Restaurant Review: Mezes

In my opinion, Toronto’s best food festival is the “Taste of the Danforth” in Toronto’s Greektown.  To be sure, Toronto has other great food festivals.  Summerlicious is a great way to sample menus from some of Toronto’s more upscale eateries, and other cultural festivals are always chock-a-block with delicious food stalls, but in my humble opinion the Taste of the Danforth has what all the other festivals lack: quality and variety.

 

A restaurant which opens its doors during the Taste of the Danforth is Mezes.   “Meze” is the Greek word (Mezés or Μεζές) for what is popularly known as tapas or “appetizers”.  Went there recently with an open mind and an empty stomach and came out amazed.

Mezes’ decor is classy yet relaxed - one would be as comfortable having a meal there in shorts and a T-shirt as in business casual or more formal attire.  The service is similarly informal but efficient.  Our waiter was extremely knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour.  He made sure we had drinks as soon as we were seated and (following a perfunctory Ouzo shot) he must have picked up on some vibe we were putting out because he was taking our orders as soon as we’d decided what to eat.

 

The menu at Mezes is vast and includes far more than the usual token tzatziki and hummus platters.  The appetizer menu is epic, and a friend of mine suggested ordering an appetizer each and then sharing them all.  We ended up splitting the difference, and ordered the Kria Poikilia (an array of popular dips Tzatziki, Taramosalata, Homous, and Melitzanosalata served with pita) and I ended up ordering the (wait for it…) lamb souvlaki.  Yes, I know.  It’s a bit cliché, but I just had to see how they cooked this classic dish.  I was not disappointed.

 

The lamb was cooked to perfection (medium rare…any more cooked and its a waste of meat); it was succulent, juicy and tasty.  The Olympus-sized rice mound that accompanied the dish was also fabulous and fluffy.  I have to say the salad was a bit of a let down, but – hey – with everything in front of me I hardly had room to put away a few mouthfuls of greenery.

 

Mezes’ was a great experience with good food at a very reasonable price.  If you do end up going, however, get there early because it’s extremely popular.  We had to wait 45 minutes for a table.  If you do end up waiting, however, fear not.  Mezes is just up the street from a cluster of great stores.  I would HIGHLY recommend Mezes if you’re looking for a good time in a friendly, charming restaurant.

 

Back in Action

Finally, now that the dust has settled and my life has returned to normal, I’ve decided to re-commit to this blog.  Unfortunately, my computer has melted down, making it harder to write without the benefit of Photoshop and the other goodies on my noble Toshiba Satellite, but I have this chopped down computer and I’m always up for a challenge.

 

The Wrong Kind of Bar

No sooner have I returned from Japan that I am thrown into my Bar (i.e., law licensing) exams. The last one is on June 7. After that, and following a trip back to Montreal, it’ll be full speed ahead with the blog and some of the lovely recipe books I got in Japan. Stay tuned!

 

Cullinary Hiatus

Time for a break and some food research in Japan.  Stay tuned for authentic J-land recipes coming soon!

 

Amazing, Easy, Spicy Stuffed Mushrooms

The funny thing about party food is that you never know what appetizers will grab your guests’ attention. I put these stuffed mushrooms together almost as an afterthought and yet they disappeared in the blink of an eye. I was attracted by the ease with which they can be made and that they only require 20 minutes in the cooking in the oven before coming out piping hot and full of flavour.

This recipe is based one I found in Tyler Florence’s Eat This Book. To make it, here’s what you’ll need:

24-30 white mushrooms
2 handfuls of cilantro/flat leaf parsley, chopped
½ cup of olives (pitted), chopped
¼ cup of sultana raisins, chopped
1-2 hot chillies, seeded and chopped
1 cup of panko breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs)
1 cup of freshly grated parmesan (or store bought, if you have to)
3-4 Italian sausages (about 500g or 1lb)
1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
Salt (Kosher, if you’ve got it)
Freshly ground pepper
5-7 sprigs of thyme

First off, prep your non-meat ingredients. Remove the stems from the mushroom and make sure you have nice big wells in which to put as much of the meat mixture as possible. Oil an oven-proof baking pan and put in your mushrooms.

Next, combine your chopped olives, raisins, pepper(s), ¾ cups of breadcrumbs, ¾ cups of the parmesan and a table spoon of olive oil. Mix lightly to combine the ingredients.

With that out of the way, remove the minced meat from within the Italian sausage skin. Season with salt and pepper and add the mince to the non-meat mix you just put together.  Now, roll up your sleeves, get your hands in there, and start mixing the ingredients together. This will take about 2-3 minutes and is the most taxing part of the recipe.

Stuff the meat mixture into the mushroom…and don’t be shy! Next, sprinkle the leftover panko and parmesan on top of the stuffed mushrooms. Then, sprinkle the mushrooms with olive oil and drape some thyme over them.

If you’re having a party, you can cover your baking pan and refrigerate for a day. When you’re ready to go, put the uncovered pan in a 240ºC/500ºF preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove, let cool for 5 minutes, and serve.