Halifax - il Mercato restaurant

I read about the il Mercato restaurant in some reviews on the interwebs and thought that I'd give it a try. Overall it was an excellent food experience and is authentically Italian and brought back memories of the trip myself and my wife took to Italy last year.

I started with a wild mushroom soup that had a good blend of different varieties of fungi. I did add a little olive oil to it to give it that Italian feel. For my main I had the lamb pappardelle pasta which was the highlight. Lots of shredded bits of lamb, pasta cooked perfectly and good spices added. The only distraction was the cold plate it was served in. In most places my wife and I ate at in Italy, they had warm plates to keep the food warmer on the table for longer.

I also ordered an Italian red to go with the meal and I thought it went well. I'm not the wine expert, my wife is. I'm more of a cider, fruit wine and mead kind of guy (occasional stouts) but those don't go with Italian food.

For dessert I ordered the lemon sorbet and it was refreshing and delightful. They said it was homemade and I cannot debate that. Reminded my of the ones in Italy.

As I said at the beginning, I said that I had a great food experience at this establishment but there was two items that did not make it a fantastic restaurant experience.

1. After I was seated by the front-person I was given a menu by one of the waiters and he told me that he would be my waiter and that he would return. Another waiter came over once I was done with the menus and wanted to take my order. I indicated that I thought I was being served by the other fellow, who looked to be working hard behind the bar getting other things for other customers but on reflection the new waiter acted like he did not want to hear that. I didn't appreciate that kind of sharking of customers.

2. When I was paying with my credit card and using the remote payment device, the waiter was eying my every action and the screen. I realize that some do not know how to use those devices but I did not appreciate that kind of spying. I also don't like the subtle psychology in the act in order to get a satisfactory tip.

The food was good enough for me to come back but if the same thing happened next time I would be more vocal about my objections. I also sent an email to them in order to address the two above items so that they can be resolved for future customers.

So all in all, a great place to go for great Italian food in Halifax. There's also a movie theatre across the street to combine a dinner and a film.