No Balking at the Balkans

Euro Grill
1233 Antioch Pike
Nashville, TN
615- 331-7009

Burek

If you want to taste some Balkan region inspired food, this is the place for you. If you are at all like me, I have not visited the Balkan region, the Balkan Mountains, Pindus Mountains, the Adriatic nor Aegean Seas areas, so I am not at all familiar with Balkan food. It was a quick learn for me, as I sat down in this stark restaurant converted from a house.

I am guessing this is a family owned business, and there appeared to be only one woman working on the day we tried Euro Grill. There also seemed to be some of the woman's family there as well, as they has a familial way about them. There was also a couple work men with a circular saw outside with an extension cord running to the inside of the restaurant, thus causing the door to be open a jar. In this weather, it was quite cold in the restaurant. There was another couple dining, and they looked a bit confused, and seemingly having to wait a long time for their check. It was a seeming disorganized scene on the day we went, but all doubt was alleviated when the one woman, and only person seemingly working in the restaurant, finally came to our table and recommended a couple dishes for us. When the food came out, I was very pleased.

We started our lunch with a burek, which is a bread roll stuffed with spiced meat, and then baked in the oven. The meat was ground meat that was mixed with spices, just enough to be tasty, but not enough to be overwhelming. The bread roll on the outside was rolled very thin, so it was almost like won ton wrapper, rather than a bread roll. This was yummy, and we will be getting this again.

Pljeskavica

We also got a pljekavica which is a beef and lamb patty that is mixed with spices and served in a homemade bun that was half way between a chibatta and a pita, then topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, feta and some white sauce like a mayonnaise. All of the bread are homemade. You cannot find these in the grocery store, and the bread of each dish are central to the deliciousness of each dish. The other major contributing factor to each dish is the spices in the meat, and the texture and flavor of the meat. The pljekavica patty was tender and flavorful. The flavor was not familiar, but familiar. It is like a giant hamburger, but with flavor like gyro meat. This little restaurant makes their own bread and has extra bread for sale, so we bought 2 to take home to make our own creations. I tried to make something similar to the pljekavica at home using her bread, and I did not quite get this outcome. I must head here again to try and understand how they make pljekavica.

The 2 dishes we tried while there are definitely Balkan style food. There are many other menu items including other Balkan style dishes and then there are the hamburgers, fries, pizza, salads and quesadillas for those who want American fare. There is something there for everyone.