Mezè

Mezè, which means "snack" or "taste" in Persian, is a Turkish/Mediterranean place on the east side of 18th street. Mezè is a three-dimensional enterprise: (1) it has a mediocre lunch and dinner menu consisting of Mediterranean tapas that are inferior to Zaytinya's and not much cheaper, if at all; (2) at night, like many other Adams Morgan establishments, it converts itself into a raucous and generally obnoxious lounge with a club on the top floor; and (3) surprisingly, it has solid brunch.

The brunch starts off with complimentary muffins. Any free food is good and these muffins are warm and tasty. The best item on the brunch menu is the French toast, which you might not expect from a Turkish restaurant. Of course, the quality of the bread is what makes a good French toast. While Mezè's is not made from challah -- our personal favorite -- it is prepared with homemade cinnamon bread topped with a generous amount of fresh fruit. The bread is thick, soft, and spongy and the complement of cinnamon with sweet fruit and maple syrup presents an ambrosial combination. If you've never been to Mezè before for brunch, there's no reason to order anything else.

We have, however, sampled some of their other offerings. The two other highlights on the menu are the Eggs Florentine, a popular vegetarian alternative to Eggs Benedict of two poached eggs with tomatoes and fresh spinach on top of an English muffin with what appears to be homemade hollandaise sauce, and if you're adventurous, the "Bosphorous Breakfast" which they describe as a "traditional Turkish breakfast with pastrami and sausage, cigar borek, hard boiled eggs, assorted cheeses, tomatoes, cucumbers and olives" -- kind of like a Turkish antipasto. The coffee is also very good here, though it comes with those annoying one-serve half-and-half containers instead of a milk or cream saucer.

They also offer free belly dancing lessons.

Mezè
2437 18th St. NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-797-0017

Brunch Menu [Mezè]


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Photo courtesy of mezedc.com