Greek Festival lamb shank

Last weekend not only was the weather gorgeous but so was the food at the annual St. George's Festival in Clifton. Every spring I wait with anticipation for the festival's culinary offerings (especially the lamb shank). I was ecstatic to get one of the prized lamb shanks on Friday evening. For a mere twelve dollars one receives a meal fit for the Greek gods on Olympus. The lamb shank, a very large lamb shank at that, filled the plate resembling a place setting at the table of Henry the 8th. And, don't worry, when they only have small shanks left they will serve two at a time. The lamb, dark in color from hours of roasting, gently pulled away from the bone. Tender, succulent meat glistened as it flaunted a rich palate of browns. The gravy revealed bits of tomato, onions, and fresh herbs which had slowly danced and commingled with the lamb for many hours. This ultimate shank was escorted by gravy topped orzo which, in itself, is another entire meal. I started by slowly peeling off small bites of the luscious, sweet, tender flesh. I savored the earthy flavors of the lamb and gravy as they bounced about my mouth arousing each and every taste bud. When I felt I'd eaten too much meat, I took a breather to sample the accompanying orzo and Greek salad. I then returned to the meat and slowly worked my way down to the bone. If one gets a large bone (get your minds out of the gutter...again!) it must be sucked dry of the exotic marrow. The intense flavor of the slow cooked fat in the bone was as satisfying as the meat itself. Talk about a climax! It's well more than worth the yearly wait but one must be sure to get there on the first night as the shank tends to sell out fast.