Parea Greek Taverna fires it up in Maitland

There’s a blue evil eye hanging on a wall inside Parea Greek Taverna in Maitland. I couldn’t help but look at the mataki and think its intended purpose was to ward off the bad juju lingering from the space’s previous administration, Outpost Kitchen. Seemed to be working, too — the exorcised dining areas, as well as the bar with its handsome Mediterranean shelving, bustled with Maitlanders both young and old.

When a shout of “Opa!” echoed through the space, heads popped up to witness the tableside flambéeing of our brandy-soaked vlahotiri sheep cheese ($11). But not before a malfunctioning stem lighter delayed the pyro-theatrics, much to our amusement. So, when a fearless modern-day Prometheus whipped out her trusted Bic and set the thing ablaze in the nick of time, that “Opa!” was a lot more pronounced.

But fire-licking is something they do very well here at Parea, a name whose meaning has less to do with flames and more to do with fellowship. Certainly, a camaraderie arose in sharing lamb chops ($40) and a tentacle of octopus ($16) with my dining comrades, though both items were branded by the marks of an open flame. However, the roasted lemon potatoes served with the chops had all the crunch of a soft apple and needed to be fired for another 30 minutes. At least. That said, the manager did bring out another plate of fully cooked spuds and all was made right.

Also made right were the phyllo dough pies — feta-filled tiropitakia ($9) and spanakopita ($11) stuffed with spinach, leeks and feta — that resulted in a table full of flakes. And possibly a bit of drool. Really, one could make a meal from the cold and hot meze alone — lemony white sardines ($10) and warm lamb- and beef-filled grape leaves ($13) being a potentially perfect lunch.

What I wasn’t particularly enthused about was the cast-iron moussaka ($23). The bechamel lacked the requisite thick consistency, while flavors in the lamb-beef mix fell a bit flat. Was there even cinnamon in this dish? I thought I’d give the pastitsio ($20) a go on my next visit, but the couple next to us had just returned theirs, saying the Greek lasagna “seemed like it was reheated or microwaved.”

Enter a plate of shrimp Mykonos ($30), as vibrant a dish as the Cycladic isle with garlicky, lemony butterflied shrimp and fluffy orzo staging a party in my mouth. It’s one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, and with good reason. Same goes for the loukoumades ($9). The fried dough puffs drizzled in honey and walnuts are the most popular dessert at Parea, but don’t ignore the portokalopita ($9), one of Parea’s lesser-known meal-cappers. The dense orange cake is typically enjoyed with a demitasse of Greek coffee ($4), and I wasn’t about to sidestep tradition.

After finishing the coffee, I swirled the cup three times, overturned it onto a napkin for a minute, then held it in its upright position to read my fortune in the coffee grounds.

“Does that look like an evil eye to you?” I asked my wife.

“No, it looks like a portal,” she said. “So pay up and let’s walk out the door.”

Opa.

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