opa!

Georgia’s Greek Cuisine
(Since 1977)
3550 Rosecrans Street
San Diego, California

Living on a docked sailboat for a week in tight quarters, even with a lover, can be claustrophobic. Not to mention having to prepare food in a 15 sq. foot kitchen. I’m lucky to be with a consort who forces me to try new eateries, even against my will.

We had worked through lunch, sitting on the settees, facing each other with back-to-back computers trying to meet our individual deadlines. I felt famished, but I didn’t want to dress up, so he suggested a Greek restaurant in Point Loma. He caught me at a weak moment. I gave him one of my looks that means, “I’ll try it, but I hope the food is good.”

Georgia’s Greek Cuisine, housed in a sketchy strip mall next to Chipotle’s Mexican Grill and a PetSmart, looks like an ordinary eatery with its smudged front doors and a partially glassed in patio overlooking Rosecrans Street. For some strange reason, I trusted his judgment and didn’t demand to see a menu before being seated. I allowed him to order for us, as he knew the menu and had been craving his favorite Greek foods for a while.

We started with a couple of glasses of Greek Retsina, a smooth resin infused white table wine followed by a plate of black olives. Our waitress was Asian and didn’t speak good English. She knew her menu, but didn’t understand ‘hold the tomatoes.’ If you’ve followed my blog, you probably know my consort is highly allergic to this fruit. She brought our appetizer with uncooked tomatoes as a garnish and we had to send it back. The owner, Georgia, came over and apologized for the misunderstanding. She gave us her full attention for the rest of the meal, not knowing I there to review the restaurant.

For starters, my consort ordered Taramosalata, a hummus-like spread with lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil flavored with red caviar served with cucumber slices and homemade pita bread. What a pleasant surprise to taste an appetizer that isn’t loaded down with salt. This tantalizing light dish was a joy to our famished palettes.

The waitress unceremoniously presented us with their famous Avgolemono soup, a chicken broth based lemon and egg soup with bits of chicken and rice. This can only be described as ‘nectar for the Gods.’ This soup, light, fragrant, and packed with flavor, could easily be a meal in itself.

On the menu, it says, “Can’t decide? Try our combination plate.” We couldn’t make up our minds, so we did. The combo includes Mousaka (a ground beef eggplant, zucchini, and potato) served like lasagna, but Greek style. Two generous portions of Pastitsio (layers of macaroni, ground beef with a béchamel sauce) and Dolmades, grape leaves stuffed with ground beef, rice, herbs and spices topped with an egg lemon sauce. Georgia’s Gyros (a blend of beef and lamb), broiled on a rotisserie and cut in thin slices stood up to traditional Greek street food. The beef kabob seemed thick and difficult to chew, but after a brief workout of my masseter muscle (muscle for mastication) jaw muscles, I was able to swallow it.

After dinner, the owners, Georgia and Dennis, brought us a small piece of Baklava with two spoons and a knife??? I thanked them for the free dessert only to find out that dessert is included with the combo. To please my consort who loves all sweets, I ate a tiny morsel but ended up surreptitiously depositing the bite in the fold of my napkin.

All we could say throughout most of the meal was Opa, a word similar to a combo dish. It means whoopee, hooray, oops, anything happy in life. We loved dinner at Georgia’s and we will return.