Mercato Both Hits and Misses

Story by Alex Marcus
photo by Dana Robinson

Approach Mercato on a weekend night, wine bottle in hand, and you’ll see a crowd lingering on the corner. Weekend waits can get extreme and one step inside confirms why: the cozy, sophisticated Philly vibe and Chef Mackenzie Hilton’s imaginative, modern Italian menu.

Cheese ($6) is a good place to start. Standouts included some of the simplest pairings: smooth California goat with clover honey, and tangy French triple cream with macerated strawberries. We decided to try Mercato’s extensive menu of olive oils ($1.20 to $1.80): Go for the Chilean oil with an intense basil infusion; a similar, garlic-infused oil was good but less remarkable.

Moving on to prepared dishes yielded generally good results, but there was much missed potential. Radicchio and wild mushroom salad dressed with Chianti vinaigrette ($9) was deliciously light, with pine nuts and butterbeans adding flavor and texture. Warm portobello in puff pastry ($10), on the other hand, was successful only until we reached its ice-cold center. The misstep was redeemed by a bruschetta trio ($9): crusty bread topped with portobello and fontina, tomato and mozzarella, and white beans with basil pesto. Crafted expertly with loads of garlic, the bruschetta ruined our breath but we loved every minute of it.

Main courses include both Italian-influenced entrées and upscale twists on traditional pastas. Lobster and shrimp ($22) abandoned banal ravioli, instead coming enclosed in three-dimensional pyramid pasta. But the dish’s “parmesan brown butter” didn’t resemble that rich, nutty concoction so much as drawn butter in which you might dip a simple boiled lobster. A special of orange roughy served with sautéed spinach and roasted fingerling potatoes ($23) exhibited brighter, cleaner flavors. Grilled fillet mignon ($25) was also superb – aggressively seasoned and perfectly cooked, served with flavorful roasted red bliss potatoes and airy homemade potato chips. The only weak link on the plate were the too-smoky Brussels sprouts with bacon.

Striped bass ($23) was well-seasoned, with a delightfully crispy skin, but it was swimming in an intense Chianti reduction that dominated every bite. Short rib ragu ($22) was hearty and pleasantly sweet, but the accompanying ricotta gnocchi were a bland, rubbery disappointment. Scallops ($25), though, came perfectly seared on top of a hearty risotto with wild mushrooms and English peas. The dish melded rich, Italian flavors with a unique, modern twist – exactly what Mercato is aiming for.

For dessert, the chocolate pecan caramel tart ($8) was an unremarkable muddle of flavors. The molten chocolate cake ($8) won out with its simplicity, and limoncello sorbet ($3) also shined: sweet, sour, and citrusy.

Mercato—nearly four years old—is not young enough to still be working out its kitchen’s kinks, and one look at Chef Hilton while she’s working confirms that the restaurant is not resting on its laurels. More attention to detail is all that’s missing. After all, the slip-ups in execution—not browning butter long enough or underseasoning gnocchi—were minor and preventable.

Despite inconsistencies, it’s hard not to love this restaurant. Even the least successful dishes are still quite good, and the most successful make it worth trying your luck at least once. Mercato is cozy and hip, tucked away from urban commotion. It all makes the missteps a little too easy to forgive.