CENTRAL NY’S THEATRICAL EVENT OF THE SUMMER
Dining
JULY 13 — AUGUST 2 AT THE MERRY-GO ROUND PLAYHOUSE IN AUBURN 315-255-1785 | THEREVTHEATRE.COM
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Mercato: Small but Mighty By He nr y Stark
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110 North Cayuga St., Ithaca repstudio.com • 607-272-4292
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n previous visits to Italy, I looked forward to having Porchetta at some of my favorite restaurants. Porchetta is a roasted pork dish made from the loin of a suckling pig and is usually tender, juicy, and liberally seasoned. I favored the same dish in Spain where it’s called Porcella and where a trio of troubadours would wander the basements of Madrid restaurants singing traditional songs and accompanying themselves on guitars. So you can imagine how happy I was to discover Porchetta on the menu of Mercato. There were no troubadours and I doubt the pork came from a suckling pig however I did receive a generous hunk of beautifully roasted pork loin surrounding a somewhat subtle, slightly spicy sausage stuffing. The Porchetta ($28) at Mercado was tender and delicious and was accompanied by rappini and fingerling potatoes. Another time I ordered Mint Pappardelle with Lamb Ragu ($28). I thought of it as a glorified lamb stew and enjoyed the noodles and appreciated the tender pieces of lamb. After trying a couple of “turf ” meals with the pork and lamb, I thought I’d indulge in some “surf ”-type meals so I had the Clams Casino appetizer ($10) and, if I was disappointed, it was my own fault. I asked the server how many clams there would be before I ordered and was advised there would be five quite small Littlenecks. Littlenecks are inherently tough and these were, indeed, a bit chewy. Another visit, I ordered Fresh Fish in Parchment ($30). I was pleased to receive Arctic Char, a fish I had long ago discovered in Canadian restaurants. Char is a flaky, dense, pink fish that’s like a mild version of salmon and cooking it in parchment paper seals in the juices and aromas
of the fish and the accompanying vegetables. The fish was perfectly cooked as were the fingerling potatoes and carrots. And finally, I selected Pan Seared Bay Boat Scallops ($34). I still have no idea what a Bay Boat Scallop is but having ordered them at Mercato, I do know that I received six large sea scallops (sea scallops are usually about an inch and a half wide and reside in deeper waters and are less tender than the smaller bay scallops). I rarely order sea scallops for that reason however these turned out to be tender and sweet and beautifully seasoned although receiving only six made it seem like an expensive entrée. They were served in a carrot puree reinforced with a bit of mascarpone (a soft cow’s milk cheese), a thinly sliced oyster mushroom, and a lemon beurre blanc with a side dish of thinly sliced shoe-string potatoes. A wonderful dish. The large selections of wines are almost exclusively Italian including seven out of the eight by-the-glass ($11-35) offerings. There are less than a half dozen beers available including three drafts and about a dozen mixed cocktails. Mercato is the epitome of a small restaurant with a limited menu that turns out consistently high-quality food. The purchasers of the food, and those who cook it, can concentrate on a limited (eight) number of entrées so they can get everything just right. And we are the fortunate beneficiaries.
Tid Bits
The restrooms are down a flight of 16 steep stairs. The waiting area is extremely limited and since Mercato doesn’t accept reservations you could end up standing on the street - not fun in inclement weather.
