A Shining Star In Gahanna
Mezzo, Beautiful Mezzo. Why haven’t I been here before? Located at 130 Creekside Plaza in Gahanna, Ohio, just a few minutes off of Interstate 270. I jumped off on exit 35 B coming from the North drove into Gahanna, turned left on Mill Street and affordable parking under ground was available. It was a $1.00 an hour. As you come up out of the parking area you find Mezzo nestled back in corner in this contemporary open air plaza with views of fountains and the Big Walnut Creek. The flowers and greenery greet you as approach the open air patio. You could see right into the restaurant lounge area and hear the live acoustic music. I found out later the guitarist on this night was none other than Terry Efaw from McGuffy Lane. This was a terrific start to a great evening.
Pictures Are Worth A Thousand Words
Before everyone arrived I wandered the restaurant inside and out and captured a few pictures to make this video. It will give you a quick tour of the event along with some really cool music. Enjoy.
The interior was more impressive than the exterior. When you first walke in you’re greeted by the word Mezzo etched in glass behind the hosts station, exposed brick walls, colorful tables amazing lighting and granite topped bars.
We had the opportunity to sit in leather high back booths and gaze out into the restaurant. A vast collection of wines are on display throughout the restaurant. The white linen is pressed and the tables were crisply set. As I looked up at the arched exposed ceilings I noticed that the light fixtures were decorated with silverware.
This is a very well designed and artsy establishment and it fits perfectly in the Gahanna Creekside setting.
Our hosts for the Mezzo tasting were John Cohen, General Manager and the Executive Chef Magellan Moore. Chef Moore described for us the extensive menu and the key differentiators for Mezzo’s. Both he and Jon mentioned the contemporary spin to italian recipes and the passion for serving on the freshest ingredients.
Wine and Dine it’s Fine
You can tell Mezzo prides itself on it’s extensive wine list, but they also serve cocktails. We started the evening off with the house Chardonnay I believe was called Guenoc from vineyards in Lake County, California. For me, it was the perfect start.
If you enjoy wines, Tuesdays in the Summer they have a “Summer Wine Tasting on the Patio.” It’s 5 wines for $10.00. Andy Roahe is the wine director and would love to have you join him between 5:30 and 8:00pm throughout the Summer. I am sure you’ll want to stay and have dinner afterwards. I thought I would let Jon invite you out himself. When stop by make sure you tell him TasteCasting sent you.
A Menu Worth Mentioning
What a menu. For starters, we were presented with the Pizzetta Flatbread pizza which included several of my favorite taste combinations. How can you go wrong with caramelized onions, roma tomatoes and roasted garlic? Those ingredients were a terrific compliment to the grilled chicken. Next up we tried the golden brown mozzarella fritters with risotto and mozzarella. I tried the Pomodora sauce, but I personally wasn’t a fan. I enjoyed the fritter just by itself. Jean Collier is our newest TasteCasting team member and had a few things to add on her blog called Dishing it Up Columbus.
Jon brought out one of the signature pasta dishes they call Lasagna al Forno. The veal, Beef and Ricatta were the real stars on this plate. For an entree we sampled a lunch portion of the Pan-Seared Sea Scallops. I’ve never ordered or thought I would enjoy scallops, but Jon told us that “this” was his favorite. His excitement encouraged me to give them a try. After the first taste, I was delighted! I started moving around sauteed vegtables to get to the next scallop. I looked on the menu to see how Chef Moore prepared this. I found it was prepared with a very rich, sweet corn and bacon risotto and a drizzling of champagne vinaigrette.
A Grand Finale
Just when we thought the evening was coming to a close Jon and Chef Moore surprised us with servings of tasty desserts. We all enjoyed the New York style cheese cake, Tiramisu, chocolate mousse with fresh strawberries as a garnish. I can say we all walked away with smiles on our faces.
There are so many reasons to give Mezzo Italian Kitchen a try. The ambiance, the menu, the staff, the location and the city. It was truly a pleasure to experience. If you are looking for an amazing place for date night, or, you want to impress a business client or hold a private party this is a destination you should consider.
Mezzo is Serving Up Events For Everyone
There are weekly events that include Martinis on Monday, Wine on the Patio on Tuesday, Acoustic music from Terry Efaw on Wednesday and Live music by Craig Goodwin and Mark Frye of Phil Dirt and the Dozers along with a 1/2 off the wine list on Thursday. After you stop out, come on back to TasteCasting and leave your impression of Mezzo in our comments.
I am sorry I had to miss this one. Maybe I can talk my hubby into trying it for dinner tonight! Looks wonderful.
A wonderful tastecasting! Read my blog post for more info:http://aharper-hess.blogspot.com/2009/08/tastecasting-at-mezzo.html