Mezza9

Doug R. wrote:

>I keep reading about Mezza9 in the Arlington Hyatt Hotel. If the reviews
>are acurate, it sounds great. Before I go try it, has anyone had an
>experience with it? Any comments?

We've been twice and it appears we're going again Monday night. It's first rate. It's an elegant environment, with service as obsequious and helpful as you can imagine, and dishes that are for the most part very nicely prepared and tasty.

Dinner begins with good bread served with a selection of olives, some good spread, and a whole chunk of parmesan cheese on each diner's bread plate. The menu includes mezze-type dishes, though not so much traditional mezze as what we've lately become used to in tapas restaurants: small plates of often innovative combinations. There are also full-fledged entrees. Dessert is followed by after-dessert, when a three-tiered tray of chocolate and fruits is brought to the table. Enough already!

It's moderately pricey. Assuming you don't tell the staff in advance that you need to move through the meal more quickly, the pace is leisurely (but not in the sense that you'll ever feel neglected), so it's a good place to take people you want to spend several hours catching up with (which is what we're doing Monday night).