Dinner at a new place, with friends. L and I suggest Mezza, a new Lebanese/Mediterranean place on Quinpool near Oxford. A movie after dinner at the Oxford.
The place is very well appointed, in fact another couple we know, coming in as we were ready to leave, ask "what is this place doing on Quinpool?"
Making great food, is the answer.
It turned out that Ian and Pam are as adventurous as we are, so we almost had one of everything. The cold and hot Mezzet plates were all scrumptious, service was excellent, prompt, and where not totally informed, motivated to go to the chef and get the answer to a question.
My only beef is one I imagine they will soon fix. Like many startup places, they seem to have been "captured" by the Molson's money bag marketers, thus depriving their customers of good beer, for the most part. The final beer our server named, on being asked what there was, was Propeller Bitter, in bottles. They sold us a few. The rest was all Molcrap.
But the wines? Howdy, what's up with this? The wine list is excellent, and impressive with several Lebanese wines simply not available elsewhere in Atlantic Canada.
Not wanting to scare our friends, I order one I know, that is usually available. The Chateau Ksara Reserve Couvent impresses me again, with great fruit and tannin at a fair price.
One question answers the mystery, and once again, the legacy of Adam Dial and his sommelier training program enhances the Halifax dining experience. It seems George Kapetanakis, also owner of The Armview Restaurant, did, or helped with the list. George is currently awaiting the results of his final Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers exam. I expect he will pass.
To be brief, we ate almost everything on the menu, in bits and bites. It was all good. Highlights for me included the Baba Ghanouj, the Bastorma, the Sambousik and the Chicken Kabob, plus the excellent thickened yoghurt we were served in place of tzaziki sauce.
I will be back. And with some wine geek friends to try some of the obscure Lebanese wines on the list.
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