Mediterranean Meditation
Mystic Pizzeria & Cafe becomes a delicious ritual
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THE MYSTIC STAFF HAS ENSURED A SMOOTH MOVE TO MAGAZINE STREET.
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WHAT: Mystic Pizzeria & Café
CUISINE: Mediterranean
WHEN: Lunch and dinner daily
WHERE: 3244 Magazine St., 895-7272
CARDS: Major
M.F.K. Fisher once said that there are places where "we feel more at ease in
our skin." There is something about the Mediterranean that makes people want to
live around it. A repository of lifestyle that is both sensual and humane, the
Mediterranean is a place where people find satisfaction in simple things. For
me, it is the sensual draw of the sun-earth-sea and a people who live well and
share good humor, delicious food and a sense of timelessness.
Mediterranean food has become all the rage these days as well. I
seek it out at every opportunity, because it brings me back to a place and time
that I cherish through lasting taste memories.
The aura of the Mediterranean can be experienced at the newly
relocated Mystic Pizzeria & Cafe on Magazine Street, a quaint little
restaurant that offers a delectable array of casual Mediterranean fare in an
environment enhanced by timeless, romantic murals. Seated at the tables and
viewing the dreamy scenes, one is transported to the heart of the
Mediterranean, with all its provocative flavors.
Fragrant, pungent aromas waft from the cafe's kitchen, where the
chefs can be seen through a window near the bar. Simple dishes with complex
flavors, such as the meze plate, fuel a passion for further, earthy taste
sensations. The appetizer plate for two features a garlicky hummus as smooth as
silk, a serving of plaki fashioned with zesty vegetables, crisp feta triangles
oozing with piping hot cheese, a delicious fava bean puree heightened with
roasted red peppers, and a luscious tomato spread that goes nicely with
pita.
Garlic, olives, goat cheese, feta, chick-peas, sun-dried tomatoes
and pesto are among the powerful ingredients that are woven into the various
salads, sandwiches, rolls and gourmet pizzas at Mystic. These are some of my
favorite flavors. I have a personal weakness for sun-dried tomatoes, goat
cheese and garlic -- the more used, the better.
Because I am always looking for restaurants that serve interesting
vegetarian offerings (my oldest daughter is a vegetarian), I have come to the
conclusion that not many local restaurants succeed in this area. But at Mystic,
you can count on a variety of fine choices, such as the Greek salad, rimmed
with red onions, plum tomatoes, dotted with feta and calamata olives and laced
with a rich and thick, peppery sun-dried tomato vinaigrette that leaves a
slightly sweet, tangy afterglow on the palate. The vegetarian pizzas here are
superior, including the portabello mushroom, spinach and artichoke,
four-cheese, and the Mystic, which is our favorite. It's a work of art, topped
with thickly sliced roasted discs of eggplant, a generous sprinkling of capers,
whole pods of roasted garlic that are smooth as butter with a peppery kick,
pungent goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers and slivered red
onions, with plenty of melted mozzarella and garlic sauce as the base (10-inch
is $8.95; $14-inch is $13.95).
The portabello mushroom sandwich is the finest version I've had to
date, made with a large, delicious round of homemade bread (baked fresh daily).
The smoky flavors of grilled mushrooms and roasted red peppers are complemented
by caramelized onions, melted fontina cheese and roasted garlic aioli. The
sandwiches are large -- big enough to be shared by two -- and are cut in half
and served with a wonderful cold pasta salad made with rotini laced with a
spicy sauce of balsamic vinegar, green onions, seasoning and herbs. Although
the price seems a tad high ($7.50 for the grilled portabello sandwich), you get
quite a lot of food.
Other good sandwich choices include the Mystic Italian sandwich,
designed with layers of capicolla, mozzarella, pepperoni, Genoa salami, ham,
black olives, sauteed onions, lettuce and tomatoes with Creole mustard, and the
roasted eggplant and red pepper sandwich, which is enlivened with a sumptuous
sun-dried tomato aioli and caramelized onions.
For novelty's sake, try the rolls, which also are generously
apportioned. Ingredients such as grilled chicken with roasted red peppers,
feta, mixed greens, tomatoes and pesto aioli are rolled in a light and delicate
lavash. Another fine choice is the roasted lamb roll. The tender meat is
blended with Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, garlic-yogurt sauce and a zesty
onion-sumac relish wrapped in lavash, served warm and accompanied by the pasta
salad.
I was initially disappointed when I learned that Mystic Cafe would
be closing its doors and moving down the street to a smaller venue (the new
Vizard's is now in its former location). But I now prefer the more casual aura
and reasonable prices, which succeed in making this charming Mediterranean cafe
a new hit on Magazine Street.
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