rev:text
| - Based on my meal alone I probably would have given this place just two stars.
We went on a Thursday night and they were able to easily accommodate our group of 6+.
As it was a last minute decision to go to Via Mercanti (our original destination could not accommodate us), I hadn't heard/read much about the restaurant other than its connection to Queen Margherita pizze. I like Queen Margherita but this place didn't seem as good.
First off, the service was just off. Our server not only misheard a number of our requests, he also overfillled glasses (water, wine) several times to the point of overflowing onto the table. He also for some reason didn't bring any water to our table (even though they brought the glasses) until more than halfway through the meal and only because we asked for it (we noticed other tables got water right away). The server also went on a weird tangent about taxes, tipping, etc. as we were sorting out the bill, which was totally unnecessary.
Aside from that the restaurant was just way loud even when it wasn't full. The patio looked like it would be a nice option for a smaller group during summer though.
The table shared a salad, which was nice, warm olives and some arancini (which was decent but not amazing).
I ordered one of the specials for that night: seafood risotto. While it looked amazing it was hugely disappointing. It was bland/under-seasoned and the seafood, especially the monkfish, was overcooked to the point of being dry and grey. The three of us who tried it had to drown the dish in house-made hot sauce to make it remotely palatable.
One of my friends took pity on me and my bland risotto and offered up a piece of her pizza. It was nice and flavourful, with the same tasty crust as at Queen Margherita. Others at the table who ordered pizza also enjoyed it.
Definitely would stick to the pizza if I were to return to Via Mercanti.
|