Hellas

We were visiting friends in the Tampa area, and they suggested we spend an afternoon in Tarpon Springs.  And they introduced us to their favorite Greek restaurant, Hellas.

And after dining here, I know why they love the place so much.

It's a lovely restaurant, all blue and white décor.  We came for lunch and sat "outside" -- really a portion of the restaurant with windows open to the street.  Our waiter was not only friendly and efficient, but actually entertaining.    

The restrooms are not located within the restaurant proper, but rather, in the bakery portion f the premises -- which gave me a chance to check out the incredible-looking pastries. 

We started our meal with saganaki, a melted cheese appetizer, which our waiter to great delight in setting on fire. 

I ordered moussaka, a casserole of eggplant and ground meat, which was served with lemon potatoes and peas.  Excellent!   In fact my friend, who was disappointed with her gyro -- she felt it wasn't up to their usual standards -- tasted my food, and decided that next time she's in Hellas she will order the dish.

Drew ordered the dolmadas, the stuffed grape leaves.  Most Greek restaurants do a cold dolmadas, stuffed with rice and usually served with Greek salad.  But Hellas makes a meat-stuffed dolmadas entrée similar to the dish Drew's mother used to make.  Needless to say, he was happy to find the dish on the menu, and happier still when the dish met his expectations.

And yes, you can get a hamburger if you don't like Greek food. I'm told is was a very good burger. 

At our waiter's suggestion, we ordered baklava cheesecake from the bakery for dessert.  Too full from our meal, we took the cheesecake home.   I only wish we'd taken more of it with us -- yes, it was that good.

I must thank our friends for bringing us to Hellas, it was an excellent choice.