This was my second trip to Mercato, a gourmet restaurant and market in Calgary, Alberta. Unfortunately, it was my first meal at Mercato. Several months back I went to Mercato with my colleague Glenn before my flight back to Minnesota. He was raving about the Bistecca (their 72oz Ribeye). We got to the restaurant, ordered, and over an hour and a half later, we still didn’t have our food and I had a flight to catch, so we had to cancel our order and rush to the airport. It was a bummer for sure. Not only was I looking forward to a great meal, it left me hungry and rushed at the airport. No fun!
After talking with Glenn, we decided to give Mercato one more chance. Last week I got to experience the Bistecca along with some other great dishes, and they were worth the wait. Glenn, Amanda, Katie and Melissa (all co-workers) joined me for the meal. We started out with a Caprese salad and a trio of Bruschetta. I was much more impressed on this second trip as the starter course came promptly to the table, and it was delicious. The Caprese was one of the freshest I have ever tasted, and the Bruschetta had combinations I had never tried before which made them quite interesting as well as delicious.
We also ordered the 72oz double Bistecca with sides of mushrooms, asparagus and green beans. After finishing our starter course and engaging in some great table conversation, I started to wonder if lightning was going to strike twice. We waited and waited, but finally the main course arrived, but it took about an hour. It was worth the wait. The Bistecca (served on the bone) was cooked perfectly. There was a nice flavorful crust and a perfect medium-rare, tender, juicy inside. The asparagus was wrapped in prosciutto and grilled. The tops of the asparagus were a bit burnt, and the tops are my favorite part, so I was a bit disappointed about that, but the prosciutto added a nice salty bite to the asparagus. The mushrooms were tender and flavorful, and the beans were cooked perfectly with a nice crunch and great flavor.
Overall, I thought the food was fantastic, and the open kitchen made the dining experience entertaining and educational for a foodie like me. I know good things come to those who wait, but we got the first reservation of the day on purpose so we would get quick service, were the first ones in the restaurant and still had a long wait. I guess the message here is to expect to be there for a couple hours. If you don’t have that much time, you are better off somewhere else. If you have time time and are in Calgary, I’d recommend Mercato…you won’t be disappointed.
Some other great restaurants I’d recommend:
Maxwell’s – Fargo, ND
Dametra Cafe – Carmel, CA
Grasing’s – Carmel, CA
The Fishing Foodie 