May 8, 2014: Time to celebrate our young friend Janice Allen’s 25th anniversary of her 15th birthday. Winnie and Glover’s baby girl is all grown up, so we gathered for the celebrations at Opa Greek Restaurant & Lounge. The restaurant is located at 75 Hope Road, and having made reservations we were pleased to find that when our party of nine arrived the table was ready.

The restaurant was full which, on a Thursday evening of a week that is not pay week, with a sliding dollar, is a good sign. When we all settled down after the birthday girl’s entrance, we were served pita bread — the first round is on Opa. You know how flour calls out to you and says “It’s okay, I promise, I won’t show on the scale”? I am warning you, you will get carried away on the pita bread because it is actually good. It is warm and seasoned and because it is thin, you convince yourself that you, too, will be thin after a few pieces.

For starters we tried the Revithia described on the menu as crushed chick peas, virgin olive oil, escallions and lemon. Pretty good. The Revithia is served with pita bread, which is something to note, as, when you add the extra pita bread, you can overdose on pita bread and ruin your main course. We also tried the Tyrokafteri, which is spicy feta cheese with olive oil, Scotch bonnet and jalapeño peppers. Very swift kick to the taste buds, a definite item to try on the menu! By the way, it is also served with pita bread, so pace yourself. The Tyropita and Spanakopita are both stuffed filos, the former stuffed with Greek cheeses and Scotch bonnet pepper, and the latter a Jamaican twist on a Greek classic as it is stuffed with callaloo, spinach and feta. We enjoyed both. I would probably give the double nod and foot tap to the Spanakopita, which, because of the portion size, could easily be selected as a main. The grilled octopus was delish.

I was delighted to see that we moved smoothly into our main courses. We enjoyed the Moussaka, which is lean groundbeef, eggplant, and bechamel sauce. Lisa Harrison gave it a thumbs-up rating it level with her mom’s Moussaka, which translates to “squeeze up your eye, clap yu hand” good.The birthday girl dived head-first and caught the Astakos, which is a lobster salad with grilled Romaine and olive oil, garlic and lemon dressing. This salad makes you want to just throw plates against the wall and shout “Opa!” Loved it!!! The grilled lamb chops, the Paidakia, served with roasted potatoes: well worth it.

Let me take a deep breath before we take on the the lamb shank, otherwise called the Kotsi, which is a slow-baked lamb shank infused with lemon, olive oil and garlic. On the menu you have a choice between local or imported, and we thought we’d give local the nod. Well, well, Mary had a little lamb but that lamb was not Jamaican. What are these lambs fed, Mr Kotsi? The shank, practically stood up on the plate, and sang Happy Birthday! This is really a meat lovers’ dish, and it was delightful (just prepare yourself to hear from that shank and make a note to self, in the event you are dining with any sensitive vegans or anyone who has had a pet lamb). I had the Gourounopoulo, which is slow-roasted pork loin with feta and sundried tomatoes. Truth is, I did not like it. Must point out that when the proprietor, Alex Antaeus, saw what was left on my plate, he was concerned (I probably have a face that says if food is left on the plate, be concerned as she is a girl who generally only leaves her cutlery on the plate). He insisted on getting me something else. I did not need to take him up on the offer as I had already tasted and enjoyed all the other dishes.

Should you “fix up yuself, leave your yard” and head to Opa? The answer is a resounding yes! The wait staff is attentive; Britney our waitress knew the menu items and, even when we slaughtered the names of the dishes, she gracefully indicated the correct pronunciation and was able to describe them and make useful suggestions. Alex is present and available; he is the consummate host. A general word to the wise: if you are having dinner at Opa, keep your food intake that day to a low; just eat fruits and drink broth. Why waste a good experience? Opa serves you a proper plate of food! I also noted that service was smooth, with no long uncomfortable breaks between courses, even in a full restaurant. In addition, they got the orders right! The birthday girl thoroughly enjoyed the evening and has asked that we celebrate all over again at Opa, sooner than later.

COST: $5,210 per person