roasted red pepper, olive oil and garlic),
Fava Yep (the Greek version of hum-
mus, choice of plain or spicy), Spicy
Avocado (avocados blended with Greek
yogurt, jalapeños, garlic, lemon juice
and olive oil), Melitzanosalata (fire-
roasted eggplant, garlic and spices), and
Kalamata Spread (chopped Kalamata
olives and spices). The dips were served
with toasty pita bread.
If you’ve ever tried to make Zucchini
Cakes, they can be a challenge.
Sometimes they are too crispy; other
times they are soggy. Rick called the
Zucchini Cakes perfect—a taste and
texture tour of Greece. For the Nachos
we opted for the gyro meat. They were
wonderful with all the taste sensations
one would expect from Greece. The
meat was well worth every bite. The
Dips were easily the hit of the eve-
ning…exotic, with very diverse taste
sensations.
Moving on, J. Chris and Susan
shared the Greek Beet Salad (roasted
beets, baby greens, skordalia, crumbled
feta, candied walnuts and vinaigrette).
Rick ordered a cup of Avgolemono
Soup (Greek Lemon Soup Made
of fresh lemon fumet, chicken, and
orzo pasta).
The ladies agreed that the Beet Salad
was a perfect combination of red and
orange beets, feta, romaine and spices.
Rick’s Lemon Soup was a nicely pre-
sented with a drizzle of olive oil and
dill. Rick gave it a perfect score say-
ing that it was a wonderful balance of
lemon, chicken and orzo.
Fortunately, we saved a little room
Banana Bread Pudding
for our entrées. We also ordered wine.
Susan chose a glass of 2015 Testarossa
Chardonnay (Monterey County Cuvee
Los Gatos). J.Chris had an old favorit,
the 2016 Rombauer Chardonnay (Napa
Valley). I chose a glass of wine from
Southern Greece, 2015 Kanakaris Notos
Red (Greece, Peloponnese).
Opa! has a large and diverse selec-
tion of entrées. Sue and Rick ordered
from the Opa! Signature Dishes. Rick
choose the Moussaka (roasted eggplant
casserole layered with spiced beef and
lamb, sliced potatoes, shallots and
garlic with fresh thyme and creamy
béchamel sauce; served with a side of
horiatiki salad.) Susan went for the
Pasticio (a hearty layered pasta casserole
made with spiced beef and lamb, sea-
soned with cloves and nutmeg, topped
with a baked béchamel sauce; served
with a side of horiatiki). J.Chris picked
the Grilled Solomos (grilled salmon
filet, topped with a choice of vinaigrette
or metaxa sauce; served with sautéed
spinach, wedge potatoes and grilled
tomatoes). I ordered “On the Skewer”
Seafood Souvlaki (skewers of grilled
prawns and scallops, topped with fresh
lemon juice, oregano and vinaigrette;
served with a choice of fries or rice
pilaf).
The entrées were quite generous.
Rick described the Moussaka as “real
Greek comfort food.” The salads were
a wonderful, light complement to the
hearty Moussaka and Pasticio, both
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
june/july 2019
of which had a well-balanced gravy
and spice flavor. Susan noted that her
Pasticio was “hearty and delightful.”
J.Chris said the salmon was moist and
tasty while the potatoes were “Joanne
Kessler good” (an inside joke, but
suffice it to say, they were delicious).
My Skewer was light and really enjoy-
able. One of my tests of a restaurant is
the chef’s preparation of scallops. They
can be overcooked very easily. Mine
were perfect! The rice and seasoning
were an excellent complement to the
shrimp and scallops.
We wrapped up the evening by
sharing two desserts. Of course we had
to try the Baklava (traditional Greek
pastry with layers of paper-thin phyllo
dough, walnuts, cinnamon, sugar and
Greek honey) and a side of ice cream.
The second dessert was their special
Banana Bread Pudding. Both were a
perfect cap to a wonderful evening of
food and friendship. We finished off
the Baklava and took home our leftover
Bread Pudding. We joked as we were
leaving that we would need a Sherpa to
carry all the “to go” boxes we were
taking home.
Opa! in Morgan Hill is not just
a restaurant; it’s an experience. The
exotic tastes, smells, and presentations
contribute to the event. The four of us
noticed several dishes on the menu that
we would like to try on our next visit…
the flaming appetizer, a flatbread, or
maybe a pita with that great gyro meat.
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