Greek Heros

The "fat dog on a bun" is a must-try for hot dog aficionados. It's made with an oversize sausage that's been scored and grilled -- it looks almost exactly like the kielbasa at Polonia [see "The Measure of Kielbasa," November 2]. The hot dog is then assembled on a big toasted sandwich bun. Be forewarned: Unless otherwise instructed, the restaurant puts ketchup on the dog along with the proper mustard, relish and onions. (They obviously aren't from Chicago.) A Tex-Mex variation called a "bandito dog," accessorized with homemade chili, queso and onions, is also available.

The best sandwich in the house may be the Philly cheese steak. They start with the standard grilled rib eye slices and caramelized onions, but then they automatically add the deluxe options of long-cooked red and green bell peppers and big slices of grilled mushrooms. The sandwich is topped with provolone cheese on a toasted sandwich roll.

This is a highly evolved cheese-steak sandwich. An even more elaborate version called an Italian Philly, made with marinara sauce, is also on the menu. Tomato sauce on a cheese-steak sandwich doesn't appeal to me. Unfortunately my favorite variation, the South Philadelphia Cheez Whiz option, is not offered here. I wonder what a cheese-steak sandwich would taste like with a dash of that chile con queso they use on the bandito dog slathered down the middle?

I haven't tried the oddly named "fish hoagie" or "shrimp hoagie" at Roadster -- both come with lettuce, tomato and tartar sauce and sound like Louisiana poor boys to me. There are a lot of places to get great seafood poor boys in Houston, so I'll skip them here.

The gyro sandwich, on the other hand, is not to be missed. The seasoned beef and lamb gyro meat is grilled crispy and served on a fluffy pita with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and lots of creamy tzatziki sauce. With French fries and a Greek salad, it's a bargain at $7.49.

The Roadster's meatball hoagie is a Greek hero sandwich with a tragic flaw. The sandwich bun is too soft to stand up to the marinara sauce. Which is too bad, because the big, soft, herb-spiked meatballs are wonderful. I picked up a meatball hoagie from the Roadster's to-go window the other day, and by the time I got it home, the sandwich was so soggy it fell apart when I tried to pick it up. Next time, I'll order some of the YiaYia's lovable meatballs in marinara sauce over spaghetti with garlic bread and salad on the side -- another incredible bargain at $6.95, only 50 cents more than the sandwich.

Cheese steak, gyro, hot dog and hamburger fanatics take note: The Greek Grandma with the hot rod has got some sandwiches you need to know about.