I stopped at these places today at lunch. The first is aside the Publix. The second is on the main street (New Broad). I was here because Bem Bom is STILL not open.
Meza - I think they are over a year overdue. They opened two weeks ago. The owner was behind Cafe Annie downtown. The heart of the menu is Lebanese. Or at least the owner is. I had the chicken tagine. It was a sort of deconstructed/modern tagine. More of a stew around rice served in a porcelain bowl. One breast cut in two. Sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, chick peas, onions and cauliflower in a slightly sweet broth with tumeric (among other things). The chicken was a little tough. Stewed meats are like that. The basmati grain seemed a little fatter and shorter than the type you get in Indian dishes. Hard to tell how it was cooked amongst all the broth. It cost $16. $22 at dinner. Mostly a good dish. Very encouraging. My main problem with food (etc) from this region is that it is rarely "modern" or "innovative". The menu is a little predictable. Kabobs, side dishes/dips, etc. But, there are some elements that nudge the envelope. Aka lamb chops and the tagine preparation. I'd like to see more. The main dishes are in between $20 and $30 at night. Cheaper during the day. Apps are under $10. The room has high ceilings. One big room with a bar in the rear. The color scheme is monochrome with red brick wall accents. Nice, new, modern tables and chairs. Cloth napkins. They spent some money. It seats about eighty. There were three other tables (one Arab) seated while I ate. They only had one waiter. But, he mostly handled the weight. I did have to ask for a refill. It was better than I expected.
Tutto Caffe - They were to open about the same time last year as Meza. They beat them by six months. I was under the impression it was just a coffee place. They also serve breakfast and sandwiches and wine. A deli/lounge set up. I grabbed an English Lunch panini for $7. It was roast beef, cheddar, horseradish on a ciabatta roll. Served warm. It was pretty good. It could have used a little more horseradish and I'm not a huge fan of ciabatta (too dense and dry). The cheese was tasty. Mostly good and I'd eat it again. It also came with a decent frisse/field greens salad. They had a half dozen other sandwiches. A chicken pesto. An Italian meats. That's all I remember. Good value.
*Two new places have also opened or will open here. Vintage (wine bar next to Tutto). Open. And some brewery. Not open.
**I had a few interesting food finds in South America. See if you can find them or make them. Carrot cream dip. In place of a tapanade. For bread. A thicker carrot soup. Aguaymanto or Peruvian ground cherries. Look like cherry tomatoes. Taste citrus-y. Arvejas frita. Fried peas. Aceituna (black olive) sandwich. And I finally tried Thai ice cream in Mendoza of all places. They take cream and fruit and pour it on a cold steel plate and then it freezes and they scrape it up in a roll. I think it's supposed to be the latest craze. I saw it on tv before I left. Coldstone plus. We need that here. You probably have heard of the rest of the stuff I ate. I ate that big corn (choclo) - on the cob. Only had it in kernels before. I will point out that Burger King had a burger with a hot dog on it (Parrillera) that they should sell here.
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