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In order to get an authentic restaurant experience, the reviewer must be incognito. Corralled in a back corner at Giorgio's Italian Restaurant, which deals in copious amounts of Greek goodies, too, I think I'm on the edge of blowing my cover.

Phil Skinner/AJC (ENLARGE)
Giorgio's Italian Restaurant offers ample portions and reasonable prices. The menu includes Greek-flavored dishes.
Phil Skinner/AJC STAFF (ENLARGE)
Giorgio's serves up the tastes of Greece and Italy. Clockwise from bottom are gyros with pork and chicken souvlaki, the Athenian chicken, and lasagna with chicken parmigiana and manicotti.
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SIZABLE SALAD

My lunch date has yet to arrive when a mighty mound of Giorgio's signature salad slides its way to the center of the table. It's basically a Greek salad; cue the pepperoncini, Greek olives, feta and more. But the kicker is a liberal trimming of thin slices of gyro meat.

Before digging into the pile, I order a mass of items to try and get a decent sample of what Giorgio's is all about.

When my dining partner arrives, I find out he's already eaten and is opting for a glass of water and conversation instead. If reviewers had walkie-talkies, this is when I'd be calling for backup.

BIG SERVINGS AND SAVINGS

Then the whole shooting match materializes at once. The Tour of Italy (it comes with a twisting of spaghetti and marinara on the side) reveals itself as a crimson-covered accumulation of lasagna, chicken parmigiana and manicotti. An oval-shaped plate barely contains it all, and all three are better-than-average attempts at Italian go-to entrees. Diners have a choice of manicotti or cannelloni. But my decision to go with the former rests on the server's recommendation.

That server starts to look quasi-suspicious as she lays out the Tour of Greece. While she positions the plate, I inform her my teammate has no use for his silverware.

"Well, that means you'll have plenty for dinner," she says with a smile. In addition to hefty helpings, both sampler platters come with a choice of soup or salad.

"Whew, I'm safe," I think to myself and gaze upon the bountiful Greek platter with pork and chicken souvlaki, slices of gyro meat and a choice of one of three sides. The Greek potatoes are delectable half moons with specks of seasoning. The chicken skewer ranks moist and tender. But the pork, albeit wonderful, proves a tad tough. The gyro meat is what you'd expect. At first bite, the meat's unmistakable seasoned tone plays out like a pleasant, old acquaintance. The cucumber-based tzatziki sauce serves as a reliable blanket for the meat as we rest it on pita triangles.

SO MUCH MORE

It's challenging to talk shop about Giorgio's with just one visit. The sweeping menu demands a return, be it a taste of Grecian calamari, a slice of pizza, a lunchtime sandwich or a helping of jumbo shrimp with alfredo sauce. And don't miss an encounter with the creamy, coffee-tinged goodness that's found in the tiramisu.

Cover intact, I leave with a brown paper bag loaded with plastic foam containers. Perhaps more shocking than keeping anonymous is the bill. The entire extravagance weighs in at less than $60, which would obviously suit Cumming's ample family landscape.