Acropolis Cuisine. Metairie: 3841 Veterans Blvd. 504-888-9046.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 01 November 2011 11:50

Restaurants - Greek Restaurants

Acropolis Cuisine

Metairie: 3841 Veterans Blvd. 504-888-9046. Map.
Casual.
AE DC DS MC V
Website

WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
Although New Orleans has a large, active Greek community, the city has never had many good Greek restaurants. This is a really good one. The Acropolis, despite its small size, has a large menu of the Greek standards, with a strong slection of complete dinners featuring offbeat specials. The presence of pizza and pasta makes it family-friendly.

WHAT'S GOOD
The appetite niche that Greek restaurants formerly filled has been co-opted in the last decade or two by the somewhat similar Middle Eastern restaurants. It's nice to find that the Acropolis sticks mostly (but not entirely) with actual Greek dishes. The daily specials are of particular interest, because they include a range of uncommon dishes with a home-cooked style.

BACKSTORY
The Acropolis is the who-knows-how-manyeth iteration of restaurant spinoffs going back at least two generations, starting in the CBD in the 1950s at a place called Teddy's Grill, although the present owner George Korominas has no connection with that ancestral place. Acropolis opened in 1999, and quickly caught the attention of the too-small audience for Greek food here with the goodness of its food. (Greeks, curiously, are not especially good customers, because they cook this kind of food at home and think they do it better than any restaurant does.)

DINING ROOM
The tables are a little crowded into a single small, usually full dining room in a small strip mall. It's a little hard to see, mainly because you're focused (or should be) on the herky-jerky Veterans Blvd. traffic.It appears that there are virtually no parking spaces in front, but there are more behind the restaurant (and a rear entrance, too).

ESSENTIAL DISHES
Starters
»Roasted garlic and potato soup
Soup of the day
»Fried calamari
»Hummus
»Spinach and cheese pie
Baba ghannoush
»Stuffed grape leaves
»Cheese pie
Fried ravioli
Appetizer sampler
»Acropolis salad
»Traditional Greek salad
Caesar salad

Sandwiches
»Gyro pita wrap
California pita wrap
»Souvlaki pita wrap
Veggie pita wrap

Entrees
»Moussaka
»Lasagna al forno
»Roasted Mediterranean-style chicken
»Pizzas
Rosemary filet of chicken
»Chicken parmigiana
Veal parmigiana
»Gyros platter
Char-broiled double cut pork chops
»Braised lamb chops
»Slowly grilled chicken kabobs
Shrimp kabobs
»Pork tender kabobs
Combo kabob

Desserts
»Baklava
»Bread pudding
»Tiramisu
Baklava sundae

FOR BEST RESULTS
The markerboard with its table d'hote lunch and dinner specials offers the most interesting eating here. In addition to the few parking spaces in front, there are many more behind the restaurant (as well as a rear entrance).

OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
There's a lot of Greek food that never turns up in New Orleans that this place would do well to explore.

FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.

• Dining Environment +1
• Consistency +2
• Service +1
• Value +2
• Attitude +2
• Wine and Bar
• Hipness
• Local Color

SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES

• Open Sunday lunch and dinner
• Open all afternoon
• Quick, good meal
• Good for children
• Easy, nearby parking
• Reservations accepted