It is, in the word’s literal sense, cool outside. I mean, seriously, it won’t even reach 60 today. On the positive side, the autumn seasonal beers have arrived, and that is definitely, figuratively, cool. And as always, we open the season with Redhook’s offering: The Late Harvest Autumn Ale.

I got to be honest here, I was not bowled over. The 5.9% ale is fairly malty, yet seems thin, almost like a summer ale. Now, I did enjoy Redhook’s summer offering, but an autumn brew should obviously not be too reminiscent of that.

The flavor is not bad when it hits the tongue, but leaves a strange almost burnt aftertaste. It doesn’t linger too badly, but long enough to start fantasizing about drinking something else.

While Santorini’s might not transport me straight back to my days—two weeks to be exact—in Parga, it gets me pretty close at least.

The menu doesn’t brim over with the most exciting Greek dishes, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that the gyros here are pretty good. Do a standard lamb wrap, and you’ll be treating yourself well, with their fluffy pitas and nicely spiced lamb. The tzatziki might not be as good as some but is still perfectly adequate. (Granted, a 10 clove garlic tzatziki might be shooting for a narrow market.)

Location wise it’s hard to beat Santorini’s, and it should probably be on the lunch rotation for anybody who works downtown.

I would recommend Santorini’s, even though I’d like to see a greater variety of dishes on their menu. There’s more to Greek cuisine than gyros, Greek Salad, and spanakopita after all.

For what it is, though, and until Spokane gets a döner place, Santorini’s is a nice place to enjoy some Eastern Mediterranean cuisine.