O'ahu has long been short of two dining options widely available in most larger U.S. cities: good, honest, inexpensive Mediterranean food and easy drive-time takeout.

For obvious reasons, we are oversupplied with Asian outlets, but try to find a great pita sandwich, well-prepared lamb, a good Greek salad. And many of our best-loved takeout spots are still stuck in early-to-bed plantation days, up before dawn and shut tight by midafternoon.

In its own small way and its own little corner of Kaimuki, the Fat Greek has changed that.

Open just a month on the busy corner where Baja Tacos, Sabrina's and Sushi Man already do business, the eat-in or takeout restaurant has been greeted in an almost smothering embrace by the local community (it's a madhouse at dinnertime late in the week).

And the Fat Greek — in the form of its three founding partners and young staff — has hugged back, with "Cheers"-like (if occasionally fumbling) service, hearty servings at fair prices and a relaxed atmosphere that's sort of sports bar on the inside, and a garden court in the screened outer dining room.

They're set to get even more diner friendly. In a nerve-jangling four-way phone interview, the three partners — Mitch Berger, Francois Provenza and Oliver Bengough — said the restaurant will initiate drive-in service within the next few months. Diners will order and pay by credit card over the phone, then pull in to a couple of reserved spaces where meals will be handed over. Mahalo (or Efharisto!) for that. While there will likely be some kinks to work out, given the busyness of the corner, this idea is long overdue in satisfying the often conflicting desire of many to eat well and more healthily without having to cook from scratch or go out.

I was alerted to The Fat Greek by a co-worker who lives nearby and button-holed me to praise the gyros pita sandwich with tzatsiki sauce ($7), of which he had become so enamored that he'd been in several nights running. I've never been a great fan of gyros — endless hours revolving on a vertical spit-roaster tend to result in highly spiced cardboard. But my friend swore the Fat Greek's version would change my mind.

So my husband and I stopped in — me planning to have the gyros and he, dieting, choosing an appetizer portion of mussels with lemon, garlic, capers and spices ($5) and a large Greek salad ($7). At the desk (this is an order-and-pick-up place, no table service), we bumped into some friends who were having gyros. Thinking I'd cadge a bite, and at the urging of the cashier, I opted for the lamb shank special ($14.95), and we asked for a round of hummus with pita for the table ($5).

At the table, our friends were so obviously enjoying their sandwiches — puffy fresh flatbreads mounded with juicy meat in tart cucumber-yogurt sauce — that I never quite felt right about asking them to share. But I was happy with my falling-off-the-bone braised lamb shank; I've had more intensely flavored braises, but this was homey good. The ample platter of lamb was accompanied by basmati rice and a Greek salad.

(Bengough would later explain that Fat Greek prepares 20 to 25 portions of a different special every night — often Greek but just as likely to be an Italian dish or from some other Mediterranean region. "The kind of thing you'd find in a local family restaurant in Europe," said Bengough, a Brit whose company, the Mint Group, operates nightclubs in London. A rack of lamb with rosemary and garlic was so popular, it's going on the menu; and they do both a meat and a vegetarian moussaka some nights, he said.)

My husband's quintet of mussels reminded me of living in the Pacific Northwest, where mussels were plentiful; I so prefer their texture to that of oysters or clams. These were open, each on its shell, swimming in briny juice, the sweet meat singing beneath the assertive toppings.

We finished with baklava ($3). It's not made in-house, but whoever's making it, efharisto! to you, too. In addition to the usual nuts and honey, layers of crisp, honey-drenched phyllo encase creamy almond paste, a delightful innovation.

Another day, we ordered the gyros and a chicken souvlaki ($10), a Papa Special sandwich (tuna, capers, onions, kalamata olives, $7) plus some dolmades ($5). And, recalling something my co-worker had said, I said "yes" when they asked if I wanted to try the house sauce (free, but you can order an extra little container for $2).

This crimson stuff is so mind-blowingly good it needs to be bottled. The texture is creamy, the first impression is of olives and cheese and tomatoes and then ... wait for it ... the heat begins to build, your nose twitches, your cheeks blush and ... the top of your head blows off. In a good way. A very good way.

Less dramatic but most satisfying were the gyros and souvlaki we dipped carefully into the sauce. No leather gyros here, but soft meaty morsels of lamb and beef, nicely flavored and grilled just sufficiently to caramelize the surface. The tender chicken sent me into a dream of whitewashed terraces, olive and lemon groves and the blue sea beyond. And that Papa's thing lent a refreshing new meaning to the term tuna sandwich.

The dolmades — about which I am quite picky — were lemony and tender but not mushy (a common fault in stuffed grape leaves). I hadn't been much impressed by the hummus which, to my taste, needed a good bit more garlic and lemon, but, again, I'm picky about this dish.

Some intriguing items remain to be tried on subsequent visits: Greek fries with feta dip ($3.50), an appetizer of lima beans baked in tomato sauce ($5) and pizzas (margarita or meat lover, $12).

RESTAURANT NEWS

Multitasking is a way of life in the 21st century — whenever we can get two things done at once, we're all for it. As, for example, when we can eat out and benefit a not-for-profit agency at the same time. Such an opportunity will be ours on Feb. 27 when local restaurants once again host Oahu Dines, donating a portion of their day's proceeds to the work of the Life Foundation in assisting those with HIV/AIDS and promoting HIV/AIDS knowledge and awareness in Hawai'i.

Platinum Plate participants — those who have committed a minimum gift of $1,500 — include Boots & Kimo's Homestyle Restaurant, Big City Diner's Ward Avenue location and Diamond Head Market & Grill. Others committing 20 percent of sales are 12th Ave Grill, A Taste of New York Deli & Market, Ben and Jerry's, Brasserie Du Vin, Chai's Island Bistro, Dee Thai Restaurant, Hapa Grill, JJ Bistro and French Pastry, Le Guignol Restaurant, Los Chaparros Mexican Restaurant, Soul de Cuba Cafe, Spices, The Wedding Cafe and Wally Ho's Garage & Grill. There are a few spots left for restaurants that might like to sign up. Go to www.oahudines.org/Signup.htm.

TONIGHT AT BENIHANA

Benihana, a bastion for knife-wielding, food-chopping male chefs since 1964, when founder Rocky Aoki revolutionized steak-house dining, introduces its first female chef today.

Aya Yamamoto of Nagoya will demo her slice-and-dice wizardry from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Benihana at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, where her late father, Jiro Yamamoto, was chief executive chef.

Reach Wanda A. Adams at wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.