Cuisine

Neighborhood

CUISINE: Spanish, Tapas, Wine Bar
NEIGHBORHOOD: East Village, Greenwich Village, Noho

45 Bond St between Lafayette and Bowery

(p) 212-529-8600

(Patates Braves)

Monday morning I awoke, like the rest of Manhattan, to find a blizzard outside my window. The wind was howling, snow was accumulating, and the temperature was 16 degrees but felt like 2. At dinner time, the streets of NYC were empty, and so was Mercat. Upon entering I felt an immediate warmth, despite the high ceilings and almost overwhelming size of the space. The decor is sleek and clean, yet still homey thanks to exposed brick walls, low lighting, and dark wooden tables. While waiting for my friend, I ordered a glass of red wine, which was generous in both size and price ($13)...  

When my friend arrived, we were seated in a corner table, adjacent to a black spiral staircase which lead to an overlooking wine storage space. Our waiter told us that we "absolutely must try" the Patates Braves, potatoes with garlic and spicy sauce.  I have way too much confidence in waiters.  I usually believe their praises, and they are often wrong, which is exactly what happened with these potatoes. I found them to be a bit too crispy, and topped with what most closely resembled cheese whiz.  Yuck.  We also started with the Croquetes De Pollastre, chicken and mushrooms. These deep fried bites resembled mini mozzarella sticks, tasted like inferior latkes, and were desperately in need of a tangy dipping sauce to offset the dominating flavor of old oil.  

For the larger, entree sized tapas (a confusing concept, I know), we tried the Cigrons Amb Botifarra Negra, chickpeas with morcilla, apricots, pine nuts and mint, which was served in a black, mini cauldron. It was a tad too salty, but the dried fruits added an interesting spin to this relatively unusual dish.  We also ordered the Trencat D’ Ous mushrooms, fried egg and salsa verde, which was the only real winner of the night.  The mushrooms were moist, perfectly seasoned, and a refreshing respite after so much fried food.  The egg was delicate, subtle, and complimented the mushrooms nicely.  Overall, my friend and I both agreed that the meal was merely sub-par.  The atmosphere was new and nice, but coupled with the mediocre food, the experience felt inauthentic and uninspired.   

Posted in FOOD on March 3, 2009 4:32pm by Jena Steinbach | 10 comments

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We are young (early 20's) and hungry (for knowledge! music! art! food!) friends living on (or in areas which border) Manhattan. We moved to the city seeking higher education, and an alternative to frat parties and gin buckets. We prefer a bottle of Chianti to a keg, lunches at City Bakery to a dining hall, Joe's to Starbucks, Frankie's Amatriciana to Batali's. Our uniting factor is our love for food. For detailed, personal information, keep reading.
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