Sunday, January 31, 2016

Mercato

352 West 39th Street
(between Eighth and Ninth Avenues)


A great small, cozy Italian space that has the feel of being in one’s living room.



The food is absolutely delicious. Starting with the thick dipping sauce (made up of lentils) for the bread. There was also a hint of sun-dried tomatoes as well.


We started off our Italian meal with a small dish of mixed olives marinated in fennel and rosemary. Some of the olives also had a bit of spiciness to their taste, but wasn’t sure if it was due to the brine or the specific olive. It was a perfect pairing with the bread and its accompanying dipping sauce.


We also ordered the Polpette Con Crostini (meatballs, tomato sauce, and garlic crostini) as an appetizer. This dish was probably the weakest of our appetizers as I felt the meatballs were a tiny bit dry.

 
The most interesting appetizer had to be the sardines we ordered. The appetizer came with two grilled whole sardines topped with salmoriglio sauce (a garlicky herb and lemon sauce). Salty goodness! But beware of the bones!

 
We then shared an order of the Linguine Al Frutti di Mare (linguine with mussels, calamari, shrimp, clams, and spicy tomato sauce). The kitchen very kindly separated the dish for us and served it to us on separate plates. Definitely spicy!


For drinks, I started off with their rosé (Puglia 2014). They only offered one type of rosé offering, but it was refreshing and light and went perfectly with the spicy food.

 
Also had a glass of their Primitivo (Amastuola Puglia 2013). Always love a Primitivo (as they tend to have a very smooth finish while still having a full body taste), so I try to order a glass whenever I see it offered on a wine list.



Only off note was their dessert special of a flourless chocolate cake. Disappointingly dry. Glad that I had my glass of Primitivo to wash it down!




Pros:
Relaxing atmosphere.
LOVE the dipping sauce for the bread.
Friendly service.


Cons:
Dessert.


Final Thoughts
Will definitely return if I’m around Penn Station or Port Authority. And to try their other desserts!


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