For our November gathering, the Worcester Foodies visited one of the newest additions to the Worcester restaurant scene – Meze Greek Tapas Bar and Grille on Shrewsbury Street.
Greek Tapas? Well as their website describes it…a meze is not a course, like an appetizer, but rather a dish, that is served alone or with other mezethes as a separate eating experience. The purpose of the meze is twofold: to complement and enhance the taste of a drink and / or to provide the backdrop for a social gathering.
For our group, the mezethes did both. There was beer and wine, ouzo, raki and more. And of course, WorcesterFoodies is always about social gathering, sharing food, stories and meeting up with old friends. We all ordered a few items and as usual, food was passed around the tables. I tasted octopus, salad, olives, cauliflower & broccoli, tzatziki, melitzanosalata, lemon potatoes, grape leaves and a few other dishes that right now I can’t quite remember.
I ordered (and shared) Soutzoukakia Smirneika – mixed ground beef and pork loafs topped with a tomato sauce and served with rice. I also ordered Mirada – fresh smelts dipped in homemade batter and golden fried. Both were outstanding. An enormous portion of smelts arrived first. Butterflied open, they were clean and fresh, crispy and served steaming hot. I also asked to have them prepared with some hot spice. I added just a little salt and pepper and they were outstanding. The Soutzoukakia Smirneika was next and, as I learned from our waitress, it was a very traditional dish. When it arrived you could smell the spicy, aromatic flavors of cumin, cinnamon and nutmeg. The tender beef and pork loafs were topped with a deeply rich and flavorful tomato sauce and all were served with a small portion of white rice that complimented the flavorful meat and sauce perfectly.
I would be remiss if I did not add something nice about our waitress who handled our entire group by herself and was very attentive and knowledgeable. Overall, Meze was very good and I look forward to going back and trying some other dishes from their very extensive menu.
Due to the tapas style eating, photos may not match the foodies review or description.