The Arici family behind The Roaster Cafe and Barquila in Mamaroneck (soon to be Luna Lounge) has a new venture — and this one is close to their heart.
Meze, which opens April 2 in Mamaroneck, is focused on Turkish cuisine, in particular, mezes (small plates) and kebabs, a staple of their home country, the Republic of Türkiye.
The space, which had been a Turkish grocery store and take-out (and still has the same name as the prior business), is now a light-filled 60-seat restaurant with décor imported from Turkey — think chairs, tables, dramatic hanging lights, bamboo mirrors and a range of blue-patterned plates in various shapes and sizes. There’s also an array of faux olive trees and branches spread throughout the restaurant as a further nod to the Mediterranean.
After sitting vacant for some time, the opportunity to take over the existing space was one the family couldn’t resist. Operated by siblings Mike and Merve Arici, the vision, Merve explained, is to create a dining experience centered on conversation with meals shared over meze, a traditional, social way of eating in the Republic of Türkiye. “For us, it’s more than food; it’s an experience built around friendship and hospitality,” she said.
It was also a chance for them to expand and bring authentic Turkish cuisine to the area. That means having Raki on the menu, Turkey’s national alcoholic beverage that’s a strong, anise-flavored spirit distilled from grapes.
What’s on the menu at Meze in Mamaroneck
There’s a lot to choose from here — 21 cold appetizers and 12 hot ones — in addition to 18 entrees. Among the specialties: Manti (Turkish dumplings topped with garlic infused yogurt, finished with warm paprika butter and a touch of mint and sumac), Adana Kebab (traditional hand-minced spicy lamb, char-grilled and served with warm lavash, grilled tomato, pepper and sumac onion salad), Sultan Platter (mixed grill selection of shish kebab, doner kebab, baby lamb chop, Adana kebab and chicken kebab, with Turkish rice and sumac onion salad), and Ali Nazik (smoky char-roasted eggplant puree folded with creamy yogurt, topped with char-grilled lamb cubes, finished with warm paprika-infused butter).
Along with a variety of soups and salads (think a fennel and apple option, beet salad and lentil soup), dips are the star of the show with dishes that range from carrot tarator (creamy yogurt blended with sautéed carrots, garlic and crushed walnuts) to Pink Sultan (velvety beetroot and yogurt dip with a hint of garlic and herbs) to Hadari (Turkish yogurt dip), Muhammara (roasted red pepper and walnut dip enriched with pomegranate molasses and Mediterranean spices), a celery root and yogurt dip and Girit Ezme, a feta and pistachio meze.
There’s also hummus, butternut squash hummus and baba ghanoush.
Rounding out the menu are seafood items like branzino, salmon and grilled octopus, hot appetizers like cheese cigar rolls, pastrami and cheese rolls and butterfly shrimp casserole along with entrees heavy on lamb, chicken and eggplant.
Many items like the baba ghanoush, Ali Nazik and olive oil vegan plates (i.e. olive oil-braised celery root, zucchini and artichoke) are traditional family recipes. When not cooking at home, Merve said they always drove to Jersey or Brooklyn to have this kind of food.
“And so we said to ourselves, this is a great opportunity,” she said. “Let’s just bring it here and share these flavors with Westchester.”
If you go
Address: 409 Mount Pleasant Ave., Mamaroneck, 914-315-1205, mezekitchen.com.
Hours: 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.
Good to know: There’s no bar but there’s emphasis on Turkish wine and raki.
Got a food lead or idea?
Know of an opening or closing? Or just want to share a great idea? Email JRMuchnick@gannett.com. Should you crave more lifestyle stories and dining news, sign up for my free weekly newsletter, which includes behind-the-scenes info I don’t always share in my stories: profile.lohud.com/newsletters/manage.
Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Family recipes, mezes, are focus at new Westchester Turkish restaurant
Reporting by Jeanne Muchnick, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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