Queer Quisine - OPA! Greek Restaurant

No, your eyes are NOT deceiving you. This is indeed a restaurant review. I know, I've been so bad about posting them lately, but things have been so nuts over the last few months that I really haven't been anywhere new.

However, the other day we happened on somewhere new, purely by accident. It was about 3pm and we were on a mission for food. We had initially been headed over to Yoshimatsu, but silly me forgot that they close between lunch and dinner, so no udon for us. But we were on Campbell, so I figured we'd be able to find something that seemed appetising.

We opted for OPA!, a new Greek place that opened not too long ago next to Lovin' Spoonfuls and Sauce. The place advertises "Greek food and fun." I'm not so sure about the "fun" portion of the show, but "food" was true enough.

The restaurant itself has an interesting set-up. I can't remember what it used to be before it was OPA!, maybe an Oodles of Noodles or something, but I don't think they've done much remodeling after taking it over, but oddly enough, it works. The tables are set with blue table cloths (yes, real table cloths), with white napkins. Very reminiscent of the blue and white you see all over Greece, and on their national flag. There are a few tables in the middle of the floor, and half-moon booths around the edges. The walls are covered in murals depicting various scenes of Greece. All in all, the feeling was bright and open, casual and comfortable. When we got there, there was only one other table that was occupied by an older couple. The solitary server was taking their order when we came in, and didn't acknowledge us right away. She automatically got points off for that. We were seated, handed menus and she took our drink orders. I didn't notice an extensive drink menu, but then I didn't really ask for one either.

Our drinks were brought fairly quickly, but then our server's ADD kicked in or something. But first, the menu. Not as extensive as I would have thought, but then when it comes to Greek food most American's are only familiar with a few key dishes: gyros, kebabs, dolmas, etc. So for the patrons they're serving it worked. They even managed to sneak in a couple burgers for those of us who have friends who never try anything new. ha ha! The prices were reasonable, starting at $5 for appetisers and going up to around $10 for entrees. It didn't take us long to decide on what we wanted. It did, however, take a while before the server came back to get our order.

The way the restaurant is situated, the kitchen is right out in the open. You can see when the food is ready to be served. While we were sitting there, willing our server with our minds to come take our order (she wasn't even looking over at us), she sat there counting her money and talking to her coworker. We had been ready to order for close to ten minutes before she decided to come back over. Another point deduction on her part. Immediately after she took our order, another table came in. As she was seating them, the first table's order was up and ready. Instead of taking their order to them and coming back to the new table, she sat the new table, took their drink orders, got them their drinks and THEN brought the first table their food. So not ok in my book. So far, the service was definitely leaving something to be desired, so we were hoping that the food made up for it.

On to the food. One of the plusses was that we were brought a hummus platter as a gratuitous appetiser. There's a hummus platter on the appetiser menu, and I don't know if this is a temporary thing, but regardless it was a nice touch. The pita bread was soft and fresh and the hummus was seasoned perfectly. Jynn had never had hummus before, so I'm glad her first experience with it was a good one.

We ordered flambeed saganaki as an appetiser ($5), Jynn ordered a Gyros salad ($7) and I went for the chicken kebab platter ($9.50). The saganaki is one of the first things I make a bee-line towards at the Tucson Greek Festival. If you've never had it, I would highly recommend it. It's a slab of sharp Greek cheese, flambeed and served with pita bread. It came out fast and with the traditional cry of OPA! when she lit it on fire. Unlike the Greek festival, it was served with diced tomatoes and fresh basil leaves. It was to die for! The tomatoes and basil were a perfect compliment to the sharpness of the cheese and again the pita bread was perfect. This was another dish Jynn had never had before and judging by how fast it disappeared I think it was a hit.

We were barely finished with the saganaki when our entrees arrived. Jynn's gyros salad was enormous! I should also mention that an actual gyros salad isn't even on the menu. It was a special order and they were more than happy to do that for her and not charge her an arm and a leg. A large pile of romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and a ton of feta cheese topped with a pile of freshly shaved gyros. The olive oil dressing that came on it wasn't overpowering and was just enough. I tried a piece of the gyros and was impressed. Too often I come across gyros that has been sitting too long that ends up dry and unappetising. This was tender, juicy and not overcooked. Not a big gyros eater myself, I would actually consider ordering it the next time we go.

My kebab platter came with a little greek salad, 2 kebabs, rice pilaf and a side of tzaziki, the cucumber dressing traditionally served with most meats. The chicken was fantastic! Moist, tender and full of flavour. The rice was a little bland, and in my opinion, unneccessary. I ate my chicken with the feta from the salad, dipped in the tzatziki, and I couldn't even finish the whole plate. The marinade tasted like it had basil and a few other herbs, and olive oil. I'm not a big salad person, which is why I just ate the feta, but it was a perfect compliment to the flavours in the chicken. I'm not a big dipper either, so I only dabbed the chicken into the tzatziki, again, not wanting to overpower the flavours. The result was incredible.

I was thinking about ordering some baklava for dessert, as it's one of my favourite desserts ever, but there was no way either of us was going to be able to eat anything more. We both ended up taking home our leftovers.

By the time we left, there were 3 three other tables that had come in, so obviously the place must either have some fans already, or they were just people like us who happened to stumble in by accident. Either way, I hope the word gets out because, despite the issues with the service, the food was worth it.

So if you're ever in the mood for reasonably priced Greek food, and not in a particular hurry, go check out OPA! Located on Campbell, at Ft. Lowell.

Scores:

Atmosphere: 8/10
Service: 6/10
Food: 9/10

Bon appetite!!