I remember the summer sun shining brightly, causing the freckles across my nose to darken. I remember the green leaves on the trees dancing in the breeze and the sound of us laughing about the super heroes we created, like Water Woman and Leaf Lady. I remember the smell of Greek food traveling throughout my neighborhood as a kid, taunting us like the elementary school boys on the playground. That smell often caused me to save my allowance money and walk to the hole-in-the-wall Greek restaurant for gyros and fries with one of my childhood best friends.

Whenever I eat gyros (or Greek cuisine for that matter), I will always think back to those days when buying our own savory edibles made us feel so grown up. Sadly, there isn't much in the way of Greek cuisine in Fort Collins, but the opening of Cafe Athens helped increase our options.

My husband and I were going out to a concert, leaving the boys at home with a sitter, and decided to grab dinner while we were out. Cafe Athens seemed like a great choice for a quick dinner that wasn't too heavy.

Cafe Athens opened late in 2008 in the Front Range Village shopping center right next to Five Guys. While they are owned by the same people who run Renzio's in the mall, Cafe Athens is not a chain and is a locally owned and operated restaurant. They have a large selection of traditional Greek dishes like souvlaki, saganaki, dolmathes and spanakopita. In addition to traditional dishes, they also offer imported Greek beers from their fully-stocked bar. The decor is bright and airy with soft Mediterranean colors, murals and figurines on the walls, large open spaces and the most roomy booths I've ever been seated in...

To read the rest of the review, go to:

feastingfortcollins.com