Nick Ballias was in a culinary conundrum. The owner of the acclaimed Wingcraft Kitchen & Beer Bar in Atlantic City was simply tired of the same takeout options on the mainland.
So instead of driving to Atlantic City when his family gets hungry — or going to the same ol’, same ol’ takeout joint, Ballias did what any restaurant entrepreneur would do face with the same dilemma: He opened another restaurant. And it’s a good one.
“There was a point where my wife and I said, ‘Let’s do it!’ So we decided to do something different like I always do,” Ballias says.
The Original Greek — aka The OG — not only cures his desire for good, quality food on the go, but offers everyone in the vicinity of the Ocean Heights Plaza in Somers Point a truly unique, made-from-scratch concept that calls on Ballias’ Greek heritage while showing off some of the American influences that make Wingcraft the smashing success it is.
So Ballias, the smart restaurateur that he is, enlisted the help of his mother to come up with just about every recipe in The OG.
From gyros to burgers, The OG can satisfy any hungry diner.
Anyone who knows Ballias — or ever dined at Wingcraft — knows he demands perfection. And those standards cross over to The OG despite its casual format.
While you may be tempted to go to the familiar food, The OG particularly excels at the cuisine most places don’t have, particularly the Greek specialties.
Sure, you can get a gyro, and you should. Ballias says when you visit Greece, every gyro has french fries packed inside, so that’s what you will get in an OG gyro — whether you choose beef and lamb ($8.29) or pork ($9.29) — along with lettuce, tomato, onion and his mom’s to-die-for tzatziki sauce recipe.
Ballias says Americans are used to lamb and beef gyros, but in Greece, the pork gyro is the standard.
Other pita sandwiches come exactly the same way such as chicken or Souvlaki ($8.29), filet mignon Souvlaki ($11.29), grilled veggie ($8.29), fried fish ($10.29) or Keftedes ($8.29), The OG’s great version of Greek meatballs.
The Village Salad is bright and colorful, but more importantly — tasty.
But, in typical Ballias style, he has upped the ante with some signature items, including the white truffle gyro ($9.99) with a white truffle-oiled pita and truffle fries inside; and the El Greco ($9.99), a chicken Souvlaki with avocado, tomato, onion, sour cream and fries.
The Greek influences start at the very beginning, with things like Saganaki cheese ($10.99), lightly-fried Greek Kefalograviera cheese served with lemon; Greek fries ($8.99) with tomato, red onion, feta cheese and Greek oregano; and Dodoni feta ($7.99) with drizzled extra virgin olive oil, pepper, Greek oregano and pita bread.
There’s a slew of great salads such as the pear and walnut ($10.99) and the Village ($8.99 small, $12.99 large) with tomato, cucumber, red onion, green peppers, feta and OG dressing. To hammer home the made-from-scratch approach, the dips such as the garlic hummus ($7.99); Melitsanosalata ($7.99), baked eggplant with garlic, onion and lemon; and Scordalia ($7.99), garlic, potato and olive oil spread, are all made in house.
Even three of the burgers have Greek roots. Made from the same amazing meat people are used to having at Wingcraft, the Greek versions are worth checking out: the Saganaki and spicy feta ($10.99 each) feature the same cheeses as the aforementioned appetizers; and the lamb and beef blend ($11.99) is topped with tzatziki, tomato, onion and greens.
Grab a healthy Cobb salad at The OG.
If you really want to experience some great Greek cuisine, check out the Greek entrees, including the best pastitsio ($16) you will ever have. The Greek lasagna is layered with Pat LaFrieda ground beef, layers of macaroni and topped with Bechamel sauce and includes choice of soup or salad.
Literally. As of earlier this week, there were 45 reviews on Facebook, all 5 Stars.
And while there is no question that the reason you should go to The OG is for its Greek food, some the of American staples people fell in love with at Wingcraft can be found without driving to A.C., including the classic American burger ($9.99); chicken tenders ($8.99) marinated in buttermilk and spices, hand-battered, fried and topped with choice of sauces including hot and honey, BBQ honey and Greek; and the Pat LaFrieda black angus Philly steak ($8.99), this time served in a pita with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, sautéed onion and a pinch of fries. The famous Wingcraft buffalo chicken can also be found in The OG’s buffalo chicken pita ($9.99) with blue cheese dressing and a pinch of fries. And the sweet potato marinara gyro ($9.99) with onion, tomato and sour cream may not sound awesome, but tastes amazing … another example of Ballias’ creative ability in the kitchen.
And for those looking for some South Jersey comfort food, you can also have cheese fries ($5.99), onion rings ($5.99) and mozzarella sticks ($7.99).
Start your meal with the 3 Dip Trio at The OG in Somers Point.
It turns out The OG didn’t just solve Ballias’ problem of where to eat dinner, but it solved much of the mainland community’s dilemma.