Super Bowl Update: Mesh

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Mesh: Revisit-- Lunch

3:33 AM | Labels: Downtown Restaurants, lunch places, Massachusetts Avenue Restaurants, Mesh

I met a friend for lunch the other day at Mesh and was interested to see if their lunch menu was different from the dinner menu. Lunch is fairly entrée salad and sandwich-heavy with a few larger entrees. I have eaten at Mesh a couple of times since my last review and have always been fairly impressed with their food. It isn’t amazing, but seems pretty consistently good. One other consistent thing I have experienced there unfortunately though, is some serious attitude from some of the people at the host/ess stand. The last time I was so pissed by the time I left, I didn’t know if I would go back. Luckily, this time everything went well, even when we asked to be moved into the bar where it wasn’t as dark and freezing as the table we did get (I was a little nervous about asking just because of previous experiences).

Once we got settled in the bar, we had a very enjoyable experience. Our server was very friendly and when I asked him, “what was better the shrimp po boy ($11) or the…..” he interrupted me to say, “get the po boy, it is the best thing on the menu.” So there you go. Decision made. I loved his confidence in his suggestion (you know I hate it when a server says, “well……the xyz is really popular….”) and you know what? He was right. Well, I don’t know if it is the best thing on the menu, but I really enjoyed it. So much that I ate the whole thing and it’s a pretty big sandwich.

I don’t think it is exactly authentic New Orleans style, but when you can do something different, and do it well, that’s okay too. It was a soft French roll topped with quite a decent amount of fried shrimp. They were a good medium size for a sandwich. They weren’t so big that they were hard to eat in one bite, but not so little that they got lost in the other flavors. They were fried in a crispy breading (cornmeal I would say). The sandwich was then topped with shredded romaine lettuce, chopped tomatoes and a red onion relish. There was also a fair amount of red chili mayo which made it a little messy but nice and moist. I really liked the added flavor and texture of the tomatoes and the fact that they were chopped small enough that you just got a nice amount of them in every bite. I love tomatoes but sometimes on sandwiches, you end up biting into it and pulling the whole thing out, you know? My favorite addition (and I would say the least authentic part probably) was the onion relish. They were sort of like caramelized and a little pickled at the same time. Wow, I really liked this sandwich.

I upgraded from the sweet potato chips that came with it to French fries because I remembered liking their fries. I am not so sure if my memory served me correctly though. They were the sort of fries that seem a tiny bit battered and then fried. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t hot enough and as usual, I wished for something besides ketchup to dip into (even if it was homemade).

This was a great lunch, and even with asking to switch tables, I didn’t get a single bit of attitude while I was there. And the food was great too. It was nice to have it all come together.

Mesh on Mass Ave.

725 Massachusetts Avenue

Indy 46204

317/955-9600

www.meshonmass.com

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Mesh: Revisit (Devour Downtown)

2:49 AM | Labels: Devour Downtown, Downtown Restaurants, lunch places, Massachusetts Avenue Restaurants, Mesh

I love the idea of devour downtown, it is a great way to potentially get to try restaurants that you might otherwise think are too expensive. Generally, the concept is for two weeks in the winter, and two in late summer, you get three courses at various restaurants for $30. A lot of the downtown restaurants participate and I think it garners a fair amount of business based on the buzz I see online (and the crowds).

Hubby and I were torn about where to go to try a devour downtown menu, and while several looked good (and several not as much), we decided to go back to Mesh, give the devour menu a try and at the same time, see if the quality was as high as our first visit.

You can see the devour menu here, and I thought it looked interesting (although it was slightly different once you got into the restaurant). Here’s the thing though, once you sit down and price out the individual items from the regular menu (salad $6, dessert, $7, and while the entrée I ordered isn’t on the regular menu, another chicken dish is for $17, and hubby’s was $16). This equals $30 or less and you get to choose exactly what you want. That isn’t really a special deal. I realize that this is a good thing that Mesh’s prices are more reasonable than some, and I appreciate this, but for devour, it seems like maybe they could throw in something else to make it a deal. A cup of soup, a glass of wine maybe? Something else. Although, maybe if you ordered the swordfish option that was on the devour menu, you would bump the value up a bit, but I am not a huge fan of swordfish. It seems like if you are really trying to get a good value during these weeks, you might be better off at some of the more expensive places like the steakhouses, Euphoria, or Oceanaire. Anyway, that’s my 2 cents about devour downtown menus.

