Meli (1636 Thames St., 410-534-6354), which rhymes with "belly" and means "honey" in Greek, has just opened in Fells Point; and it couldn't be sweeter. Honey is a theme that runs throughout, not just in the patisserie attached to the restaurant and lounge.
Gourmet honey is used in various dishes, from the lavender-infused honey that glazes the salmon ($18) to the Italian strawberry honey on the pork tenderloin with quail eggs and crispy potatoes ($19). Everything on the menu, says managing partner Kenneth Petty, is priced under $20.
This is the third in the Kali's Restaurant Group, along with Kali's Court and Mezze. Meli's kitchen is being run by Rashad Edwards, formerly executive chef of the other two restaurants. The bistro menu Edwards has created combines global ingredients prepared with French techniques.
The upstairs dining room, which seats about 50, has a honeycomb pattern throughout. The look is eclectic and contemporary, with warm colors in shades of yellow, gold and bronze, and bright accents of turquoise and green. The downstairs lounge is even more colorful, with low seating upholstered in a royal blue, gold and burgundy French-inspired print.
If you come for dinner, save room for dessert. The patisserie menu of 18 desserts will be available in the dining room. Petty says he hopes Meli will become the Fells Point equivalent of Vaccaro's in Little Italy - the spot for late-night coffee and dessert.
Hours are 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. nightly for dinner, with a late-night menu available till 1 a.m. and the lounge open for drinks till 2 a.m.
Meli should be offering breakfast and lunch by spring.
Catch it while you can --Once it's warm enough for boats to be back in the water, my guess is that you won't be able to get into Mojito's (1246 Central Ave. East, 410-798-7356) in Edgewater to try its Caribbean cuisine. It's the new sibling of Annapolis' popular Spanish and Mexican restaurant, Jalapenos. You'll find traditional fare like jerk chicken ($17) and seafood, as well as inventive dishes such as cumin-dusted duck ($18).
Mojito's is open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, till 11 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday, with brunch.
Cheap (everything is relative) eats --If you've always wanted to eat at Oceanaire Seafood Room in Harbor East but it seemed too pricey, check out the bar menu, new as of last week. It's available 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close. The offerings include four different salads for $3.95, red chili calamari for $4.95, dollar oysters, lobster flatbread for $12.95 and much more - not to mention the $7 glasses of red and white wines available during happy hour.
Send restaurant news, trends, questions of general interest or observations to me at elizabeth.large@baltsun.com or fax me at 410-783-2519. Snail mail works, too: Elizabeth Large, The Sun, P.O. Box 1377, Baltimore 21278.