Co Co Di

Today Mrs.Vinny & I went for an impromptu lunch at Co Co Di. Initially, we were pretty undecided about where we'd dine, but the large signs advertising the restaurant's shwarmas and their impressive patio area convinced us to check the place out.

When we entered the restaurant, we were not too impressed with its interior decor. The restaurant, which was pretty small, had a plain and simple sort of look and a dingy feel; the furniture was definitely older looking and there did not seem to be a lot of effort invested in creating ambience. However, we were there for the food and not the atmosphere. The server who noticed us after a minute sat us outside on the patio.

Because it was the lunch hour and perhaps because we were seated in the far corner of the patio, we weren't served right away. The menu that we had ample time to study offered up several types of donairs and sandwiches, a respectable number of standard appetizers, as well as some traditional platters and meals, including a few vegetarian dishes. By the time the server came by to take our drink orders, we were ready to provide our meal orders as well. Mrs. Vinny ordered the chicken shwarma, and I had the beef donair. Both came with the choice of either fries or a tossed salad, and we unanimously chose the tossed with house dressing.

When our salad was brought to the table, we were pleasantly surprised to see that it was a fair-sized portion that took up an entire salad bowl. We were also quite happy to see that the dressing had been served on the side. The tomatoes in the salad were firm and tasty and the lettuce was crisp, indicators that the salad was quite fresh. The house dressing, however, was a tad on the oily and sour side; I was able to add it to the veggies using the dip-and-drip method, but Mrs. Vinny had mixed her dressing and poured a bit of it over her salad. She found this to be too sour, and ended up dumping some of her lettuce garnish (from her entree) into her salad bowl to dilute the taste a little.

As we finished our salad, our entrees were brought to us. Our sandwiches were served partially wrapped in foil, and as a garnish there was shredded lettuce and pickle pieces on the side. Both sandwiches were a good size, and mine was stuffed with lettuce, tomato, onion, beef and donair sauce. Although it wasn't the *best* donair I had ever tasted, the meat was very well spiced, and still quite tasty.

The best part of the meal was when our bill arrived. My meal, including the donair, the salad, and an ice tea, totalled only $9.60, including tax. Mrs. Vinny's shwarma was $8.50. The servers didn't rush us, either, so we loitered there chatting for another 35 minutes before settling our tab. The service was gracious and friendly, and we left with full tummies and somewhat-full wallets, too.

Overall, this is definitely a great lunch place for those who enjoy donairs and cheap eats. Co Co Di is NOT the type of place to go on a first date, but a great place to have a casual lunch date with a friend or a light inexpensive dinner with a significant other.

Rating: 8 / 10