DavidGHeiser.com » Italian

Mercato - Charleston Restaurant Review

David Heiser — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 04:28:33 +0000

Don’t get me wrong, I love southern Italian cuisine. When I was a kid, it was pretty difficult to convince me to eat much else besides spaghetti, tortellini, or ravioli covered in marinara and parmesan. To this day, I still buy the industrial size jars of pasta sauce from Sam’s Club and go through them faster than any single male probably should (but hey, lycopene is supposed to be really good for you, right?).

Somewhere along the line, though, I lost much of my desire to pick southern Italian restaurants for dates or other nights out. I think this must have been shortly after I moved out on my own and it sank in that, instead of spending $15 at a restaurant, I could buy a pound of pasta at the Harris Teeter for $1. And it’s not like I don’t appreciate good chicken parmigiana, but I find it really difficult to drop $20 on anything that I could pretty easily make myself at home for half as much.

This provides a lot of the explanation for why I hadn’t been to Mercato, one of Charleston’s most visually appealing restaurants, since it opened in 2006. Even from the outside, the space looks very impressive. The large windows that nearly make up the entirety of the restaurant’s front wall showcase the dark luxurious dining room, a site that’s especially striking at night. Still, regardless of the aesthetics, the restaurant is what it is, and I was nervous because you can only dress standard Italian fare up so much.

Despite Mercato’s expensive appearance, I think most diners will be pleasantly surprised to learn that its menu prices are pretty reasonable. Sure, you could find Italian food for a little less money elsewhere in town, but not by much, and certainly not in as romantic a setting with quality live jazz. Appetizers at Mercato (with the exception of the Antipasti Platter) fall between $6-10, pizzas (like the Spicy Sausage with caramelized onions, tomato, and fontina cheese - $12) and pastas can be had from $10 to $17, and entrees range from $16 all the way to $28.

Although we were tempted by the Crispy Fried Calamari ($10) that every table in the restaurant seemed to be ordering, we decided to start a little lighter with Beef Carpaccio ($10). The thinly sliced pieces of raw Wagyu were topped with roasted red peppers, arugula, and a light lemon-garlic aioli and served with crostini. If you’re hesitant about the prospect of eating raw beef, I urge you to give Mercato’s carpaccio a try. The meat tasted incredibly fresh and was well complimented by the flavors of the pepper and the aioli, neither of which overwhelmed the delicate flavor of the meat. I would suggest, however, avoiding eating the crostini with your Wagyu, because the meat tended to get lost amidst the thick, crunchy bread.

Next, we chose the classic Caprese Salad ($8), a wonderfully simple dish that is, in my mind, Italy’s second greatest contribution to the world, right after Da Vinci. It’s difficult to mess up a caprese salad (if you give me fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil in any form, I’m almost certain to be happy) and Mercato’s version did nothing to disappoint. The only way the dish could have been improved was if tomatoes were a little better quality, but it’s still pretty early in the year, so I don’t think you can blame them for that.

For my entree, I opted for the Veal Marsala ($19), which was unquestionably the best dish of the night. Lightly breaded and sautéed with Porcini mushrooms, onions, and marsala wine, one bite of my veal was enough to make my partner jealous. The meat was perfectly tender, and the mildly sweet sauce was delicious. I was a little disappointed to learn that Mercato doesn’t make their own spaghetti in house (although I was told that they do make some pasta on-site), but I can’t complain because it tasted fine to me.

My partner settled on the Spaghetti Cabonara ($14), which struggled to match-up with the marsala. The dish was serviceable, but not particularly impressive in any way. The pancetta was tasty, but we wished there was more of it, and we both were left wishing that she had gone with her plan-B, the Wild Mushroom Risotto ($15) with mascarpone and white truffle oil.

For dessert, we considered the Tiramisu, before deciding on the Cioccolata e Vaniglia ($8), a flourless chocolate cake with a molten nutella center, topped with housemade gelato. Our opinions on the result were split. While I, as a confessed chocolate addict, was enjoyed how rich the cake was, my partner thought it was a bit much. The rich, creamy gelato was excellent, and the nutella was an interesting deviation from standard molten chocolate filled cakes.

There are two other things that I have to mention before I close this review (which City Paper’s Robert Moss also pointed out after his recent trip). First, the olive oil which accompanies your complimentary bread is out of this world. It’s got an outstanding, light fruity flavor that will make it very difficult not to fill up on bread. The good news about filling up on bread, however, is that you’ll have it in your stomach to soak up the vodka in your Mercato Martini, a combination of homemade limoncello and Firefly Sweet Tea vodka. I’m more of a rum guy, but my partner absolutely loved it.