As for the food, it was on the whole very good. I went ahead and ordered the devour menu because I wanted this to be a review about devour downtown and started with the 725 salad with mixed greens, gorgonzola, spiced pecans and red onion served with Blackberry vinaigrette. It was a really tasty salad. The pecans were small pieces, more like the cheese crumbles, which at first made me think they had forgotten them, but as I ate the salad, I realized I liked them this way because you got just a bit of the flavor and crunch with each bite. It was well tossed and dressed and the dressing, while you could taste the sweetness of the fruit, was not overly sweet and was balanced by the right amount of vinegar.

Hubby had the mushroom strudel with greens on the side ($9). It was really nice—there were several types of mixed mushrooms and feta cheese wrapped in phyllo dough and served with a nice salad with a tangy dressing that accented the earthy mushrooms. And the crunchiness of phyllo is something I love—it is light, but gives that buttery flavor and crunchy texture to whatever it is wrapped around. (I love wrapping just about any kind of fish with phyllo and baking it for a super easy dinner).

I had the chicken streusel (which was listed as chicken pot pie on the online devour menu) for my main and it was my biggest let down of the night (and also, the only non-regular menu item). Honestly, even though you can easily make a 3 course meal off the Mesh menu for right around $30, I think they actually gave you less than your money’s worth on this one. It was a fine portion for me, but smaller than most of their entrees. It was basically a very similar looking strudel to hubby’s appetizer (in size and shape) but it was filled with chicken, mushrooms and mixed veggies. It was served with mashed potatoes and more veggies—carrots and a bit of asparagus and covered in a thick Sherry cream sauce. I don’t know, it just didn’t have the depth of flavor that other things at Mesh have. The sauce was a bit flat and the inside of the strudel needed more seasoning—even just salt or something.

Hubby refused to get anything but the pork belly ($16) he had last time because he liked it so much then (he says he had to try it to make sure the consistency wasn’t off—uh huh, right). Anyway, he was just as happy with it this time—the pork was well seasoned with just the right amount of fattiness to make it really taste decadent. I really like the bacon braised endive and balsamic sauce to give just the right amount of zinginess.

Finally, we shared my devour dessert, the chocolate marjolaine. It was pretty good—there was a firmer more cakelike layer at the bottom with a hard layer between it and a layer of mousse. Unfortunately, it was hard to break through the two layers with our silverware, so mainly we just ate the mousse off the top. I really enjoyed the hard bits of toffee on top (think nut brittle pieces). The raspberry sorbet on the side was outstanding. But here’s the other thing, this was more than enough dessert for both of us too—so what is the point of getting another one (and the only other option was a scoop of ice cream), when you can easily share one? So in reality, hubby got exactly what he wanted off the menu and spent $25, which is less than devour prices.

I guess the lesson here is, don’t assume that devour downtown is always a good deal. Check out the regular menu of the place you are considering and add it up. I think these more mid-range restaurants need to come up with a little better deal if they are really trying to lure in people who are interested in saving money. Maybe 3 courses for $20? I’m just making suggestions, but what do you guys think about this?

As far as the restaurant goes, I did still really enjoy Mesh. The interior is warm and inviting (although they could stand a few more two-tops upstairs that aren’t basically in the hallway—if you are going with a party of two, my recommendation is asked to be seated at a four-top in the actual dining rooms if you don’t want to feel like you are eating in the front hall) and the food is good and fairly reasonably priced for this type of menu. The service is professional and seemingly fairly knowledgeable about the menu. It is certainly one on my list of places I will recommend and still will be, I just wouldn’t recommend it specifically for the devour downtown menu.

Mesh

725 Massachusetts Avenue

Indy 46204

317/955-9600

www.meshonmass.com

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Mesh

2:52 AM | Labels: Downtown Restaurants, Massachusetts Avenue Restaurants, Mesh

I have been excited to give Mesh on Mass Avenue a try ever since I heard it had opened (a couple months ago now I think). I was glad to see a new option offered along Mass Ave and so far have been hearing fairly favorable comments about it. I have heard the chef from 14 West had moved there, and I really enjoyed the last meal I had at 14 West when he was still there.

To start with we were greeted by a very friendly hostess who seated us at a table upstairs. The remodel of the interior (formerly Si) is nice. It still feels like a nice restaurant but with a casual edge to it. And apparently Mesh prides themselves on welcoming customers no matter what they are wearing.

