Growing up in a Greek American family, Charles Bililies was hooked on souvlaki at a young age. Later, he devoured the grilled-meat wrap—“the food of the people,” he calls it—as he traveled through Greece. At home in San Francisco, he hosted his own spit-roasted barbecue parties. By the time he opened the first of his three Bay Area restaurants, Souvla, he knew exactly what he wanted in a souvlaki: “A confluence of warm and fluffy pita, succulent meat, cool yogurt, and tangy feta.”
As good as take-out souvlaki can be—and at Souvla, it’s excellent—the wrap is well worth making at home, especially for a party. One sunny day recently, Bililies and executive chef Tony Cervone showed us why. The meat cooked fast and smelled incredible as it sizzled on the grill. Most of the toppings were easy to make and done the day before, so they needed only to be set on the table. But the real revelation was the soft, freshly grilled pita, no relation to the leathery plastic-bagged stuff.
Then there’s the camaraderie of a souvlaki party. “Everyone’s drinking wine and working together,” said Cervone. “It’s casual and friendly.” He pulled the last batch of souvlaki off the grill, Bililies doused them with lemon-oregano vinaigrette, and we all dove in, pitas in hand.