UYE: Peasants Potluck @ Mezza

My second Unilocal Potluck and my first time at Mezza was a success. Where else in Halifax can six people order 20 dishes and each pay $ 15? There were lots of great dishes, and this is a great spot to take vegetarians, lots of options to choose from. There were dips, side dishes, cold dishes, warm dishes and plenty of pitas to hold everything together. My favourite dish of the night was a lentil and rice dish, and it formed a complete protein to boot. With all the garlic and spices in all of the dishes, it’s nice that they offer mouth wash in the bathrooms, so you can leave the place still smelling good. Our server was completely great, no odd looks about just ordering apps, and she was happy to split the bill six ways.
While all of the food was delicious, it can’t top the company. We shared some laughs, and got some backwards information on acne during the course of our meal. Can’t wait to make this a regular event.

What a blast! This was my very first peasants potluck, and I was not disappointed. Entertaining conversation, lots of delicious Mediterranean food, a bottle of Prosecco, an amazing deal, lovely ambiance, friendly and attentive service, and some backward slides to inform us about acne management — what’s not to love?
Mezza has an incredible deal of ½ price appetizers (with alcoholic beverage purchase) on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so the 6 of us made a group decision to get 2 of EVERYTHING on the ½ price appy menu and split the bill. Not only did we all enjoy tons of delicous food, we each had enough left over for doggy bags, and the bill was only $ 15! I double dog dare you to find a better deal.
I will be dreaming of the Phyllo Cheese Rolls and the Sambousik for a long time to come.

It’s not often I get to go to fancy restaurants. I go out often to eat, but I’m challenged by a boyfriend with a very particular palate, or a wallet that protests the higher meal tab. This UYE was beyond perfect in so many ways.
The company was great, for starters. Six of the best Unilocalers sat at the table and fueled great conversation and shared slightly embarassing anecdotes. The beautiful mediterranean backdrop and the lilting music created an inviting and cozy atmosphere. The table was loaded with 20 plates of goodness served by a waitress that was both friendly and professional. Throw in a bottle of perseco and we had the perfect UYE night.
We noshed on pita, fava beans, and grape leaves. We inhaled phyllo wrapped cheese. We dipped, spread, and dunked everything in hummus, taziki, yogurt, and beans. It was a delectable feast. The bill should have been astronomical for the amount of food we ordered, but the beauty of half-​priced apps meant that our bellies were full and our wallets weren’t emptied!
And, as my fridge had kealed over on the weekend, that left me with no choice but to munch on my leftovers later that night. Hummus and Glee. My life is so hard.
Bonus was the awesome educational experience of poor Hannah with her sad eyes and «blim» acne, courtesy of the dermatologists’ dinnertime slide presentation projected behind our table.

I’ve been all over these Peasants Potlucks, but based on the amount of food and crazy low prices, this was definitely my favorite so far. (Though they’ve all been lovely.)
Our delightful group of six decided to order two of every dish on the Tuesday night ½ price appetizers list. Yep, 20 dishes for six people. It was amazing. We had everything you could ever want, from dips and hummus to falafel, phyllo cheese rolls (my favorite!) and a bunch of things I couldn’t pronounce but totally dug.
All that, and I walked away with a bill of only $ 15? Now that’s what I call a fantastic Tuesday evening. Thanks to everyone for a fun night!

I’m still in shock over this event and I haven’t even put my leftovers in the fridge yet. I mean, did we seriously just get over twenty shareable dishes for just $ 15 each? ‘Cause I’m half expecting the owner of Mezza to show up at my door demanding more money.
Needless to say, we are DEFINITELY doing half-​off apps on Tuesday and Thursdays again. Not only was it foolishly cheap (check the picture of the receipt…), the food was obscenely, ridiculously good.
The labneh? Just get it in my face.
The phyllo cheese rolls? Even better than I remembered.
Even the bean concoction with both ‘foul’ and ‘mud’ in the name was tasty!
Of course, the food couldn’t compare to the lovely company. From burglar avoidance tactics to picking out Internet service, I learned, I laughed, I loved. Heck — we even got a sneak peak at the latest in acne management strategies from whatever organization was projecting slides onto the window by our table. What more could you ask for in a UYE?!
And that, actually, leads me to a great closing point: HUGE thank you to Vanessa J for taking the lead on pulling this together and for potentially finding a permanent location for our monthly potluck!
What a great way to spice up an uneventful Tuesday!