Merchant – Madison, WI – 121 S Pinckney St
Enjoyed Merchant last night for dinner during Restaurant Week. $30 for a three course meal.
Started off with the Ricotta which was presented on a wood cutting board. Rich and creamy with a dash of chives sprinkled on top. The accompanying chilled blanched vegetables consisting of a heirloom cherry tomato, radish, carrots and green beans resting on beet greens gave the dish a pleasant addition. While the toasted Madison Sourdough baguette dipped in the Banyuls vinegar and olive oil added the crunch.
Main course: Moules Frites. Prince Edward Island Mussels (in my opinion THE BEST KIND of mussels!) Steamed mussels in white wine, thyme, oregano and bay leaf. Presented in a creamy white onion aioli, hint of lemon and chili flakes. The only negatives I have is that hand cut fries did not appear to be traditional double fried frites, but VERY good hand cut fries. Also, the fries were presented in the bowl with the mussels so they began to sink (ok, swim) in the sauce. I prefer to dip my fries as I go.
Dessert: Dark Chocolate & Cherry Custard. In a word: YUM! Rich creamy dark chocolate topped with whipped cream, almond cocoa crumble and a single Luxardo cherry.
My husband enjoyed his meal also. He started off with the Strawberry Summer Salad (arugula, pea tops, blanched snap peas, red onion, strawberries, pecans, feta and orange poppy dressing).
Steak Frites (locally sourced beef, red wine shallot butter, hand cut fries and a side of field greens)
Panna Cotta (vanilla yogurt panna cotta topped with red wine poached pears and brown butter cookie crumble)
Service was friendly and attentive.
After our enjoyable meal we took a stroll around the square. Which seemed to be a perfect way to end the evening.