The dining room is light and airy and painted a lovely shade of yellow, ! with chandeliers and huge vases of flowers. The front dining area is a little more intimate, and especially pretty with its Mediterranean-style muraled wall and big picture windows. There's a small full-service bar with a TV, where you can also eat.

The menu includes fried, grilled, and broiled seafood; chicken and beef; baked lasagna; ribs; and a handful of Greek specialties like moussaka ($11), Greek lemon soup ($2 a cup, $3 a bowl), and lamb. The lunch menu boasts a nice variety of sandwiches; burgers and wraps; clam and scallop rolls; fish and chips; and lower-priced versions of some of the dinner entrees.

The fried food truly lived up to its reputation. The calamari appetizer ($7) was golden and crispy, with a light batter that didn't overwhelm the squid's brininess. And we liked how the succulent fried shrimp were prepared: deveined, butterflied, and deep-fried in a crunchy batter that kept the shrimp sweet and soft inside ($8 as an appetizer, $14 for a ! dinner).

The hand-cut onion rings ($3.50) were golden and light , not greasy or overbattered. Even the potato skins appetizer ($6), filled with crispy bacon and mozzarella cheese, managed to escape the grease factor.

Portions are generous and come with a house salad, choice of rice, potato, or pasta, and a vegetable. Cole slaw, onion rings, french fries, and salad are served with all fried entrees.

Lamb is a staple in traditional Greek cooking, so we tried the roasted leg ($15) and highly recommend it. The sliced meat was lean and tender, enhanced with a savory brown gravy. Fresh green beans and heavenly roasted potato wedges accompanied the lamb.

The chicken parmesan ($12) was another good choice and covered the entire plate. The poultry was lightly breaded and topped with a zesty, house-made marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Dry-rubbed baby back ribs were indeed juicy and tender and slathered with a tangy, smoky barbecue sauce ($15 for a full rack; $10 for half).

The grilled lemon pepper Atlantic ! salmon fillet ($14) was fresh, flaky, and moist and came drizzled with a mild bearnaise sauce.

The service at Nick's is cordial and efficient, the food tastes homemade, and you won't be hit with a hefty tab.

If you can't get a baby sitter, bring the kids: They are welcome at Nicholas. The children's menu includes pasta with marinara or butter, chicken fingers, kid's fish, and burgers with french fries, all for less than $5, including a soft drink.

On neither of our visits did we have room for dessert, but the list includes tiramisu, cheesecake, chocolate truffle cake, ice cream, and the house specialty gallotobouriko, a traditional Greek dessert of custard wrapped in phyllo dough topped with sweet syrup. All desserts are $2.75-$5.50.

"When people come into our restaurant, we want them to feel like they are coming into our home," said John Stournaras.

On both occasions, that's just how we felt.