Bob Ganoosh experimented with some quasi-cannibalism last night. You guessed it, he tried Baba Ghanoush, the classic Mediterranean eggplant dish from which his nickname - and thus this blog - was originated. We had been contemplating trying this namesake disk for a few weeks, when we met a group of people while playing pool at the
Waterfront Hotel. When Shawn introduced himself as Bob Ganoosh, one of the gentlemen indicated that he worked for a restaurant that served Baba Ghanoush. And he referred us to Kali's Mezze Restaurant.
Located in Fell's Point walking distance from the water, Mezze is a small trendy joint squeezed-in next door to its sister restaurant Kali's Court. They offer a tapas style menu with a Mediterranean influence. At the time we got there (around 8pm) most of the dining room and all of the sidewalk seating was full; however, they managed to seat our party of 3 moderately quickly.
Being the Bob Ganoosh team's first tapas experience, we were pretty entertained by the idea of ordering a bunch of small cheap plates in lieu of a large expensive dish. For those unfamiliar with tapas-style restaurants, dishes are served in appetizer-esque portions, for prices usually less than that for a large dish at a traditional restaurant. Typically, if you're hungry you'll order several plates, or if you're just sipping down some drink you may just order a few plates at a time for the table to share.
When we reviewed the menu, we came to realize that the prices were a little bit higher than I had anticipated, with some plates costing in excess of $10 (for a small plate). Granted, these plates usually contained lamb or steak. And they did have cheaper plates as well, such as tapanade (a spread made of olives, among other things), which was under $4. The Baba Ghanoush was about $6. Given the trendy cosmopolitan theme and the quality of the dishes, we didn't find the prices unreasonable.
As for the food, we did not order a single thing we didn't like. We all found the Baba Ghanoush to be surprisingly pleasant, especially when eaten with the wonderful complimentary pita bread they provide. In addition to his namesake dish, Shawn got a dish with Haloumi cheese (very similar to mozzarella) on top of portabello mushrooms, and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. This dish was very flavorful, with the balsamic perfectly accenting the cheese and portabello. He also tried the baby lamb chops, which were generously seasoned with thyme and basil. I am not a big fan of lamb in general, but Shawn found it to be very tasty.
We also tried:
- Stuffed peppers, which consisted of 3 small green peppers stuffed with cheese, rice and spices. Don't be fooled by the peppers, this is a very mild dish
- Steamed Mussels, which gave Bertha's a run for its money (no disrespect to Bertha's, which is one of my favorite Fell's Point establishments). The mussels were fresh, the portion was generous, and the seasoned butter sauce drizzled on top sealed the deal.
- Cheese Pie - several cheeses baked into a phylo dough crust. Can't really go wrong there!
The Bob Ganoosh team would also like to give Mezze kudos for its plate presentation. Each dish was carefully and attractively garnished with Mediterranean-themed items (olives, etc.). And Shawn enjoyed the fact that all of the garnishes were not only edible, but delicious!
The only major downside was it's unlikely ability to handle a large party, especially without a reservation. This is merely a result of the small space in which they operate.
So, Bob Ganoosh's first tapas experience (and first taste of Baba Ghanoush) was a huge success! We plan to visit again with some more (but not too many) friends.
Kali's Mezze Restaurant
1606 Thames Street
Baltimore, MD 21231
410-563-7600
www.kalismezze.com
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