Mez Restaurant

After enjoying a nice anniversary dinner "in" on Friday night (Mike grills an excellent steak), we went out last night to celebrate again. Hey, why not? We kept changing our minds about where we wanted to go but Mike had lunch at Mez Restaurant on Friday and was so impressed he wanted to go back for dinner immediately.

Mez is a new upscale/contemporary Mexican restaurant and it's owned by the same local group that owns 518 West, one of our favorite Italian restaurants in downtown Raleigh. The address for Mez is Durham but it's really more in RTP/Morrisville.

We were seated promptly - Mike had made a reservation but at 7pm it wasn't really necessary. It seems they do most of their business during the week and at lunch. By the time we left the dining room was getting busy but it still wasn't packed.

We ordered chips with the salsa trio (Salsas de la Casa) and Queso Flameado for an appetizer. The salsas were all delicious, though we thought the tomatillo-avocado was htoter than the roasted tomato-chipotle she had warned us about. And the Queso Flameado was absolutely amazing. So melty and smooth.

Mike ordered the Grilled Salmon for his entree and said it was excellent. It was piled high with a salad and looked photo-ready. I ordered the empanadas from the small plates menu. To be honest (and this is going to sound like a complaint but it really isn't), they were very good but also kind of bland. If you're looking for something mild (which I was) these will fit the bill. They were served with some tomatillo salsa that was so hot I could barely dip my fork in it without breathing fire so there's definitely the opportunity to spice it up. Also, as a "small plate" this included three large empanadas, perfect for someone with a smaller appetite.

We decided to skip dessert in favor of grabbing some ice cream at home but the tres leches cake and churros were tempting. Also, it's worth mentioning that Saturday night is 50% any bottle of wine, bringing the prices down from "standard restaurant over-charging" levels to "close to what you'd actually pay in the store" levels.

I'd recommend Mez. Prices are quite reasonable and the quality of the food & service are both high. The atmosphere is very relaxed - we saw diners in everything from shorts to dresses - and the margaritas are great.

Find me a man who's interesting enough to have dinner with and I'll be happy. -Lauren Bacall