Food Baby: Sunday Meze at Kanella

Friday, October 7, 2011

Sunday Meze at Kanella

One of our favorite new traditions is Sunday Supper Club. Basically an excuse to eat ridiculous amounts of food and drink a little too much wine on Sunday nights, it's a rotating group of fellow foodies that love a great meal on the cheap. Lot's of restaurants around the city are offering prix fixe menus on Sunday evenings for a flat fee. Modo Mio has been doing this since they opened, but a few others have joined the team. With a down economy hurting restaurant receipts, it's a great way to get diners in the door on an off night.

Sunday Supper club

After two weeks away in Greece being inspired by the local traditions and dishes, chef Konstantinos has reopened Kanella and introduced the Sunday Meze meal. For $35 a person (or $30 vegetarian) they will bring dish after dish of Greek & Cypriot specialties. Add in the fact that they are BYO and you have one of the most lavish meals imaginable for a very reasonable price. We are big fans of Kanella anyway, but the Meze meal features almost nothing on the normal menu. Such a great way to try something new and challenge your foodie mettle. Be prepared for some offal dishes that highlight the chef's passion to use every bit of the animal. Sauteed duck hearts & roasted tripe were two of the more conversational dishes to come out of the kitchen.

Don't be too put off by the chance of getting some inner organs on the table though. There are plenty of excellent dishes to satisfy even the most squeamish eaters. The lamb meatballs were my personal favorite of the night. The wild boar sausage was also a bit hit, along with the monk fish in tomato sauce. Always pushing the L&I boundaries, Konstantinos sets up his own spit roast on the sidewalk for the Mezze meal, and the roasted pork that came off said spit was incredible. Juicy, tender, and tasting like slices of piggy heaven; I'm thinking of investing in my own such contraption to waft those smells all over northern liberties. I'd come back just for this dish.

The meal is served almost tapas style, with lots of little plates for everyone to share. Want more falafel or another helping of that cuddle fish? Just ask! The servers were super nice about bringing out more if someone didn't get a taste. With too many dishes to review each one, I thought it just easier to include pics of each. You should get yourself there some Sunday in the very near future. Opah!