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Chicken Shawarma from Bay Side on Water Street in Worcester, MA

Bay State Shawarma and Grill is not your typical restaurant. This is more like a takeout place where you go up to the counter to order then wait for your number to be called. They do have ample seating though, and it was easy enough to push enough tables together to seat 15 together. The food, however, was not your typical takeout. The menu was fairly large, with a pretty wide selection of middle eastern favorites from Shawarma, to Kibbe, to Hummus.

We started dinner with a plate of Baba ghanoush, which is cooked eggplant mixed with onions, tomatoes, olive oil and various seasonings and served with a fresh pita. As an appetizer, this was more than enough, we actually didn’t finish it, and maybe the best Baba ghanoush I’ve ever had. Nice and Creamy with a stong, but not overpowering, flavor. Perfect with the pita.

For dinner, I had the Chicken Shawarma. This came over rice with a side salad, hummus and labne. The Labne is a yogurt based side with heavy garlic with a fair amount of spice/heat. This was a fantastic addition to the chicken shawarma, providing a nice creamy counterpoint to the well seasoned and quite delicious chicken. The shawarma itself was a decent sized serving, with an almost crunchy coating on shaved chicken pieces. The hummus side was on the small side, but provided a great side to the chicken and the pita that came with the dish was the perfect vehicle for the hummus.

Overall, this was delicious and a very satisfying meal. As good as any sit down middle eastern place I’ve been, but at the cost of takeout.

Kotosouvlaki from Mezé Greek Tapas Bar & Grille on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Mezé Greek Tapas Bar & Grille, located on Shrewsbury Street, is not your typical tapas restaurant. When I think tapas, I always think Spanish food served in small plates meant to share around the table. Meze takes the concept of tapas and applies it to Greek food, quite successfully I might add. They have a very large selection of salads, soups, cold and hot plates, all meant to share. The portions are generous for tapas, more than enough for 2 people to share.

For a salad tapas, I had the Kounoupidi (Cauliflower and Broccoli Salad). This was steamed broccoli and cauliflower, chilled and then served with olives and a fresh squeezed lemon drizzle. This was a great start to the meal with fairly large florets of each and a nice fresh taste. The lemon drizzle didn’t overpower the food but gave it a nice tart counterpoint to the mild vegetables.

For hot tapas, I started with the Kotosouvlaki (Chicken Kabob). Seasoned, grilled chicken skewered with peppers and onions, served on a bed of rice with a side of tzatziki. The chicken was cooked perfectly. It was moist and tender and the crunch of the onion and pepper was a great textural offset to the chicken. This was delicious without the sauce, but the tzatziki was also fantastic and also gave a nice slightly tart flavor to the chicken.

Then I had the Piperiés Skaras (Grilled Pepper). Grilled whole pepper, peeled, with olive oil and vinegar. This was 2 large red peppers, grilled until very tender and marinated in vinegar and oil. The peppers were grilled perfectly and very flavorful with just the right amount of texture.

Meze does a great job of mixing flavors/textures in their dishes, providing food that is both imaginative and delicious. Overall, a really fantastic meal.

Due to the tapas style eating, photos may not match the foodies review or description.