Upscale lounge/restaurant Mercy Me relaunched in West End last week, featuring the cuisine of various regions of South America. Mercy Me is under new ownership, with a new chef, Executive Chef Robert Curtis, who is supported by Brazilian Chef and consultant Giancarlo Junyent.
Mercy Me has a nice upscale lounge kind of vibe and decor, with a good amount of space between tables. We enjoyed the music played in the restaurant, which interestingly enough, Shazam (a music identification app), was unable to identify. The restaurant features curated music through weekly analog DJ sets (Thursday and Friday evenings), although we were not present during a performance. Mercy me also features a new private dining listening room.
We started with cocktails, a Tropicalia Spritz (Vodka, Lilet Blanc, Alphonso Mango, Passion Fruit, Vanilla, Ripe Pineapple, Pet Nat), and Passion Marg (Habanero, Lime, Passion fruit, Pineapple, Mezcal, Tequila Blanco). Both drinks were tasty well-made cocktails. I didn’t taste habanero in the margarita, but that is probably a good thing.
The menu has a variety of good options, but we had to decide, so we ordered the Ceviche (Hamachi, Purple Sweet Potato, Passion Fruit, Leech de Tigre), Chorizo Mussels
(Honey Chorizo, Coconut Milk, Fennel, White Wine), Chaufa (Braised Pork Belly, Fried Rice, Piperade), and Whole Roasted Bass (Shaved Fennel and Orange Salad, Ahi Amarillo, Naam Prik). We enjoyed all four dishes, but we were probably most surprised by the Chaufa; the pork belly was executed wonderfully, with the perfect texture, and was served on very garlicky fried rice. The sauce on the mussels was savory, with the chorizo really enhancing the flavor of the dish; this preparation is easily as good as some of the best mussel dishes we have had in DC. They also did a great job with the texture and flavor of the sea bass, and we enjoyed the fennel salad, although the blood orange flavor seemed to get lost in the dish. The ceviche was a light and flavorful way to start the meal.
The waiter recommended the Gnocchi (Braised Short Rib, Poblano Mole Sauce, Salsa Criolla, Cotija Cheese), so maybe we should try that dish next visit. Truth be told, we ordered mostly seafood because I had eaten at a kabob house for lunch.
For dessert, we had the Chocolate Tres Leches (White Chocolate Cream, Citrus Jam, Banana Rum Sauce) and Pavlova (Coconut cream, Cherimoya Sorbet, Caipirinha Strawberries). We both enjoyed the light, creamy, and fruity Pavlova dish, but admittedly, neither of us had tried one before.
My dining partner from that evening is already planning to bring his girlfriend to Mercy Me for date night, since the restaurant has a great vibe and wonderful food. You should check Mercy Me out too!
-JAY