In whole, I was pleasantly surprised with Mercato. The prices were better than I expected, the atmosphere was great for a couple, and for the most part, we really enjoyed the food. I still don’t see myself dropping this kind of money on southern Italian food very frequently, but my preconceptions about Mercato have been disproved. If you’re looking for this style of food in a classy, upscale atmosphere you should definitely consider heading down to the Market.

Al di La - West Ashley Restaurant Review

David Heiser — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 00:32:30 +0000

There are some restaurants that have the kind of sparkling word-of-mouth reputation that no marketing budget can buy. A favorite of local residents and critics alike, West Ashley’s Al di La is one of those restaurants. The tiny Northern Italian-style trattoria tucked in an indistinct strip of shops just off the Savannah Hwy. near Gene’s Haufbrau is consistently one of the most highly recommended restaurants in the city.

Don’t let Al di La’s humble location fool you into thinking you’ll be able to stroll up and grab a table any night of the week. In my only previous experience dining there, it took me three separate attempts to make a reservation before I was able to sneak in. On this occasion, however, we were able to grab a table right when the restaurant opened at 6 p.m.

Al di La’s menu is broken up into the four standard courses of Italian cuisine–antipasti ($4.50 to $10), primi ($5 to $13), secondi ($16 to $19.25), and dolci (~$7). If you’re looking for chicken parmigiana or lasagna, you’re looking to the wrong place. In fact, if that’s the only kind of Italian cuisine you’ve experienced, you’re not likely to consider most of Al di La’s menu to sound Italian at all. Northern Italian cuisine places less emphasis on olive oil, tomato-based sauces, and noodles, instead favoring butter, wine and broth-based sauces, risotto, and polenta.

For our first course, we decided to start light with a Shepherds Salad ($7.25). Offering a little bit of everything, this salad includes genoa salami, spicy sopressata, ubriaco cheese (which tastes similar to asiago), grapes, and walnuts, all served over a bed of mixed greens with a citrus vinaigrette. While I enjoyed the salad, in retrospect I wish we had opted for one of their more interesting offerings like the Smoked Beef Carpaccio ($8) or Oven-roasted Pears with Prosciutto and Gorgonzola ($8.50).

As much I’ve loved just about everything I’ve had in my two experiences at Al di La, I think the restaurant shines most with its primi offerings. On this night, we chose the Tagilatelle with Porcini mushrooms, duck confit, and truffle oil ($10.25). This was unquestionably the highlight of our meal. The rich, decadent flavors of the confit and truffle oil, the wonderful aroma of the mushrooms, and the texture of the noodles (which are freshly made in-house, daily) all combine to make this dish an undeniable success. However, I was happy that we chose this as only our second course, because I think it may have been too heavy for a much larger portion. Other tantalizing options in this section include Lobster and Shrimp Ravioli ($13) and Strangozzi Spolentina with Spicy Sausage, Pancetta, Nutmeg, and Lemon Zest ($11.25)

For my main course, I decided again on duck, but in a much different form. The Pan-roasted Duck Breast ($19.25) was cooked to a perfect, tender medium rare and served in a subtly sweet and tangy sauce of apple cider and brown stock. The mashed potatoes and root vegetables were simple and well prepared. There isn’t really a lot I can say about this dish, other than the fact that it was really well executed. I enjoyed having two opposite preparations of duck back to back. Shows you how versatile an ingredient it is.

My partner chose the Prosciutto-wrapped Chicken Breast stuffed with fontina cheese, pine nuts and golden raisins ($16). My general opinion is that anything wrapped in prosciutto is always better than something not wrapped in prosciutto, and this dish did nothing to prove otherwise. The mildly salty flavor of the prosciutto and juicy chicken breast were good on their own, but the creamy, flavorful filling made the dish.

For dessert, we selected the Lemon-Olive Oil Cake ($7) with macerated strawberries and mascarpone cheese. This was a simple, delicious offering that put a nice cap on the meal.

Overall, Al di La fully lived up to my lofty expectations. The food was excellent, the service was friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere lends itself perfectly to a quiet dinner for two. If you’re looking for somewhere new to take a date and want to avoid the peninsula, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t check out what very well may be Charleston’s best Italian restaurant. For a little lighter way to start your evening, be sure to check out Al di La’s bar menu which features small plates, wood-fired pizzettes, charcuterie, and cheeses, all for about $8 or less.

