There's a restaurant down in Porter Square which some compare to Boston's favorite neighborhood bar.

Tina Rasta, an employee at the restaurant, says, "It's like Cheers--a place where everybody knows your name."

A little different. Imagine Cheers--the bar, the regulars, the bartender who "knows everybody"--with the lights dimmed, exotic lanterns hanging from the ceiling, fake palm trees between tables and a belly dancer swaying her hips to the sound of Middle Eastern music.

What you've got is Averof, a colorful Greek and Middle Eastern restaurant which celebrated its 20th anniversary last month.

For Greeks in the Boston area, Averof is a friendly atmosphere with a touch of the old world. For Americans, it offers a taste of the exotic.

Averof is set apart from other Greek restaurants by its live entertainment at night. A Greek crooner backed by "The Averof Band." The buxom Elena asking people to come on stage and join a line dance. And the seductive Salisa stripping off the veils and leaving not much else.

Salisa, a Sicilian whose real name is Celeste Cimino, spends some time on stage doing the belly thing and some time talking with customers.

"I make so many wonderful friends here," she says. "It's a really comfortable atmosphere."

Salisa, who works four or five nights a week at Averof and performs at private parties, says she "loves" what she does. Even on nights like last Saturday when she's "feeling lousy" and the biggest challenge is "going up there and smiling."

After a mini-performance on stage, Salisa moves to the floor, still shakin' and bakin', working the room for tips. The dollar bills get placed in some sensitive spots, but she doesn't seems to mind.

"The people here are gentlemen," she says. "They're never fresh about it."

Among the "gentlemen" Salisa has entertained are Tip O'Neill, Michael Dukakis and members of the Saudi royal entourage which recently visited Boston.

There are many ladies in the house; they might even outnumber the men. But no one seems offended by Salisa's performance.

"Maybe lewd young men like you see an erotic dance," Averof owner Raymond Banzar says to this reporter, "but the older people see the charm, the art."

But an older man sitting right in front of the stage seems to contradict Raymond's claim. Celebrating his 95th birthday at Averof, Harry Collias says that he likes the "different movements" of the belly dancer. His smile suggests that more than aesthetic appreciation is at work.