Barb and I haven’t had Greek food since we’ve been in Naples this year, so it was time to check out a new place. Since I haven’t been posting many new restaurants this year, I was hoping to try a place we haven’t experienced as well as a restaurant that would be post-worthy. A brief google search brought up Opa. It was not too far and offered my favorite Greek dish: Mousaka.
The wine pours were quite generous at $8. This was their house white. It was Greek and called:Greek House Wine.
The Greek House red was served slightly chilled and was also quite tasty.
The menu offered two soups, several salads and some Greek specialties. I love Lentil soup and was very pleased with this sizable bowl.Barb and I are both big fans of Octopus. This piece had good flavor, but was a little bit too tough for our liking. A Greek chef in New York once told us he tenderizes his octopus in his wife’s clothes dryer. Another once told us it needs to be beaten on rocks immediately after it’s caught. Who knows.Since we’ll be returning because we enjoyed our meal, next time we’ll get a Greek salad or flaming Saganaki.The pita was fresh and soaked up my sauces. Included with the meal.I had inquired about corkage. It’s $25 per bottle which seems to be the going rate in Naples. We were very contented with our 4 glasses of house wine totaling $32. A better deal for us. Barb lived her grilled Grouper entree which was served with very nice veggies and a Greek yogurt dipping sauce. It was offered with rice which Barb, as always, switched out for even more veggies. This is a terrible, off-centered picture of a Tagine. It’s a clay pot that they use to bake food in. It’s a traditional Morrocan dish. I’m a big fan. They bring your steaming hot Tagine to the table , lift off the top and…VOILA…a wonderful stew of vegetables, chick peas and (could it be?) Oxtail steeped in an intensely flavored broth. It’s only taken me 15 years to find Oxtail in Naples. I’m hooked. And the menu offered two other tagines.For dessert I ordered Baklava.I received a knowing look from our server, Monika. She said her mom made an unbelievable Kateifi, not to be missed. Since she’s the chef’s daughter, I figured that she’d know best. This is my photo after, once again, I’ve eaten most of this appealing delicious dish. I’m an impatient, bad boy. This is Monika giving me that look. Maybe next time she’ll let me have Baklava.
We really enjoyed our dinner at Opa. There was alot to choose from, ranging from simple Shwarma or Felafel to more involved dishes like Tagines. Every dish was made à la minute when ordered. They had a steady flow of traffic including a decent number of take out orders. The restaurant is smallish, with inside and some outside tables. Monika handledall of the service except when her dadcame out to present certain dishes with a chef’s flourish.
This is certainly a spot deserving of a visit. Try it…you’ll like it!
JoshEatsandDrinks 