For many like Collias, Averof is a place to go on special occasions. Nick Koempel came all the way from Cape Cod to Averof to celebrate his 27th birthday with his family.

"It's a birthday treat for me," says Koempel. "We're Greek, and I love belly dancing."

Many of Averof's customers come to the restaurant quite frequently, according to Averof employees and patrons.

"Thirty-five to 50 percent of our customers are regulars," says Rasta, who was handling the coat check.

Sitting at the bar with Salisa, Dimitros Vocas, 47, says he was one of the restaurant's first customers 20 years ago and now comes into the restaurant at least three or four days a week.

Much of the customer loyalty can be attributed to Raymond and John Banzar, the brothers who own Averof. One of them is at the door every night, greeting guests and trying to make them feel welcome.

"I let them feel comfortable, like guests in my own home," Raymond says, although he admits that his hospitality partially stems from the fact that his customers put "bread and butter" on his own table.

Valentine's Day is a major event at Averof. A special menu, called "Lover's Feast" or "Aphrodisiac," is created for the occasion. The multi-course meal includes a salad labeled "Lovers Only."

Raymond believes that olive oil is the key to the effectiveness of his food as an aphrodisiac.

"A jigger of olive oil keeps you healthy and gives you enough energy to get through the night's work," says Raymond.

When every couple leaves on Valentine's Eve, they are presented with a small package of oshta, which Raymond calls "a kind of breakfast you give to honeymooners the day after their wedding night in the Old Country."

The Banzars seem to be successful in recreating a piece of the "Old Country," even if belly dancing comes more from Turkey than Greece. And even if Salisa is Sicilian.