Mezes, my favorite neighborhood Greek restaurant, was recently voted Best Greek Restaurant of 2009 by SFGate. To celebrate, they partnered with Domaine Carneros and threw a party offering dinner guests a complimentary platter of appetizers and a glass of champagne. 
Since my mom was in town last night, Bryan and I figured it was the perfect time for a big fat Greek dinner. We sat upstairs, usually the best seat in the house, but given the recent heat wave, it was absolutely sweltering! To try and deal with the heat, I kept telling myself that it made the whole experience a bit more authentic. I was really on the island of Corfu and after dinner, I would return to my large white villa and sit on the deck to enjoy the ocean breeze…or my third story apartment where I’d have to strip down and open all the windows to cool off.
Even despite the heat, we had a really good time. As always, the folks at Mezes (especially Jimmy, the host) were more than accommodating and the food was excellent. The complimentary appetizer platter which consisted of pita bread and their amazingly delicious Tzatziki, dolmathes, and Melitzanosalata (eggplant spread) was almost enough food to not order anything else! But, of course we ordered more. We tried a few different dishes (probably one too many) including the Pantzaria Me Skordalia (beets with garlic spread), Fasolakia (string green beans baked in olive oil, tomatoes, onions and herbs), and the Melitzana Imam (grilled eggplant stuffed with veggies and feta). We also ordered our two favorites - the Gigantes (white beans baked in tomatoes and herbs) and the Kolokithokeftedes (zucchini cakes). Everything was delicious with the exception of the Gigantes. The first time we ordered them, we licked the bowl clean; last night, they were a bit on the dry side and seemed a tad overcooked.
