We Continue to Heart Ovelia

As Mackenzi mentioned, we were on our way to Sugarfreak on Monday, but to our disappointment, it was closed.  However, we quickly turned a bummer of a situation into something fabulous, as we ended up at one of our local Greek faves, Ovelia.  We continue to heart this place, as it’s all around fantastic – the cuisine suits all sorts of diets, the price point is fair, the service is warm and welcoming and the drinks specials never disappoint.  It’s an all around a hit with all three of us, which can sometimes be a challenge.  Hey…we’re three (soon to be four!) independent ladies with opinions and a voices we’re not afraid to share.

So why do we love it here so much?  Here’s a little recap of what we feasted on and highly recommend:

Ambrosia Sangria – One of my personal favorites here, we all enjoyed a glass, and with extra incentive because it was part of the happy hour special at only $5/glass.  Made of rose wine and tropical fruits such as kiwi and strawberry, the cocktail is wonderfully refreshing and effervescent.  We gotta admit, it’s a drink for the ladies.

Pikilia Dips – A perfect way to start a meal, the dips did a great job of tiding us over before the mains arrived, without excessively stuffing us.  Consisting of three varieties including melitzanosalata, taramosalata and tzatziki, each one had lots of personality and packed a lot of flavor.  I distinctly favored the melitzanosalata (eggplant dip) that was incredibly garlicky and showed off impressive amounts of texture.

Lamburgini – Wanting to try this new menu item for a while, I went for it, and clearly saw why it’s Ovelia’s showstopper.  First off, it’s massive, a large lamb burger patty, sandwiched between the most amazing bretzel (pretzel bread) bun, which we found out is made in-house.  The creamy feta sauce poured on top of the meat and further packed with crimini mushrooms makes this one of the most filling dishes on their menu.  And so enjoyable with every bite.

Spanakopita – Mackenzi went for this classic Greek meze, which she seemed to enjoy.  The spinach pie, as some of us call it seemed pretty standard in look but in taste it was anything but, as the dough is homemade and thoughtfully prepared.

Homemade Loukaniko – Ovelia’s sausage continues to be a stand-out dish they’re known for, and it’s good each and every time.  I just love the bite sized pieces they present it in, each piece packing a punch of flavor that’s a combination of smoky and earthy.  Whether you chose to go with this for dinner (like Meg did) or brunch, you can’t go wrong.

Salmon Salad –  I’ve personally never had this dish, and Lindsay chose it for her main.  She loved the combination of broiled salmon, smoky bacon, asparagus and avocado.  It was unusual enough that it intrigued her, yet the flavors seemed to marry quite well.

One other very important thing to love about Ovelia is its consistent service.  I’ve literally never had a bad experience here, and this time was no different as the staff treated us with care but also gave us just the right amount of space.  Achieving this type of balance isn’t always a piece of cake but we applaud Ovelia for getting it right.

Hope you get yourself here sometime soon.  Their happy hour runs until 9 p.m., which is pretty fantastic and on Sundays, they offer their Pink Oyster Raw Bar from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m., which offers specials on all types of seafood (not just oysters).

Ovelia – 34-01 30th Avenue, Astoria.  718.721.7217
www.ovelia-ny.com

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December 12 – National Ambrosia Day « National Food Days in New York City December 12th, 2012

[…] “One of my personal favorites here, we all enjoyed a glass, and with extra incentive because it was part of the happy hour special at only $5/glass. Made of rose wine and tropical fruits such as kiwi and strawberry, the cocktail is wonderfully refreshing and effervescent. We gotta admit, it’s a drink for the ladies.”–We Heart Astoria […]

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kim November 23rd, 2011

I’m going there tonight for a Thanksgiving dinner with my parents. I’m looking forward to it! As a vegan, I love that they labeled dishes that are vegan.

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