Kali's Mezze, Fells Point

For a generically fun Saturday night with a slight breeze of urban chic, our party of four headed to Pazo. The Harbor East tapas place was closed for a private party, so we kept heading east for Kali's Mezze.

At 9:05 the hostess at Kali's tells me she can seat us at 9:45. We grab a pitcher of red sangria and its no sweat.

Closing in on 10 p.m., we're getting a bit antsy. Another party of four walks in, and the manager approaches them with a hearty hey-howya-doin' and a smile. We distinctly hear the manager ask how many people were eating tonight (4, the man said) and reply that he'd get a table right away. It was clear that the new party didn't have a reservation. A few moments later the hostess is leading them up the stairs to their table.

Now I know how the world works. Heck, I work in philanthropy. But the manager should have been a little bit more discreet. After some bantering, he tried to placate us with a complimentary spread of appetizer dips and a pitcher of sangria. Kind, but fruitless.

But poor and rude service aside, Kali's Mezze serves delicious food (which is what's keeping it off the BANNED list for now). The Greek dishes are more substantial than the typical tapas restuarant's offering, and most are very flavorful. The hummus, however, leaves something to be desired. We particularly enjoyed their falafel, a shrimp dish, and roasted mushrooms with cheese.

However, keep in mind that we were only at Kali's because Pazo was closed. But the sangria is good, the food divine, and the prices reasonable for a Saturday night - so there is a major cognitive dissonance here about returning.