Mama Mezze for the win.

A fantastic sequel to La Pecora Bianca

It was my birthday over the weekend and I gifted myself tickets to Maybe Happy Ending with the kids (if my level of sobbing is any indication, it was excellent). I was trying to sort out where to go for dinner beforehand. I really don’t care for theater district dining – though a recent meal at GUI changed that. I was looking for something in NOMAD, an easy subway ride or a long stroll away from the theater. I decided on Mama Mezze, a new restaurant from Mark Barak – owner of La Pecora Bianca. Now, to be sure, I’ve never actually eaten at Pecora Bianca but I’ve walked by a few of them (there are several all over the city), and I’ve always felt like wandering in; the room has that quality of attraction, a magnetic pull achieved by golden hour lighting and an effortless menu of glamorous Italian fare. It’s always felt almost too cool for me, the sort of place where I could see the girls from And Just Like That wander in for lunch and a discussion of phone sex ethics and virgin nuns.

Barak’s Mama Mezze also has that aspirational draw, with that liquid glow filling the room with soft warm light, like a sunset melting behind the horizon. It’s decorated like a Boho beach bungalow on the Mediterranean, designed by Home Studios (also behind Theodora, Rhodora and The Spaniard), with a citrus tree at the heart of the space, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows and banquettes covered in sun-baked hues; the Crayola color Burnt Sienna comes to mind. Also marigold, terracotta? Booths are loaded up with pillows, lighting is made of wicker and straw. It’s the kind of place you want to move into.

The food, to be sure, is also a draw: a menu of Middle Eastern fare that invites long slow meals shared among friends and many bottles of rosé. If that’s your thing (it is mine) you’ll be very happy here. The wood-fired oven gives everything a nice crackling smoky char – embers fall from puffy olive-oil glossed za'atar dusted naan and steaks get a good crusty char. Of note is the house zhug, an emerald condiment as pretty as it is potent – chiles and herbs and lemon ground together in a mortar and pestle potion I’d like to take home in as large a jar as possible.

It’s no surprise the food is so good; Barak has teamed up with chef collaborator and James Beard Award Finalist Einat Admony, founder of Taïm, Balaboosta and Moondog HiFi. She’s an OG of Middle Eastern fare – on par with Ayesha Nurdjaja, Eyal Shani, and Mike Solomonov. All of which is to say this is a run-don’t-walk kind of place.

Her hummus tastes like it does in Tel Aviv; I was back in the Carmel market on a Friday with my friend Diana and a Macabee beer post-run. The Arayes is going to become one of those dishes people line up for; it’s a kofta-stuffed grilled pita, more of a spiced burger-meets-empanada – just wonderful with more of the zhug. Small plates to pass around of crispy cauliflower with red pepper tahini and fresh garlic fresno gremolata; Green Goddess falafel, Moroccan Cigars. There are loads of big fresh salads – a Tahini Caesar and a Green Fattoush with arugula, radish, avocado, lemon date dressing and lavash.

I particularly like the skewers section which is like a meat-plus-two sort of happy meal; your choice of skewers (Honey-Harissa Jumbo Shrimp, Persian-lime Salmon, and Adobo-Rubbed Skirt Steak from the wood-fired grill), served with wood-roasted Mediterranean vegetables, Mama’s rice, tahini, and zhug. There’s also an Amba-doused chicken shawarma, a beautiful lamb tagine and Safta’s Schnitzel, based on Mark’s Safta’s recipe – a massive chicken cutlet, smashed down so it’s thin and crispy, spritzed with a squeeze of lemon and served with mound of creamy mashed potatoes. It can easily feed three and it was devoured. Don’t miss it. It’s the best schnitzel I’ve had in the city. Enjoy!

Mama Mezze is open daily for dinner from 5pm to 10pm. Reservations are available on Resy. In the coming weeks, the restaurant will open for breakfast, followed by lunch and brunch. For more information, visit mamamezze.com and follow @mamamezzenyc on Instagram.