Mezze Box DC, Here to Help With Dinner (PROMO CODE INSIDE!)

Mezze Box DC’s home delivery in all its glory. Photo by María Helena Carey

Recently, Mezze Box DC offered to let us try their homemade meals. If you enjoy Mediterranean food and find yourself eating out or ordering some sort of carry out on a regular basis, you should consider giving them a try. My family really enjoyed their food and we look forward to ordering from them soon. Mezze Box is a recently-launched homemade meal delivery service based proudly in DC, and they have a large delivery area that encompasses the District, Maryland and Virginia– not just Capitol Hill, although the 20002 and 20003 are definitely covered.

You can check here to see if they will deliver to you. (You can use our promo code below and get $10 off your first order, too!)

My Mezze Box meal arrived in reusable, microwaveable plastic containers that were clearly labeled with the list of ingredients, right in the middle of the two-hour delivery window I was given. My delivery came through on the first day of school for DCPS, but since that was a wacky day, I was perfectly able to store the entire bag as it was delivered to me in the refrigerator and reheat the dishes that needed it the following day. The reheating instructions –precise, clear and unfussy– came in the bag, but can also be found on their website. Follow them strictly and you won’t be disappointed by the flavors.

Mezze Wednesday was underway.

Our package featured chicken with rice, lentils and rice tossed with caramelized onions, a large portion of hummus (which, tbh, did not survive very long), an order of grape leaves and a bag of pita bread that mysteriously disappeared as well. The portions within each tub are extremely generous: This was enough to feed two adults and two children. Many of the dishes are naturally gluten-free (except for the pita bread, obvi), and entrées such as the lentil and rice salad make for a hearty, filling meal for a vegetarian family.

Mezze Box DC for dinner. WMATA plates procured at Homebody DC, which I will forever miss. Photo by María Helena Carey

Although I was really excited to receive my mezze box delivery, and even more excited to eat said meal, the acid test would be whether the children would eat its contents. My kids are not the pickiest children I know, but Mediterranean flavors can be challenging even for adults. I imagine that many busy families would want to support a homemade meal establishment such as this one, but may have doubts as to whether their children would even touch the food. So in the name of science and consumer advocacy, I asked my boys to try EVERYTHING that came in the delivery box (and yes, bribed them with electronics) and these are some of our findings:

• Both kids, but especially the 10-year old, are now converts to hummus. The mezze box hummus was mild but well spiced, with a delicate dusting of what we assumed to be paprika, and it was an instant hit. It was practically inhaled, along with the generous portion of pita bread (one bag, five units) that came with our meal. (Note: although mezze box dutifully lists all ingredients on its labels, the red dust was the one ingredient not listed)
• The grape leaves, on the other hand, were not a hit. Although I love the sour, pickle-y flavor of stuffed grape leaves, this happened to be my least favorite thing in the package. The 10-year old grimaced but ate a whole stuffed grape leaf. The 7-year old, despite his fondness for pickles, took one bite and shook his head. No amount of Minecraft was going to make that go down, apparently.
• The rice that came with the chicken was a huge hit with the younger set, as it was savory and just oily enough, and tossed with finely-ground beef. I was impressed that the kids inhaled this dish in record time, as the dominant spice was cinnamon. The chicken, which was moist and flavorful, was their hands-down favorite. Next time, MORE CHICKEN PLEASE.
• They were not as fond of the lentils and rice with caramelized onions. I helpfully picked out all the onions (and ate them noisily, imagining a Scrooge McDuck-type vault of caramelized onions to dive into), but the sweetness from the caramelization still coated the lentils and this was deemed too grown-up a flavor to fully appreciate. They still ate a full portion, but just didn’t fight over it like little wolves as they did over the first dish. MORE FOR ME, I GUESS.

Overall, the dinner was delicious and well-prepared. Clean-up was easy and the only leftovers were a grape leaf and half a piece of pita bread. Thank you to Mezze Box DC for providing such a tasty meal and such a fun eating experience. We wish you a lot of success! (SEND HUMMUS!)

WHEN YOU ORDER

WHAT: Mezze Box DC, a new Mediterranean-style food delivery service

WHERE: In your house, silly. They deliver meals!

HOW: Go to their site, sign up for their weekly menu, order! Here’s the menu!

WHEN: Anytime! Make sure your first time, you enter code THEHILLISHOME so you can get $10 off