Days of Wine & Closes

Dinner is for Closers-Mercadito

Hello All. I know you guys are all worked up about the Midtown restaurant thing. I don’t blame you, Miami has been beyond lacking ever since South Beach turned into a Time-Warner/Disney/Kraft property. Too lazy to check, but I bet those are all the same company now.

But, colleagues, can we talk about a very real problem? Or two? First: the fly situation. It’s Miami in summer, so I understand. But, now bear with me, if you close the doors, the flies can’t get inside as easily and crap & puke on your food. Gross? Yes. Did you not see The Movie? It’s how they survive folks. Circle of life, etc.

Also, the restaurants all have fantastic concepts, but several of them fail like they mean it on a service level. Mercadito, however, does not. The service the four times I’ve gone has been great. Not Miami great; really great. A very pleasant surprise. Also, there is a gallery’s worth of interesting art throughout the space, making Mercadito worth at least one trip.

But. But the food is mediocre at best. Not for lack of sincerity, I think. I do believe they genuinely want a consistently great experience. The place just screams of effort. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings-not there anyway-but it feels as though one of my friends who can’t cook, got their hands on a pretty good recipe book. Then followed it word for word, never tasting the product. Ouch. Every single dish (with friends, I’ve tried most everything on the menu) is bland. Even when it is spicy, something is missing. In my opinion, usually something acidic.

I will go back to Mercadito. It’s attractive, the food is not terrible, the service is good. It’s like dating someone you really want to like, but just, oh, it’s not me, it’s you.

What we ate: Chicken tacos, Carnitas tacos, Guacamole tradicional, Corn masa quesadillas, Tostadas de hongos, Queso fundido, Arroz verde (this was actually very good), Chile relleno, Enchiladas verdes. OINK.

What we drank: House Malbec, E. Catena (not bad), various beers & cocktails

P.S.: They offer an all you can eat and drink brunch for $30, menu here that I plan to try. There is a disclaimer that the all you can drink must be in a two hour period. WE’LL SEE.

August 31, 2010 - Posted by wineandcloses | Dinner is for closers, Midtown, Uncategorized