North Central Austin Edition | July 2022

DINING FEATURE

ON THE MENU

Ezme: tomatoes, parsley, onion, pomegranate molasses, red pepper paste, cucumber and spring vegetable

$7.75

From left: Owner Mahmud “Moody” Ugur and chef Joel Zarzamora enjoy teaching customers about Turkish food and experimenting with new recipes. (Photos by Darcy Sprague/Community Impact Newspaper)

Zucchini Walnut Yogurt: roasted zucchini, fresh dill, walnuts and extra virgin olive oil.

MezzeMe Turkish Kitchen Local restaurant celebrates ve years of fun, family and food

$5.75

$15 / hour | 2.5 hours per weekday Help students get to school safely Get to know your neighbors AustinTexas.gov/Crossing-Guards Questions? Call (512) 974-9181 CROSSING GUARDS NEEDED! • $15 / hour, 2.5 hours per weekday • Help students get to school safely • Get to know your neighbors AustinTexas.gov/Crossing-Guards QUESTIONS? Call (512) 974-9181 A s MezzeMe Turkish Kitchen owner of all the changes it has undergone, along with the family, friendship and fun that has been at the heart of the business. “We believed people in Austin would love Turk- ish food, and they did,” Ugur said. “They have been supporting us for the last ve years.” Ugur, who grew up in Turkey and owns a restau- rant there, moved to the United States in the early 2000s for school. He briey returned home before moving to Austin to open the restaurant. Chef Joel Mahmud “Moody” Ugur reects on the restaurant’s fth anniversary, he thinks Zarzamora joined him about three years ago. Ugur said many of his kitchen sta have been with him since the beginning. MezzeMe used to be a build-your-own-bowl style restaurant, but during the pandemic it moved to an a la carte menu. Zarzamora said the shift made the menu more accessible for diners unfamiliar with Turkish food. BY DARCY SPRAGUE

“If you don’t know what to order, you get anx- ious; you might leave,” Zarzamora said. Ugur said he would often get uncomfortable when he rst moved to the United States and restaurants asked him questions like what tempera- ture he wanted his meat cooked to and what type of bread he wanted, as those are not common in Turkish restaurants. Ugur said MezzeMe aims to educate diners on new cuisine, and sta is familiar with each dish so they can answer any questions. Despite the focus on accessible food, Zarzamora and Ugur have not let that limit them from experimenting with new dishes or focusing on authenticity. The tabouli, for example, is spicy, because that is how it is made where Ugur grew up, and the soups are based on the recipes he grew up eating. “It’s always exciting,” Zarzamora said. “Moody comes in with these crazy ideas. Sometimes they work; sometimes they don’t; but we are always experimenting.”

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup: shredded chicken and orzo in a lemon chicken broth

MezzeMe Turkish Kitchen 4700 W. Guadalupe St., Ste. 9, Austin 512-900-8200 www.mezzeme.com Hours: Mon.-Sun. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

GUADALUPE ST.

TRAVIS COUNTY WANTS TO DO BUSINESS WITH YOU Travis County Purchasing Office is located at 700 Lavaca Street Suite 800 Austin, Texas 78701 Phone: 512 854-9700

Visit our website for current solicitations. https://www.traviscountytx.gov/purchasing

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