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Yearning for a gyro? Weaning off wiener schnitzel but not there yet? Satisfy your cravings for Greek and Central European cuisine at the 13th annual Ethnic Food and Dance Festival, Saturday, Oct. 8 from noon to 4 p.m. at St. Innocent's Orthodox Church (free admission).

The popular "Taste of Orthodoxy" event features an array of Central European and Greek food booths, including the 4th of July gyro booth and the Russian tea room serving up Italian tiramisu and traditional lemon pound cake, and an Austrian booth offering wiener schnitzel and potato salad. Other Greek specialties include dolmades, keftedes and baklava. In addition to beer and wine, you can treat your tastebuds to ouzo. For those who can't handle the potency of pure ouzo (few of us can), drink it like the Greeks do, poured over ice with a splash of water and sipped as an aperitif with meals. (I credit my own affinity for all things anise on my baptism by a Greek Orthodox priest in a Byzantine church in Athens. My indoctrination started young.)

"For life is more than food" (really?), the church's choir will offer hourly Byzantine chant performances during guided tours of the historic temple, the oldest standing church in Eureka, built in 1883. And local international folk band Chubritza will keep things lively, playing traditional instruments and offering dance lessons. For more information on the festival, visit www.eurekafirstchurch.com.