Our server was quite attentive to us, but there were a few issues around the timing of the food. We ordered a couple of appetizers to share and each couple split a salad. Our server specifically said she would space them out and time them, but just after our second appetizer was delivered, they also brought the salads. It was a little annoying because we had just started the apps. We sent the salads back (honestly there wasn’t even room for the plates on the table) and asked them to bring them when we were done with our starters. (I would also prefer them to split the salad for you, which they did not do, because one person always gets less dressing and stuff and it is just a pain to split salads at the table).

Anyway, for our starters, we shared the rock shrimp which were served in spicy garlic butter on top of grilled slices of a baguette. The shrimp were very good. They were quite plentiful and well cooked (read, not overcooked). The somewhat creamy garlic sauce had a nice garlic-y flavor and the crunch of the baguette was a great texture variation. It was a fancy version of bruschetta and it was tasty. I like rock shrimp because it seems like it is rarer for a restaurant to overcook them, and they are nice and bite sized.

We also made a “cheese and smear” plate which you can pick 3 items from for $12 or 6 for $20. There are a lot of yummy sounding items and we chose Humboldt Fog cheese, white bean hummus and arugula pistachio pesto. This was really good as well. Humboldt Fog, if you aren’t familiar is a wonderful creamy goat cheese that has both the tangy goat cheese edge, without being as dry as many goat cheeses are. There is a line of ash running through it which I think also enhances the flavor. And get this, THE CHEESE WAS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE! I was so happy because I firmly believe that cheese should be allowed to come to room temperature before being served in order to really get all the depth of the flavors. And the cheese was great. The hummus was tasty as well, I was worried it would be bland and it wasn’t. It was well seasoned and went nicely with the mix of breads served alongside. Probably my favorite thing, and the surprise standout though, was the arugula pesto. It was delicious. It was really fresh tasty, and I enjoyed the somewhat unique take using a different green and nut in a pesto. Instead of being more of a garnish, this was a dip you could really happily eat on its own. I would be hard pressed not to order the exact same plate next time.

Hubby and I shared the Mesh salad which was Bibb lettuce, arugula and Belgian endive with hearts of palm, watercress puree and a tarragon mustard vinaigrette. Like I said, we had to split it ourselves which is not my favorite thing (and I am always very grateful when they do it for you). I had the extra plate and dished some on to it, and while the bites I had that were dressed tasted quite good, I did not think I had enough of the dressing on my greens. Maybe if you were eating it as they served it, it was better, I don’t know. But all the ingredients were fresh and I liked the flavors, I just wish there was a bit more of them with the greens.

For my main, I went with the grilled shrimp. The shrimp were quite large and the portion was as well (I didn’t finish it). They were cooked nicely, maybe just a tad bit too far, but you know how picky I am. It was served over fried pork belly corn grits which were really quite tasty. I think that corn/grit flavor goes really well with shrimp and they had a very pleasant smoky flavor from the pork belly. There was also braised Belgian endive which was a nice counter balance texture wise. There was a also a lobster cream which just kept everything moist. Overall this dish was pretty successful. Hubby really liked the grits and they were probably the most unique thing about the dish.

Hubby had the pork belly entrée which he thoroughly enjoyed. It was served with white bean Cassoulet, more braised endive and a balsamic reduction. The pork belly was nice and crispy on the edges and was very tasty. I mean, what is not to like about what is essentially a bacon steak? And the sweet and tangy taste of the balsamic was a great compliment to the meat.

I had a bit of each of our friends’ dishes as well, and honestly, I was impressed with pretty much everything I ate. One friend had the chicken scaloppini with was served with blue cheese mashed potatoes and a Sherry cream. I was surprised at how moist the chicken was. It was very good. My other friend had a tuna special and my bite of it was tasty as well and the fish was cooked perfectly—just lightly seared on the outside.

We also had dessert and the meal continued its course of being very good. We had the “mud napoleon” which was layers of yummy things. It was chocaltely, had vanilla and mocha ice cream and a really really yummy warm peanut butter caramel sauce. Ok, the details are a little foggy because I had had a good amount of wine, but I really liked this dessert. I mean, what is not to like? We also had a special which was a warm apple pie with blackberry ice cream. It was good, but not as good as the tower of chocolaty richness. But still, well done.

Overall, we were impressed with what was a very well prepared and tasty meal. Even with the minor service issues, this place could become a great regular spot if it can keep up its consistency. What about you guys? Have you been? What’s been good? What’s been not so good? Any must order items?

Mesh on Mass Ave.

725 Massachusetts Avenue

Indy 46204

317/955-9600

www.meshonmass.com

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Super Bowl Update

Mesh: Revisit-- Lunch

Mesh: Revisit (Devour Downtown)

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