THE KIDDIE GOUR ME T

— by Barbara Blackburn

The popular Acropolis Restaurant once located on Elmwood, established in 1982, has moved to Williamsville, taking its notable Greek cuisine and a kids’ menu with it. We visited it for lunch and “Music on Main,” a Thursday summertime event.

Acropolis Opa the fresh herbed chicken ($14.00), along with the celery, carrots, and blue cheese.

5429 Main Street Williamsville, NY 14221

716-276-3074 acropolisopa.com

Kids can order breakfast or lunch for $8.49, without a drink. Lunch choices include Avocado Salad with Chicken; Grilled Cheese, with French Fries; Cheeseburger, with Fries; and Chicken Fingers with Fries. Breakfast choices include Mickey Mouse Pancake, with Chocolate Chips and whip cream; Scrambled Eggs, with bacon or sausage; or French Toast. To add a Fresh Fruit Cup, it’s $4.00. The Huge BLT, loaded with bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and mayo ($14.00) was a challenge to maneuver but very big on flavor. Dad gave it a good rating.

The Falafel Burger and the Vegetarian Burger have much in common. My Falafel Burger ($12.00) presented itself as a crispy patty topped with roasted red pepper hummus and feta, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and tzatziki, on a brioche roll. The roll was a bit soggy but very flavorful from the tasty sauce of Greek yogurt, cucumber, dill, garlic, and lemon.

Don’t ignore the appetizers. The Opa! Fries, sprinkled with Pauly Spice, sea salt, and pepper, offered generous bits of feta and little hints of oregano ($8.00). The Saganaki ($15.00) a.k.a. fried cheese, took us back to Greece, where it was flamed tableside, and the brandy was more pronounced. The staff is considering taking the flambe route in the future. Along with other Greek appetizers, Acropolis serves the usual choice of chicken fingers but with their special preparation, hand tossed with Panko for

Other noteworthy items in my list of favorites featured in Greek restaurants included Mousaka, Pastitsio, and Gemista. The meat, however, is ground beef and not lamb. However, lamb lovers will find Roasted Lamb Shank ($28.00) and Lamb Chop Souvlaki Dinner ($28.00): four lamb chops, romaine, feta, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, olives, pepperoncinis, tzatziki, and pita. That sounds very promising.

Keeping up with the latest craze, Grain Bowls, Acropolis has them, including a Tuna Poke Bowl ($16.00) and a Spicy Quinoa Bowl ($10.00).

Some of the other categories of Greek and American selections include salad and signature wraps. The wraps accommodate those who favor plant-based protein. A healthy choice salad is the Santorini Salad ($11.00), as delicious as it sounds — romaine, spring mix, feta, tomatoes, cucumbers, chick peas, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and house-made lemon vinaigrette with pita.

Rice Pudding and Baklava will greet you for dessert. Those are always good endings. Nevertheless, I’m always searching for that custard filled filo pastry, such as we savored at the Williamsville Farmers Market, at the Greek stand.

Housed in what was once a Starbucks and then Newbury Salads on Main Street in the village, this Greek restaurant, serving up Opa food for years, earns a shared name as a famous Greek tourist attraction. You’ll probably find something to inspire you to exclaim “Opa!”

Barb has been happily writing The Kiddie Gourmet for over 35 years. She has two adult children and four grandchildren and is a home instructor and community education cooking instructor for the Williamsville Central Schools.

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