THEIR BIG FAT GREEK RESTAURANT FIREHOUSE'S BIG PORTIONS OF HOMEMADE FARE WILL HAVE YOU SHOUTING 'OPA!'.

Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic

IN THE PAST 35 years, I must have passed the Firehouse more than 100 times, always thinking it was a burger stand.

Then lo and behold, one day recently a colleague in the Daily News city room passed a Firehouse takeout menu to me, and I found out that its kitchen cooks Greek food and that it even has a small dining room on the premises.

Oh yeah, turns out that on the back of the four-page menu is a small listing of hamburgers.

However, the most intriguing aspect of its bill of fare is its prices. Only one dish exceeds $9.

So of course, yours truly the big spender, had to try this $12.95 offering, a combination plate of moussaka or pastitsio, spanakopita, tyropita, gyros and dolmades with a small Greek salad, pita bread and rice or fries.

For those not conversant in Greek culinary terms, moussaka is a baked, layered casserole dish made with eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes and seasoned ground beef, all topped with a bechamel sauce (flour, butter and milk) and grated cheese.

Very satisfying.

Pastitsio (here called pastichio), the untried alternative, is often described as a Greek lasagna, being a baked casserole dish of layered noodles (usually macaroni) with seasoned, ground beef and similarly topped with bechamel sauce and grated cheese.

Spanakopita, as done here, is a triangular filo dough turnover stuffed with a spinach and feta cheese filling. Tyropita is the same with only cheese.

Gyros is the clever pressing of ground lamb and beef with special seasoning into a tasty sliced meat product. And dolmades are stuffed grape leaves.

At the Firehouse you order at the counter, pay in advance with cash (no credit cards) and pick up your food on trays and take it back to your table.

This self-service method evidently helps to keep the prices down.

With this particular order of the combination house specialty plate, you'll actually get two oval plates packed with food.

But rest assured, this is not merely a quantity thing.

The Firehouse fare is truly flavorful, really as good as homey Greek food can be.

Consequently, I end up taking most of the spanakopita, tyropita and well- executed fries home in a to-go box.

I wasn't alone.

Other diners noticeably leave at the end of their meal with similar packages.

As for the lower-priced dishes, if you've never tasted the Greek marinated meat called souvlaki, the Firehouse is a sensible choice for the introduction.

Here you can taste lamb, beef and chicken souvlaki on a combination plate ($7.95) with the usual accompaniments of pita bread, fries or rice and Greek salad.

All the meats possess the requisite tenderness and moistness and impart the gratifying flavors that result from the souvlaki marinade.

On some items, tsatziki - a yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and cucumber mix - is used as an effective saucing. An untried pork souvlaki is also available.

And for those who like the idea of a chicken version of gyros, the Firehouse serves up an excellent rendition.

And there's a rarity - a seldom-found, mild, aromatic, house-produced Greek island sausage fashioned from ground pork and beef called sheftalia worth a try.

It's served as part of a trio of Firehouse items dubbed Village Specialty Platters.

Only one dessert here: baklava ($1.25), and it's also made in-house.

In fact, just about everything seems to be made from scratch - surely the main reason why this eatery has been around since 1967.

And finally revealed to me as so much more than a mere burger stand.

FIREHOUSE RESTAURANT

Food: Three and one half stars. Value: Three and one half stars.

Where: 18450 Victory Blvd., Reseda.

Hours: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Recommended items: Souvlaki (lamb, beef, chicken), gyros (blend of beef and lamb), chicken gyros, moussaka, ground beef-stuffed grape leaves, sheftalia, fries.

How much: Majority of meals are $7.95 each. Cash only, no credit cards.

Wine list: No alcohol license.

Reservations: Not taken. First come, first served. Takeout orders and information: [phone].

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Photo:

Firehouse Restaurant in Reseda offers a satisfying combination platter among its Greek treats.

Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer