By David Jones

Lin and I had to go to West Chester recently for a meeting of the Chester County Master Gardeners.  This created the perfect opportunity to try another restaurant in downtown.  With lots of choices, we went for Italian and chose Mercato on Market Street.

This is a fairly large place with the bar split off from the dining area and a pretty large outdoor seating area.  Neither Lin nor I like eating where cars are emitting their exhaust, so we decided to go indoors.

When we arrived at 5 PM there was only one other table occupied.  Unfortunately, the hostess sat us right next to this exuberant group of 3 young ladies and that was the end of our intimate conversation.  We were still able to talk and hear each other, but the tables here are close together and we had to really work to carry on a conversation.

Mercato has a nice selection of beer on tap and by the bottle as well as a nice selection of wines by the bottle and glass.  Lin passed on a drink, but I decided to have a beer.

I told our waiter, Alfredo, that I wanted something dark like a stout.  He conferred with the bartender and brought me Evolution IPA.  I told him this choice wasn’t anything like a stout and he offered to take it back, but I decided to give it a try.

Most people who like IPA’s will like Evolution.  It has all of the citrus and hop flavors IPA drinkers crave.  I actually liked it too even though I was sure I would.

I started with the Grilled Calamari appetizer.  This came with a very nice white bean salad with tomatoes on a cabbage leaf.  There was also a lemon vinaigrette dressing.  It was very attractive on the plate and absolutely delicious.

The calamari was very tender and grilled to perfection.  With just a taste of garlic, this dish is a must for calamari lovers like me.

I went for the Short Rib Ragu for my main course.  The pasta was a little unusual.  They use a Paccheri noodle for this dish.  Once again the pasta and short ribs were absolutely wonderful!

Lin passed on a small plate and went with the chicken under a brick. This came out as a couple of pieces of chicken and caught Lin by surprise.  In her experience, this dish is usually a sizeable portion of the whole chicken. Mercato’s version was done with grilled artichokes, cherry tomatoes and a white wine garlic sauce.  It was accompanied by grilled asparagus.

I had a taste and found the chicken to be nice and tender and juicy, just the way I like it.  Lin thought it was a little bland.

This problem was compounded by not having any salt or pepper on the table for seasoning.  She took the olive oil with hot pepper flakes from the bread we were served and tried to add some more seasoning to the dish.  In the end she was disappointed.

I would caution though, I didn’t find the dish to be disappointing at all and I wouldn’t have a problem ordering it next time, but I don’t like heavily seasoned dishes for the most part.

Our waiter was pretty good.  He was attentive and helpful, if not always right about the beer.  They give you a nice cold bottle of water to sit on the table to refill your glasses with throughout the meal, which we like.

The room is a bit noisy, but otherwise comfortable.  The bread and olive oil they serve is very nice.

We did see several tables outside our window order the cheese and meat plate ($15), which we both remarked would make a meal in itself.

Our meal cost a total of $66, including tax and a 20% tip.  I liked Mercato and would like to return sometime and sample other items on the menu.

Parking is always a challenge in downtown West Chester.  The meter charge is $1.50 per hour, but they do take Master Card and Visa, which is a nice convenience.

Mercato at 119 N High St, West Chester, PA 19380

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A native of Chester County and a 1968 graduate of Octorara Area High School, David Jones earned a Masters Degree in Medical Ethics from from Villanova University. Mr. Jones served as CEO of both Mayview and Wernersville State Hospitals and later worked directly with then Governor Rendell to modernize and right-size Pennsylvania’s entire state hospital system. Jones and his wife Lynn make their home in Parkesburg and dine out frequently across Chester County and the Delaware Valley.

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Top image courtesy of Station Taproom.