Email to Mom- Dinner at Mezza 9

Ohmygosh. We just had the ultimate culinary experience. In our hotel there is a restaurant called Mezza 9 that has four kitchens in different areas throughout the restaurant. People sit around the kitchens and can watch the chefs prepare different dishes. There is a Thai, Chinese and American kitchen and a bakery.

We have gone to this restaurant 4 times since we've been here, but tonight I ordered the tasting menu, we sat in the Thai section and we sat at the bar so we could watch everything. I thought of you the whole time and knew you would be so jealous if you knew how cool it is. This restaurant setup is the most ideal for chefs! Imagine working in a gorgeous kitchen, surrounded by your customers, everything works like clockwork and you're creating different meals all the time!

Let me see if I can remember what was on the tasting menu...

1. Cosmo to drink- I gave it to B and had a fruit drink made with passion fruit, orange and two other fruits, house recipe
2. Foie gras, white toast, diced potato and veggie side
3. Chicken (on the bone) soup in a miso-sized bowl, a very bitter veggie and mushrooms. I was able to get the chicken off the bone with chopsticks and it was good, but I couldn't eat the broth or veggies because they were so bitter. It really caught me off guard since I was expecting salty broth. I added a little soy sauce and it helped.
4. 3 kinds of sushi: tuna on rice, mackerel and a small salmon and rice roll
5. Half a small lobster soaked in butter (but no salt :( and herbs) with lemon, not too rich, but I was stuffed by then
6. Pistachio ice cream and bread with bread pudding, didn't finish it all
7. Box of 9 house made, chocolate truffles to take home

The servings were small, but perfect for you or I. The waiter told me not to order the tasting menu and was very worried I would be hungry. Of course I'm stuffed. Everything was gorgeous.

Had to share this with you.

Thai one on!