The menu is quite varied with Mediterranean vegetables, lamb dishes, Mousaka, gryros, and five kinds of souvlaki, a traditional favorite. Also included are Italian entrées of calzone, pastas and pizza, burgers with unusual sauces and non-typical cheeses.

Appetizers are definitely Greek and worth selecting several with a group of people in lieu of individual meals. Here you find items with grapes leaves, filo dough and other well-known ingredients of Greek dishes. Feta, bleu, and parmesan cheese, along with virgin olive oil, and fresh lemon were frequently listed in the description.

We started out with the spinach and artichoke dip made with parmesan and blue cheese and served with hot foccacia bread. For the more discerning tastes, Greek caviar was another option, but I would have chosen hummus with tahini myself.

I had the spanakopita entrée which is like baked pie of filo dough and filled with spinach and feta cheese. It was with lemon potatoes which I hadn’t had before, but ate up, and plenty of vegetables and rice. There was far more than I could eat and it was only $8.50. My sis opted for the tyropita which was also made from filo dough but included plenty of baked cheese. Both were light and melted in the mouth.

The service was great. She explained any questions about the meals and didn’t press us to have an alcoholic drink. We explained that we needed to get to a play and that was when we learned that we’d be missing the entertainment, Greek table dancing. Although we did enjoy the flaming dishes brought to people with waiters yelling "opa, opa." I’ll have one of those dishes next time, along with a ring-side seat for the show.

While we enjoyed the play we attended thoroughly, we would have enjoyed watching the Greek dancing offered Friday and Saturdays. We might have been enticed to try some Ouzo or a Greek Kiss, as long as we weren’t driving. Open from until 11am until 11pm except Friday and Saturday when it’s until midnight.

This Phoenix-area chain offers good proportions of traditional Greek food at pretty good prices. I know of three locations, but have only eaten at the two Scottsdale locations. The food was the same at both, but I find the location by Paradise Valley to be more enjoyable because of the staff and the lighter, airier environment (in the mall on the northeast corner of Shea and Tatum. The other one I've been to is in Old Town Scottsdale on Scottsdale Road).

The chain's staple is the flaming cheese appetizers, either feta or saganaki. They make a small spectacle of this, calling "opa time" as they set the cheese briefly on fire. These and the non-flaming feta and olives are my favorite starters. My two favorite main courses are the braised lamb - where the meat is very tender and literally falls off the bone - and the spinakopica (spinach pie). I've also enjoyed their salads on occasion, especially their calamari salad. The disappointment for me is dessert. I usually love baklava, but here it is small and dry.