Messa

Messa Review

Chef Aviv Moshe's haute cuisine offers the flavors of the Middle East, like the shredded-wheat type of pastry, kadaif, but it's in a class of its own that can be described as high-end "Israeli": Mediterranean-Middle Eastern, with French and Italian touches. And the interior design is generating as much of a buzz as the cuisine. White is the dominant color in the dining room, with tented ceiling lamps on which video art is projected. A long, central table with stylish high chairs is the room's centerpiece, perfect for mingling with co-diners while the attentive waitstaff serves dishes such as goat cheese and eggplant accented with shrimp and citrus butter for a starter, and truffle ravioli with lemon cream and Tassos olives for a main. Adjacent to the restaurant is Messa's bar, its interior as starkly black as the dining room is white.