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Written by Brian Freedman
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Still One of the Best BYOBs in Town.
The BYOB is as quintessentially Philadelphian as the cheese steak, the
Phillies, and the un-repaired pothole. It is, to a very real extent,
what helped make this one of the country’s most exciting restaurant
towns, as well as one of its most affordable.
Our state-controlled liquor system, with its Byzantine laws and perplexingly expensive licensing requirements, has actually proven to be a boon in terms of how we eat. Young chefs, lured by the relative affordability of opening up a restaurant where they could focus solely on the food (and let the customers worry about the wine), have poured into town. And over the course of the past five years or so, the creativity and originality of Philly’s chefs has most clearly been on display at places like Pumpkin, Audrey Claire, and Marigold Kitchen, among a slew of others.
Above them all is Mercato, Chef Evan Turney’s always-crowded paean to all things fresh, flavorful and seasonal.
In the two years since it’s opened, I’ve visited countless times, and only once was the food less than stellar—not a bad track record at all. And while Chef Turney’s cooking is delicious whatever time of year you go, I have a particular affinity for the springtime menu, where the flavors are expectedly lighter, to be sure, but also somehow more elegant. (Which is not to say that the winter menu isn’t excellent. It is. I just find the flavors to be more alive once the menu changes over. Though if you’re at Mercato in the cooler months, make sure you order the pumpkin fettuccine, which is as comforting and satisfying as anything in town.
A recent visit reminded me yet again what sets Mercato apart. The service was friendly but not uncomfortably so, and every question I had about the menu was answered in a way that led me to believe you have to possess at least some sort of food knowledge to work there. As opposed to the robot-like recitation of ingredients I’m far too often subjected to when visiting certain big-budget restaurants in the city, the servers here wore their knowledge lightly, albeit with an air of enthusiasm that always proves both infectious and somehow comforting. They see the food every day, and if they’re still excited about it, then how can I not be?
It’s easy to see why. The dishes are the simple and seasonal, and Chef Turney has the confidence to rely on the inherent flavors of the ingredients themselves, as opposed to over-manipulating them.
Take the mussels and clams ($10), for example. Here we were served a generous bowl of tender mussels whose natural sweetness was highlighted by chunks of hot Italian sausage, fennel and a deeply flavored, impossibly rich roasted garlic-white wine broth.
On the other end of the appetizer spectrum was the butterbean, radicchio and wild mushroom salad ($9) with a Chianti vinaigrette, which was as hearty a salad as I’d had in a long while. The beans themselves, thumbnail-sized and tender, studded and anchored a salad that was given a surprising crunch from pine nuts and a bright, fresh flavor from parsley leaves.
As far as pastas go, they’re not limited to wintertime savories like that pumpkin fettuccine. Pappardelle with asparagus, leeks, roasted portabello mushrooms and baby artichokes in a light cream sauce ($18) split the difference between light and hearty with aplomb. And risotto—whether standing on its own in the subtlety rich spring vegetable entrée ($17), or as a base for bolder components as it is with the pan seared diver scallops ($25)—is regularly a highlight. (In that dish, wild mushrooms give the risotto a sense of gravitas, spring peas keep it from getting weighed down and truffle oil raises it to the level of the luxurious.)
Only a recent dish of parmesan crusted veal cutlets ($23) was uninspiring. It was, of course, unarguably tasty. But it seemed to lack that certain combination of concentrated flavors and brightness that is so typical of Mercato’s food. The bar is set awfully high here, and even very good dishes can fall short of the ordinarily stunning preparations.
Desserts, which tend toward the comfort food end of the spectrum, are highlighted by the mascarpone cheesecake with a maple syrup sauce and the warm chocolate pecan tart (both $8), which Ms. M. has to stop me from finishing every time I’m there: She knows I’ll spend the rest of the night complaining that I overate (for a change).
She may be right, but it’s worth it every time I do.
Mercato is located at 1216 Spruce Street in Philadelphia, and can be reached by phone at (215) 985-BYOB or visited online at http://www.mercatobyob.com .
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