Mezze, Fell's Point

I missed out on last year's summer restaurant week because we hadn't moved here yet and then we missed winter's because I just couldn't decide which restaurant to try (and I'm a busy grad student!).  But I was determined to try restaurant week this year.  I read all of the menus and made lists of potential places to go until I finally settled on trying Mezze.  Mezze had never really been on my "need to try" list, but their menu looked really good and it was an awesome value; instead of 3 courses for $35.10, you would get about 20 tapas dishes.  Bargain!  And I knew there would be enough to take home. 


Mezze is located in Fell's Point and it's a really cute little place.  We were seated right away with our reservation and were given the choice between inside and outside.  We chose inside, which meant that we were very close to the tables next to us (this seems to be a trend lately).  Everyone in the row of four tables where we sat was also doing the restaurant week menu.  Our server came over right away and explained everything to us.  We each got a glass of red sangria (on special for $5 each) which was very good and fairly large compared to other restaurants' versions.  Then we waited for the immense amount of food to arrive.  First out was some fresh pita bread, which was hot and very good.  I started to get worried here because the tiny table was already almost full with just glasses and plates and pita.


I decided to copy the menu here and just give you a run down of each item.  First out were the dips:

Mixed Olives

These didn't actually make an appearance.  Not sure why, but no one seemed to get them.
 Hummus
This was a really thin hummus, but had good flavor. 

Tzatziki
This was pretty standard, but G loves Tzatziki, so he was happy.

Tabouli
Very good and I had more leftover for lunch the next day.

Next, we got the "vegetable course":

Grape Leaves
I really liked the actual leaves, but the filling seemed a little under seasoned.  Plus for not being too oily.

Spinach Pie

One of my favorites that we had all night.  It was perfectly flaky and the filling was delicious.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Roasted Peppers
I could have taken these or left them.  The filling was mushy and I'm not crazy about roasted peppers.

 

Then came the main course:

Falafel

These were some of the worst falafels that I have ever had.  Very dry.

Shrimp Cakes
Interesting.  I liked them, but didn't feel like I would necessarily order them again.

Fried Calamari
Pretty typical calamari.  Good, though.

Chicken Kabob
The chicken was very moist and flavorful.

Beef and Lamb Meatballs
Very moist and tender.  They were good, but again I don't think I would get them again.

Baby Lamb Chops
My first experience with lamb chops.  They were decent, I guess, but I don't feel qualified to judge.

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes
Good for a place that isn't known for seafood/crab cakes.  A little too much filler, but good flavor.

At this point we were stuffed, but the dessert course was on its way and it looked amazing!
Baklava

Yummy, yummy, yummy.  Lots of honey and nuts.
Kataifi
Kind of like the other two desserts combined.  Interesting and different and delicious.
Baked Custard

Probably my favorite of the three.  Delicious chilled custard with a yummy philo-type "crust."

The bill, with tip, came up to around $100.  We had a ton of food to take home, but I still do not think that the restaurant week pricing justifies a visit to Mezze.  You could go there, get only the dishes you want, and go home happy and probably spend less than half what we did.  The food was hit or miss, but the dishes that we liked, we liked a lot.  And like I said, the tables are really small and close together, so I felt like I was doing a balancing act the entire time.  A person at the table across from us did knock over his water and sent it flying every where.  My advice: try Mezze, get what you like, and don't go for restaurant week.