I had dinner with a friend at Merchant last night for the first time. It was a fantastic experience on all levels! We were happily greeted and got a table right away. We really appreciate that they use food from local sources as much as possible. And our server, Emily, was lovely & informative giving us helpful ideas/info. I chose the Deaths Door Vodka on the rocks (smooth with notes of vanilla) and my friend had the Pisco Sour - both were amazing & the real deal - we were seriously happy girls.
On to the food! We started with the roasted beets with bleu cheese & hazelnuts. They were incredible - a well rounded dish offering equal parts warm/cool, soft/crunchy, sweet/acidic. Side note: I don't even like bleu cheese and it was creamy heaven.
For a main course, I ordered the Atlantic Salmon. It was truly the best salmon I've ever had - tender fish with crisp skin & perfectly seasoned with hints of lemon/fennel served with an amazing array of vegetables in a light, but flavorful buerre blanc sauce. I actually asked for a spoon to get more of the sauce (as I figured putting the plate up to my face would be considered poor form). My friend had the Mozzarella Panini with pepper jam and arugula which was also crazy delicious and well balanced - I would absolutely order that dish in the future. We had no room for dessert, but I look forward to that next time.
Give Merchant a try - it's my new favorite place!