Trattoria Lucca - Charleston Restaurant Review

David Heiser — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 21:27:00 +0000

For as long as I’ve been interested in Charleston’s culinary scene, I have continually heard people rave about Sienna, Chef Ken Vedrinski’s Daniel Island standout. It has been on my “to-go” list for quite a while, but the 30-minute drive time and rather steep entrée prices have prevented me from ever actually making the trip.

Needless to say, when I read in June that Chef Vedrinski was planning to open a new restaurant downtown with a more college student friendly price point, I was more than a little excited. Vedrinski told City Paper that his plan is for Trattoria Lucca to be a place where Charleston’s extensive community of food and beverage workers could enjoy “a good bowl of pasta at 1:30 a.m.” My anticipation built over a few months as Lucca’s opening was delayed multiple times from the original goal of July, before finally opening on Sept. 23.

Trattoria Lucca sits on the corner of Bogard St. and Ashe St., on the frontier of the peninsula’s current wave of gentrification. If you walk past the establishment at night, you can’t help but be instantly intrigued. Its large front windows are reminiscent of Mercato, the recent Italian addition to Hank Holliday’s ever expanding empire, and they reveal a low lit romantic atmosphere that just begs you to come back with a date.

The menu, as planned, is reasonably priced. They certainly aren’t giving anything away (a $16 plate of fresh made cavatelli is still a $16 plate of pasta at the end of the day), but none of the entrées top $20 and the appetizers peak at $9 as well.

The appetizers are divided into three sections, verdure, formaggi and salumi (vegetables, cheeses and meats). We chose to start with the golden beets with pickled garlic, tangerine, pine nuts and white balsamic vinegar ($7). Light, refreshing and bursting with flavor, this dish is a great way to start a meal. The acidity of the vinegar and citrus, pungent garlic and mild beet mingled on my tongue, forming a wonderful flavor profile that made me think of summer.

From there we moved on to formaggi. The Robiola ($8), made from a blend of cow and sheep’s milk, is smooth and creamy with a slightly sour flavor. It is accompanied by organic pear, hazlenuts and squares of crispy asiago cheese. The tangy pear and luxuriant cheese contrast in flavor but work exceptionally well together.

Other intriguing starter options include the prosciutto di Parma, which has been cured for 36 months ($9), roasted fall mushrooms ($7) and grilled baby artichokes ($7).

Main courses are split between primi (pasta dishes) and secondi (entrées), with four choices in each section. I went with the sheep’s milk ricotta gnudi served in a tomato ragu with house made duck sausage and scamorza cheese ($17). Gnudi, which is indeed Italian for “naked,” are best described as what you would be left with if you stripped the pasta exterior from ravioli, leaving only the filling; tender pieces with a soft, pillowy texture and delicate ricotta flavor. The tomato ragu was bold and flavorful, the pieces of mildly spicy pieces of duck sausage added a nice gourmet touch. Still, for the $17 price tag I was a little unimpressed, particularly in the portion department. My entrée was good, but at that cost I’d expect more of a “wow” factor from a pasta dish.

My partner went with the Berkshire pork chop “milanese” ($18). The pork was lightly breaded and topped with heirloom tomatoes, arugula and provolone cheese. The pieces I tried of this dish were far and away the highlight of the evening. The meat was tender and juicy, and the tomatoes made an ideal compliment. Perhaps my disappointment with my entrée’s size was partially because I couldn’t help but compare it to this dish. The pork chop was enormous. Even after she ate what she wanted and I mooched as much as I could, we were left with enough food to make two more meals for her or one good sized meal for me (what can I say, I eat like a fat kid). If you decide to dine at Lucca, this would be my top recommendation.

Next time I make it to Lucca, I plan on going with one of the other entrée choices, most likely the grilled Painted Hills hanger steak ($19), which is served along side fall mushrooms and an olive oil potato puree.

Beyond the food, the service was solid. The staff seemed very knowledgeable, an accomplishment for a restaurant this new. One thing I did have a problem with is the layout of the dining room. It really seemed a bit overcrowded. We were seated near the corner of the restaurant in an area where servers continually had to get past me to get to two other tables. I’m not a huge person-I’m only 5′11″ and about 160 lbs-but once the restaurant got busy it seemed like I was always in someones way. I had to scoot my chair in and out about 10 times and had servers bump into me on multiple occasions. I also found the dining area to be a little excessively loud when most of the tables were filled. My partner and I had a very difficult time hearing each other across the table while speaking at a conversational level.

Other than that, however, my first meal at Trattoria Lucca was a very enjoyable experience. The food ranged from good to excellent, and the prices are sure to make Lucca a favorite among students and residents looking for an affordable option for a date. Lucca is a welcome addition to what is a rapidly growing area of downtown’s culinary scene and I encourage everyone to check it out.