Meesh Meesh

It’s a Friday night in October. Though the evening air is not yet crisp, the warmth of summer has finally loosened its grip, and as the sun lowers over East Market, the neighborhood bustles with activity. It’s a Nulu Nights event: the stores are open late, artists hawk their wares at a night market, a brass band wanders the street playing in different spots, and music and laughter spill out of the many restaurants and bars lining the street. It is in this setting that I am about to have one of the best meals of my entire life as my partner and I arrive at Meesh Meesh for the reservations I made two months prior.

We enter a cozy and bohemian room with natural woods, leather bar stools, hanging plants, and golden string lights. It thrums with conversation and music. We are warmly greeted and quickly seated in one of the two window spots at a beautiful and rustic table crafted from a cross section of red oak. We have a good view of the people passing by and the neon sunset.

Our server, Ali, arrives quickly and walks us through the menu options before taking our drink orders and giving us some time to decide. Liz sticks with water, and I order a non-alcoholic apricot margarita.

Ali asks for any allergies to be aware of and explains that orders are taken all at once and coursed out by the kitchen. He is friendly, answers our questions with confidence, and sets the right balance of professionalism and casualness. This is not a stuffy place, but it is clear that the dining experience has thoughtful intentionality behind it.

While a new tasting menu looks and sounds like a good experience, we opt instead to order a couple of appetizers and our own main entrees. We choose the embered beets and seasonal dressed hummus with acorn squash to start. The beets are charcoal roasted and served with mint, dates, and pine nuts over a bed of whipped cheese. The hummus is a traditional hummus topped with charred acorn squash, crispy fried kale, golden raisins and served with warm, pillowy pita.

We eagerly tear into the pita and begin tucking into the appetizers. From the first bite of the beets - sweet and earthy, the creaminess of the cheese adding richness, the freshness of the mint cutting through it all - it is clear that we are in for an incredible meal. We look at each other and the only thing I can think to say is, “Holy shit.” The intensity of flavor overpowers our ability to be articulate.

The hummus is equally as impressive. The charred squash and crispy kale marry sweet and savory in a fashion that perfectly complement the hummus. Very quickly we lose the words to describe the flavor bombs of the two dishes. Each is a symphony in its own right, a collection of flavors that each shine individually but also come together in a delicious harmony. Sweetness, richness, salt, and acid. It is all there in precise balance.

With perfect timing, the salatim arrives as we clear out the last of the two appetizers. The platter is a refillable collection of small dips and spreads served with more pita, to be enjoyed on its own or paired with the mains. Tonight’s collection includes a traditional hummus, pickles and olives, roasted red peppers, an okra stew called bamya, babaganoush, marinated beans and chickpeas, a Libyan pumpkin spread called chershi, and some feta with mint. The hummus is smooth and savory, the beans vinegary and sharp, the chershi warm and indulgent. Each item is tasty on its own, but quickly we are combining them into unique and flavorful bites.

Just after we realize my drink never arrived, Ali appears at the table and apologizes, as he has also realized it. I am so happy with everything else so far that I am unbothered and tell him we can just nix the drink for tonight. To make up for the miss, Ali offers us a dessert on the house for after our meal. While I am not upset, I appreciate the proactive approach and happily accept.

Shortly after the arrival of the salatim, our entrees arrive along with a savory golden basmati with cranberries. Liz has ordered the branzino and I the chicken. The fish was wrapped in grape leaf and whole roasted and arrives in impressive fashion opened and de-boned and dressed in sumac, turmeric crisp, almonds and preserved lemon. The chicken is a half-chicken, crispy fried and served with sumac braised onions, pine nuts, golden raisins and atop crispy pita, and all swimming in a sauce that combines the tart and smoky sumac with the rich umami of a myriad of spices I couldn’t begin to name.

Each dish is wholly unique. The chicken is rich and dark, the fish bright and fresh. Each is yet another beautiful orchestration of flavors, no one note taking over but instead all working together in grand harmony. The meal has truly been a feast and before long we hit a point of what we think is maximum satiation. Ali returns and takes away the remainders of the salatim and my chicken to box up to take home, and he leaves us with the dessert menu.

This meal has, to this point, been pure indulgent perfection, and there is a small part of me that wonders if we should even bother with dessert. But the chocolate babka, flown in from Green’s bakery in Brooklyn, calls to us. It arrives warm, the brioche swirled with chocolate is golden and flaky. There are flakes of sea salt on top and a generous mound of whipped cream cheese frosting to the side. There is a piece for each of us, and it is, to put it mildly, perfection. Warm, buttery, sweet, salty, the rich and tangy cream cheese frosting blending the flavors together - yet again every single element is shines individually and as part of the whole.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most delectable and indulgent meals I have ever had. Chef Noam Bilitzer is a true artist of flavor and has created a menu that is focused and brilliant in its execution. The room is warm and vibrant, the service friendly and professional, and the food unparalleled in the city of Louisville. I very rarely find that hot new restaurants live up to the hype; even the good ones often don’t quite match up with what people are saying. But if my experience at Meesh Meesh is on par with their day to day, I can say without hesitation that this one deserves every bit of praise it has gotten and more.