It's all Greek -- and Trojans for life -- to him

SAN PEDRO, Calif. -- John Papadakis is topless.

John Papadakis has wined and dined guys like John Robinson for a long time now. (Provided to SportsLine)

Well, let's put that in perspective. John Papadakis is topless only minutes before his Greek restaurant opens for that night's dinner crowd.

Though "opening" isn't exactly right either. The only reason three early arriving reporters have caught Papadakis changing into his owner/operator/restaurateur formal duds is that the front door to Papadakis Taverna is unlocked.

No matter. C'mon in. John Papadakis is anything but a private man. And by the end of the evening, he will be topless again and maybe, just maybe, USC will have locked up another recruit.

"We tell recruits we're going to a nice, quiet, homey place," USC coach Pete Carroll said of one of the secrets to his success. "We're going to talk about your future and stuff like that. The next thing they know, John's unbuttoning his shirt and dancing in front of everybody."

And that's a routine night for the 54-year-old former USC linebacker. The place isn't a restaurant; it's a sit-com set complete with its own unique set of characters.

There's an 80-something violinist who serenades diners for tips. Anthony D'Oria claims to have played with Sinatra. He takes requests. Go ahead, name a college fight song. D'Oria will play it ... on the violin.

A belly dancer tantalizingly dances for her own tips. Offering a hip here and a waistband there, until a customer can concentrate enough to stuff a bill into her, um, coffer.

Dishes are broken. Lamb is served. Opas are yelled. Wine is consumed.

"We're always worried that the parents are going to be shocked," Carroll said.

Put it this way. Your basic McDonald's drive-thru is less wholesome. After baklava, Greek pasta (Carroll's favorite) and another clink of glasses, you'd be ready to commit too.

"I tell 'em that Carroll is the rock upon which we're going to build this program," Papadakis said.

"The message is this: Our colors stand for something. The cardinal is our blood, we're all equal, we're all real inside, we're all the same. The Spartan army wore cardinal colors so when they were stabbed, the enemy wouldn't see the blood.