Opa! Greek Cuisine

Delicious even without the booze

By Jennifer Johnson on January 17, 2008

Opa! Greek Cuisine still doesn’t have a liquor license as of last week, so again, disappointment raised its ugly head. Deciding that the tempting scents floating through the air were worth a wine-free meal, we nabbed seats closest to the glowing fireplace and peeled off gloves, hats, scarves, and coats.



Opa! has a very extensive menu, so much so that after ordering we realized we’d only looked at half of it.



A long time favorite, Avgolemono soup ($3.25), did not disappoint. Bits of chicken breast, white rice, fine egg, chicken stock and lemon juice warmed us right up and stirred our appetites for more.



Chicken and lamb souvlaki sandwiches ($10.25/$10.75) were served with french fries, which we thought was odd. Marinated with a tasty combination of herbs, red wine and olive oil with subtle lemon in the aftertaste, the meat was tender after we pried it off  the wooden skewers. Letting the meat fall onto awaiting pita bread amid chopped green pepper, white onion, lettuce, tomato and tzatziki sauce made for one hell of a messy but oh-so-yummy, sandwich.



Traditional Greek comfort food pastisio ($11.95) will make any pasta lover rethink long noodles swimming in sauce in favor of the layered, formed lasagna-esque dish that Greeks have been making for centuries. Seasoned ground sirloin forms the base for large macaroni noodles mixed with thin tomato sauce, tomatoes and parmesan cheese. The crowning glory is the half-inch thick topper of béchamel sauce; a rich butter, milk, flour, egg concoction.



Mousaka is a sister dish constructed the same way, but layered with eggplant instead of pasta. Rice cooked in chicken stock with bits of mint commingled with juice from mousaka and pastisio creating unintentional, but delicious, taste variations. Stuffed to the gills, the glass dessert case at the front of the restaurant still beckoned powerfully.



Always a sucker for baklava, I clapped my hands with glee when our server told us there was a dark chocolate covered version of the baked filo dough, pine nut and honey pastry available ($4.50). 



Service was polite and efficient if a little unenthusiastic bringing plate after plate of food to our table.



Sticky fingered and full-bellied, we happily paid our tab and waddled to the car.



[Opa! Greek Cuisine, 6401 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.565.0505, www.opagreekcuisine.us]