crunchy, and ever-so sweet, cheesecake is an easy dessert to fall in love with.



 

The Trojan Horse is definitely worth a visit. Don't know what to get? Start with the saganaki, and be sure to satisfy your sweet tooth with the subtle 'Pitas and Cream.'

You won't regret it. :)