Mercato
Mercato by far is my favorite Italian restaurant here in
Philadelphia! They introduce traditional Italian cuisine with New Italian American
cuisine. This combination opens up your horizon to a home-cooked style dishes
with a unique twist on it. My sis and I love this restaurant and we decided it’s
our new place to go to when we’re celebrating each other’s birthdays.
For our appetizer, we split the Mercato Antipasto which
includes: Italian cured meats & cheeses, grilled and roasted vegetables,
crostini and marinated olives. Our favorite part of this dish was the pepperoni
because it had fennel in it. The roasted vegetables were also good! This Antipasto
reminds me of my mom’s with all the ingredients and display. It was very
comforting because it reminded me of family holidays.
Since
it was Catherine’s birthday, two appetizers were sent to our table compliments
of the chef! The first item was the
Roasted Pork Belly Salad which had house cured pork belly, watercress,
pistachio, charred scallion roasted pear mostarda, balsamic reduction. The pork
belly was so crisp and flavorful! The best part was the pistachios and
whole-grain mustard. The second item was the Cacio Pepe which included tonarelli pasta, extra
virgin olive oil, cracked pepper, pecorino romano, bread crumbs, parsley. The Parmesan crisps on top of the pasta made the dish!
For
Catherine’s entrée, she got the Short Rib Ragu which was ricotta gnocchi, broccoli
race and shaved locatelli cheese. She loved how tender the meat was and that
you could break it apart with a fork. I got the Chicken Cacciatore which
included boneless chicken roulade, soft polenta, sautéed
spinach, bell pepper, wild mushroom & tomato ragu. I loved the display of the
chicken and creamy polenta!
For dessert, Catherine and I split the Trio of Gelato. The flavors
of the night were raspberry, chocolate chip and peanut butter. They all were so
good and fresh! You could tell they are homemade. They even lit a candle for
Catherine’s birthday!
Mercato is a great restaurant to celebrate any special occasion!
Between the relaxing atmosphere, impeccable food and excellent staff, you won’t
be disappointed! Oh, and it’s BYOB which is always a plus!
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