Mercer Kitchen

[oakapple]

I was invited to lunch today at Mercer Kitchen (corner of Mercer & Prince Streets, in SoHo). It's an impressive space. The ground floor is a bar, with comfortable chairs and small cocktail tables generously spaced. In the back of this area are floor-to-ceiling shelves, suggesting a library.

The restaurant proper is downstairs. Part of it is in the vault space below the sidewalk. Look up from your table, and you see (and sometimes hear) people walking over the grillework up above. There is glass in the interstices of the grille, but keep reading: evidently the seal isn't quite perfect. Near the back are several long communal tables - evidently a staple of Jean-Georges Vongerichten's restaurants. These tables look on an open kitchen - yet another JGV staple. The décor is dark and sleek.

I ordered from the $20 prix fixe lunch menu. An appetizer of Wild Mushroom Bruschetta with Proschutto failed to impress. I am the world's worst cook, so when my reaction to a dish is, "I could easily do that," it's not a good sign. It seemed to be no more than mushrooms and ham on slightly soggy rye toast.

Things improved as we moved to the main course: Roast Duck Breast with Bok Choy, Ramps and Rhubarb. The rhubarb, a pale pink sauce framing thin duck slices, was what made the dish.

Dessert - Gianduja Parfait with Coconut Soup - was heavenly. One of my lunch companions speaks seven languages, and he explained that gianduja is a hazelnut chocolate. I wonder why the restaurant couldn't tell us that on the menu. Is "gianduja" a common word? I don't think so.

In the middle of the meal, we noticed a flurry of activity around the tables near us. It turned out the staff were hanging umbrellas on the sprinkler pipes just below the grillework that separates the restaurant from the sidewalk above. By the time they were done, the entire front section of the restaurant was ringed with a protective cocoon of upsidedown umbrellas, resembling the famous scene from Mary Poppins. What a bizarre sight! It did not actually rain before we left, so I didn't get to see what that was like.

It was a satisfactory meal, but I won't be dying to go back.

[Pan]

Thanks; that was a good read!

Gianduja is a word known to gelato-lovers, especially those who have spent some time in Italy. It seems doubtful that most other people would know its precise meaning, but then I'm sure that there are French terms on the menu that a majority of "average" diners not particularly fluent in French or experienced with French and French-influenced cuisine would know. Am I right? I wonder how many people not fluent in French culinary terms would know precisely what a confit of duck is, for example, or a mille feuille.

[juuceman]

not a big fan of mercer kitchen.. place is pretty enough but not real serious food.. nice for a cocktail and maybe a light bite..

what i like about the place is the profusion of bars housed within.. they have the lounge with attached bar upstairs.. they have the library abr connected to the lounger, reserved for guests of the mercer hotel next door on the weekends.. they have the hidden rand gerber bar downstairs..

[Daniel]

The last time I went to mercer kitchen i was outside smoking when a tough looking homelessman asked me for money. After not giving him money, he proceeded to scream at me and tell me how he was going to shoot me. I went back in to tell the manager to call the police and the manager said to me"oh that guy is out there all the time we call the police on him all the time, there is nothing we can do" I demanded the manager call the police and he told me to hold on. He then came back about 15 minutes later and told me that if i wanted to, i could call the police myself. Meanwhile this guy continued to harass everyone that walked by. So, i have my food sitting at the table with my friend, there is this maniac threatening people on the street, and i have the manager caring less about the situation, making me call the police myself. Needless to say, i ended up walking out of the restaurant with my friend, my night was ruined, and I am sure the homeless guy probably made 100 bucks.

Has anyone else dealt with that whacko who stands outside of the place?

[juuceman]

The last time I went to mercer kitchen i was outside smoking when a tough looking homelessman asked me for money.

Has anyone else dealt with that whacko who stands outside of the place?

just think of it as the new nyc smoking tax..

[jeunefilleparis]

I first at at MK a number of years ago and fell in love with the shrimp salad iwth the champagne vinaigrette. Other than that and the kinda cool space, nothing there is that impressive,

On another note, I worked there very briefly as a reservationist and i Can tell you first hand that its amazing that the place is still running. The managers there have no idea what they are doing and the GM is an absolute wreck, never returned phone calls ect. I think i worked there at total of 10 days before i walked out.

I m amazed that JG could have a place run by such idiots when he has such restaurants that clearly are run properly and efficiently.

[lizard]

My Experience...

So we were visiting friends and they wanted us to pick a place, since I am so damn opinionated about restaurants. I picked Mercer, and had a great time. Food was great, fresh, and original. Wine list was a bit shallow with very few selections pre-dating 2002. Service was amateurish, but the food made up for it.

Here's the best part: There was this couple sitting next to us, being very quiet--didn't even notice them until they got up. This giant leggy blonde was wearing a belly shirt, and we all noticed, because it was JANUARY, and it was 8 degrees out. So this idiot gets up and begins to wrap her belly with a scarf. We all had to laugh at the absurdity of it all. We all agreed she must be a stripper or something. Then the guy gets up, and we can tell he's quite a bit older, and not so handsome. My first thought is, "wow this guy must be a rock star or very wealthy to have such a hot (and fashion-conscious) girl with him." Het turns around; it was Howard Stern.