Initially I balked at the idea of visiting The Simple Greek when I went online and learned that it was a build your own setup. One of the joys of Greek/Lebanese/Israeli/Middle Eastern cuisine is that it comes wrapped not just in pita, but culture. Many beliefs, many tribes, but much like Louisiana, they share a love for cooking and meals. That translates to so many shops in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, and I think that kinship with our notion of what food is all about is the reason so many are very successful. But I’ve had some pretty good success lately at build your own places like BurgerIM and Too Saucy, so I went for it. The place was marketed throughout as healthy food, food as fuel, no fuss, no worries and decked out in standard industrial chic aka metal and mass timber. I was impressed at how fast the counter worker found out what I wanted, made it, and sold it to me. I chose pita/falafel/tzatziki/tomato/red onion with a fountain drink (Barq’s root beer) and had my pick of all but one table in the joint. It was noon on Saturday, and there was a crawfish gathering nearby in the Gateway commons area, but there should have been a few tables occupied at least. Alas, all the marketing and presentation in the world falls flat if the falafel and the tzatziki are both tired and uninspired. Without the snap and spice this cuisine is known for, there is no way for this place to compete with the Torchy’s opening soon a few doors down. They should perhaps also rethink the shape and coloring of their falafel patties.
