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| - I think this place is massively over-hyped. The food, while not bad, was far from exceptional considering there is a sole focus...and I have no plans to return.
Also, I went with Darren. That dude is great.
Things we tried:
1.) Poutine with gravy on fries.
-Fries were as average as you can get, nothing about the gravy or curds stood out. Really lacking in the salt dept.
2.) Arancini (mushroom) w/ truffle aioli.
-A shadow of previous incarnations of arancini I have had in my day. These were tiny and not exceptionally flavorful. I liked eating them but they left so much to be desired. Also, I am sick of truffle aioli. It's like the sriracha of mayo-y dipping sauces and I wish people could make an effort to be more creative.
3.) Spicy Pork, Classic, and Corned Beef meatballs in various sandwich forms.
-Look guys, if you're going to focus on something..hit it out of the park. Am I biased? Sure. I've been to http://www.yelp.com/biz/salumi-artisan-cured-meats-seattle-2
and these are the best meatballs I have ever had. None of what I had at Mercato was bad persay, but I would never suggest to anyone that these were anything above a typical meat concoction. They are overcooked in the sense that they are cooked a bit above a temp that retains moisture. Though not dry, the texture did leave a bit over a bit to be desired.
If you're going to head downtown and pay for parking (see below) to eat at a trendy place, it has to excel. It has to wow you. It has to make you feel like it was worth the trip. To me, this was not a place I'd go out of my way to try again.
(A final kicker, there was Valet parking across the street for this place. When I picked up my car, I was *then* informed that it was $10. That's a tad bit shady, seeing as most places would..you know..advertise the price on the sign...I assumed it was complimentary parking)
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