Every now and then, I let someone else do the heavy lifting so you do not have to just take my word for it. Chris stepped up to the plate for this leg of the Springfield run, and he did not hold back a single detail. Here is his raw breakdown.

So, we were back in Springfield still on the hunt for a new pair of motorcycle boots. We of course had to have lunch, and decided on mediterranean food, of which I am almost always a fan.

The last time we tried mediterranean in Springfield we went to the Kebab Shack, which is now closed, and probably for good reason. This time we set our sights on Crave Mediterranean Cafe. Walking in was a literal night and day difference from the kebab shanty, so there is really no comparison, so I won’t sully Crave’s good name by even mentioning their wanna be competitor again in my review.

We were seated immediately, and our server took our drink orders. Chop tried to order sweet tea, but they did not have it that day, they said they usually do, but did not make it that day. I opted for a good ol Dr. Pepper which never lets me down anyway.

Of course we had to try as much as possible so an appetizer was on the menu. I opted for the Arayes, which if you don’t know is basically a Lebanese quesadilla. It was not long before it arrived, and it certainly looked the part.

I have never been known for my patience, so I dove right in. I assume the first bite was delicious, but honestly it was roughly the temperature of molten lava, so I couldn’t taste the first bite, but, every subsequent bite was better and better. It was packed full of flavor, the beef was seasoned well with a good amount of cheese.

Highly recommend, you will not be disappointed.

For my main I went with the Mixed Gyro Sandwich. I love kebab’s and shawarma, so it was a tough decision. Upon it’s arrival the first thing I noticed was that it was a sizable sandwich. It was a good sized Pita that was overflowing with mean and toppings. I snatched up a piece of the chicken that had fallen astray on the plate, and it was like a flavor explosion. Seasoned well, cooked well, not dry at all. I then scoured through and found a piece of lamb just to judge, but again it was perfect, probably some of the best I have ever had.

The tzatziki sauce was plentiful, and well made. It had tons of actual flavor to the sauce, not just the plain yogurt taste that so many places here try to pass off.

Honestly, this was probably one of the best Gyro’s I have had this side of the Atlantic. The only thing that would have sent it over the top would have been a dab of shredded cheese, but that is just a personal preference.

If you are craving Mediterranean food in the Springfield area, Crave is the place to be.

Chris laid down the definitive law on the food, and it is safe to say Crave earned its reputation.

Updates:

Mountainburg, Arkansas was a good time. Next weekend will have your boy headed to Poplar Bluff for the long weekend looking for good places to eat and to see my dad and some friends. Send me some good places to eat, Poplar Bluff people.

Books:

I am deep into Book 8 of Dungeon Crawler Carl and I am still on track for finishing it this weekend. For anyone unfamiliar with the universe, the Dungeon Crawler Carl series is a brutal, chaotic ride through a televised, multilevel alien dungeon world after Earth gets completely flattened. Carl and his talking ex-show cat, Princess Donut, have to fight through insane monsters, malicious game runners, and absolute system madness just to survive. Book 8 keeps that high stakes, direct defiance against the corporate overlords moving forward as the game becomes even more complex and deadly.

Once I finish Dungeon Crawler Carl, I will be getting back into Book 2 of Discount Dan. The Discount Dan series is a great, humorous spin on the genre that follows a regular guy navigating a system apocalypse with a budget, pragmatic approach.

I like the series so far and am looking forward to getting back into it, but Carl and Donut are absolutely killing it right now.

Smash that WordPress follow button to secure the next dose of unvarnished truth before the corporate censors find it. You can also fund the operation by heading over to the Layover Club to score some gear built for the grit of the road instead of regular tourist trap garbage.