Meze

The South Philly restaurant boom continues as Meze, at the corner of Ninth and Catharine streets, finally opened its doors a few weeks ago. It is hands down one of the finest Philadelphia restaurants to open since last fall, when Paradiso and Southwark launched to well-deserved rave reviews.

Chef Val Stryjewski, a most talented and creative man, honed his skills at Brasserie Perrier, LaCroix at the Rittenhouse, Django and �Pasión! Although the menu revolves around Greek and Portuguese cuisines, Stryjewski’s clear, clean flavors and diverse textures pay homage to South America, Spain, France and Italy. I’ve eaten octopus and calamari in dozens of restaurants here and abroad, but I’ve never tried octopus p�té or calamari stuffed with lentils.

Meze is owned by Joseph Oliveira and Nick Papanicholas. The interior exemplifies "less is more" with a neutral stone floor, light gray walls, soft lighting, crisp white linen and modern white china. Meze is a BYOB, so bring your best. If you forget your wine, Papanicholas will offer you a glass of crisp "vino verde," the light and slightly fizzy white wine from Portugal.

The menu dazzled Edward and me. We sipped our wine and nibbled on French bread and pita, which arrived cool and could have used some time in the oven. There is a nine-course $55-per-person menu, which includes mussels with saffron ice cream and caviar as an "amuse bouche."

We opted for the � la carte menu and began dinner with calamari ($9). Stryjewski thoughtfully split this appetizer, the octopus and salad so Edward and I could easily enjoy them. Tiny whole baby calamari were seasoned and lightly grilled. The body of a larger squid was stuffed with creamy lentils and cooked to perfection. The squid were fresh and tender, and the contrast of flavors and textures was enhanced by a handful of cool crisp frisee in a citrus dressing with blood oranges.

I had my first taste of octopus terrine ($10) at Meze. The octopus was done in a French style, cooked and packed with vegetables in aspic and cooled. The spices gave the dish zing and the vegetables partnered perfectly with the grilled octopus tentacles.

We shared the roasted beet salad ($7), prepared with red and golden fresh beets. Some were tiny; some were sliced from the larger variety and were rich and sweet. Watercress was a fine tasty foil, as its peppery flavor also went well with mild goat cheese. The vinaigrette was laced with fresh orange juice.

The intermezzo was a savory surprise. A cool icy homemade oregano sorbet was topped with a cool oven-roasted sweet cherry tomato. Sound unusual? Yes, but it was complex in flavor and cleansed our taste buds for the rest of our meal. For our entrées, we selected veal loin and sweetbreads ($26) and "bife a Casa" ($25), a rib eye. It is rare to find sweetbreads on a menu these days and when they turn up with tender slices of roasted succulent veal and paired with unusual side dishes, I go for them. The sweetbreads were bite-sized beauties that I simply popped into my mouth. I then took a bite of tangy feta cheese foam, which was fashioned into an egg. The veal also was sliced into bite-sized pieces and sauced with a natural reduction of pan juices and fresh herbs. My dinner also contained smooth polenta that was delicious with the feta cheese foam.

Edward and I were surprised to find the steak sliced and served. The rib eye was tender and served in natural juices. It was paired with a ragout of linguica, a classic slightly spicy Portuguese sausage that was mixed with tender white beans.

I noticed that although Meze was new, the place was beginning to fill up with Center City couples and young professionals from the neighborhood.

We chatted with Papanicholas, who went from table to table ensuring his patrons were enjoying their dinner.

He offered us some oozo, which we gladly accepted. Oozo is a marvelous Greek liqueur, which is served on the rocks and packs a tasty punch. We looked at the dessert menu as we sipped our drinks.

Trio of baklava ($7) was nothing like the doughy, overly honeyed versions served in many restaurants. These treats were made with a puffier pastry and filled with walnuts and figs, pistachio nuts and fresh cherries and hazelnut with dried apricots.

Don’t think you are going to be served Greek-diner rice pudding at Meze. Here it is called rice pudding brulee ($7) and was prepared like a rich English custard, the rice tender yet a bit toothsome, the custard heady with cinnamon. The top was either run under the broiler or zapped with a blowtorch because it was crusty and almost candy-like.

Meze is the most unique restaurant to open in South Philly in a long time. Service was impeccable. Unfortunately for me, Stryjewski ran out of foie gras and fresh sardines on the night of our dinner, so we are planning to return very soon. A cured foie gras parfait scented with cumin and grilled sardines with artichokes are right up my culinary alley.

Three tips of the toque to Meze.

Meze
Ninth and Catharine streets
215-922-1997
Credit cards accepted
Wheelchair-accessible
Reservations a good idea