Tag: Meze

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Spanako-tiropita from Meze on Shrewsbury Street

Spanako tiropita from Meze on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Spanako tiropita from Meze on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

I have arguably never been more excited to enter a restaurant as a Worcester Foodie than I was walking into Meze.  Greek food? Ouzo? Spanakopita? And even better still, small plates allowing for all the variety of bites I want?!  I was so excited I started the meal with Ouzo. Surrounded with all items blue and white, and a mural photo of Santorini to my left, I quickly found some personal favorites on the menu.  Being Greek allowed me to help some of my neighbors with the menu, but soon I fell silent. I have also never been as disappointed as a Worcester Foodie as I was at Meze.  I cannot blame my high hopes and excitement, my food left me confused, hungry, and with a bad taste in my mouth that needed to be washed away with more Ouzo. I ordered their Spanako-tiropita which is spinach mixed with feta and folded into phyllo dough. The dish came with a side of Greek yogurt for dipping. Strangely, some triangles were stuffed with only spinach and others were stuffed with just feta!  I took a few apart in surprise. Eat one should be a mix!  The second dish I ordered was grilled calamari. This was a whole squid with olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon, and Romano cheese. None of those flavors came through. All I tasted was char from the grill. The squid was terribly burnt where it had touched the grill and the every bite was overpowered with burnt flavor. I tried quite a few bites-following each one with either a spinach or feta stuffed phyllo triangle but gave up soon.  Most other foodies seemed to be more pleased with their dishes than me, so I would give them another shot if someone invited me there, but I don’t think I’d return on my own.

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

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Soutzoukakia Smirneika from Meze Greek

Soutzoukakia Smirneika from Meze on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Soutzoukakia Smirneika from Meze on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

Mezé Greek Tapas Bar & Grille is one of the newer restaurants and brings a Greek flair to the Shrewsbury St dining experience with their tapas themed restaurant. Having been here a few times in the past I was already familiar with their extensive menu of Greek favorites. After reviewing the menu I decided to have one dish that was a favorite of mine and one dish that I have not tried before.

The first plate I ordered was the Meze Pikilla Plate, which was a combination of five of their favorite cold dips. The dips included Tzatziki, taramosalata, tyrokaferi, skordalla, and Melitzanosalata. For most of us we are probably familiar with Tzatziki, but the other dips were equally pleasing. The Melitzanosalata was a roasted eggplant dip with garlic, oil, and vinegar that was blended into a smooth Smokey eggplant spread. The Skordalla was a similarly prepared dish but with potato instead of eggplant. The Tyrokafteri was a pleasantly creamy feta cheese spread with chunks of feta mixed in and last but not least was Taramosalata a Greek caviar spread that was a pink creamy caviar spread that was also delicious. The plate was prepared with a slice of tomato and cucumber separating each spread and a good portion of grilled pita bread. This dish is a perfect dish for sharing and sampling among friends. All of the spreads were worthy of being on this platter and would be a great start to the meal.

For my next course I strayed away from the traditional kabobs and dishes that I have enjoyed here before and opted for a dish called Soutzoukakia Smirneika. The dish was described as mixed ground beef and pork mini loafs, fried, and topped with homemade tomato sauce served on a bed of white rice. I’m not sure if it was my expectations were off or if the dish was suffering an identity crisis, but I would describe this almost as an Italian meatball (shaped like a sausage) and served with a red sauce and a small cup of sticky,cheesy rice. While the dish was well prepared and decent quality it did not quite hit the mark for me.

Overall, Mezé is a great place to go and sample a variety of Greek dishes. The food quality and service were great and the staff has always been friendly and helpful. Mezé is a great place to go with a group of friends and sample a great selection of Greek dishes.

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