There's always been something innately disturbing to me about a rotating cone of meat. I avoided gyros like the plague until moving to Berlin, when my demanding schedule of drinking until six in the morning left me with only a few euro coins, a haphazard journey home and the inevitable conclusion that I'd have to eat something before doing it all again the following night. Reluctantly, I stumbled into one of the hundreds of Turkish Imbisses in East Berlin, stared down the massive rotating funnel and asked in mangled Deutsch for "Ein Döner Kebab, Bitte."

That night changed everything—I began to worship at the altar of the cone. Thank goodness I came to the light, and subsequently moved to Chicago—the gyro capitol of the United States. This esteemed title is not to be taken lightly, as this magical food cures all hangovers, satiates the most ravenous appetites and gives scores of functioning alcoholics hope after last call. Lincoln Town Gyros is everything a snack shack should be—except a shack. Serving up hamburgers, cheese steaks, Italian beef and those heavenly gyros to the inebriated castoffs of Lincoln Park's bars, the LTG keeps it real well into the wee hours. Remember to bring cash, but not too much—there's nothing on the menu over $8. Squeezing into one of the booths during the late-night rush is pretty much impossible, but the great thing about gyros is that you can eat them standing up.

Centerstage Reviewer: K. Tighe