Parthenon

User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

We found this place by accident while traveling on I-80, stopping in Lincoln to find dinner. It made such a good impression that we made a point of coming for lunch on our way back a few days later.
The huge pots of basil and oregano in the entryway were a good sign. Both meals started with the hummus sampler, which featured five kinds of freshly made hummus (served with pita, which is some of the best I've ever tasted: it was heavenly warm and just barely crisp on the outside) My favorite hummus had small chunks of red pepper, and was slightly spicy: my daughter loved one that featured extra garlic.
The Greek salads- even small side salads- were huge, with chunks of fresh tomato and feta: the avgolemono balanced the flavors of chicken, lemon, rice and egg in a generously sized bowl that could be a meal in itself. The spanakopita was worth ordering twice, as well.
Several of us ordered dishes that featured tomato sauce (stuffed peppers with orzo, pastitsio, klitharaki, and a wonderful vegetarian moussaka) and each sauce was seasoned slightly differently to fit the dish. This is a detail I wish I encountered in more restaurants.
There was a good selection of wines and a delightful sangria as well as a wide variety of other drinks.
In addition to a large selection of meat and seafood dishes, the menu features vegan and vegetarian entrees , which is good news for veggie road-trippers. Bring an appetite, though, or make room in your cooler for a box of delicious leftovers: the portions are quite large in most cases.
I was less impressed by the desserts. The baklava, while fresh and sweet, tasted oddly like doughnut glaze, while the galaktoboureko was a trifle denser than I would have liked. To be fair, those are two out of an impressive selection of desserts, and it's likely that for those who are still hungry after dinner, there are treasures in the dessert cases. If you're stuffed but want a unique sweet, there's a dish of ouzo flavored candies by the register.
The staff- including the chef who came out to ask about the meal- was very friendly, but it took us quite awhile to get our food at dinner. Service at lunch, however, was quite fast, although a couple of special requests had to be repeated. In any case the food was worth the wait.
The prices were reasonable considering the quality of the food and the fact that many entrees could really be two meals: whether you are visiting Lincoln or just passing through, set aside a little extra time and money to eat at this local favorite.

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User Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Loved it: I had wanted to try this place forever. We got the Saganaki for starters it was very good. I could eat that stuff every day. I got the wine of the day...it too was very nice. I don't usually drink red wine but I liked it alot. I got the Pasta platter and I thought how is this little plate of pasta and shrimp gonna fill me up but I was stuffed and it was very good. My husband got Lamb something or other..with tomato sauce. He enjoyed it very much but said the sauce was a bit too much tomato. The service was the best we had in a long time. Very hospitable very prompt. We will certainly go back there again.

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User Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Over rated: I heard a lot about the parthenon, so we decided to try it. It's not bad, but extremely over-rated. The food is ok, not too authentic, and for the area, fairly expensive.

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