Merkato 55

4/28/2008
Meatpacking District: 55 Gansevoort (and Greenwhich) - (212) 255-8555
Price: High End
Rating (1-10): 7

The quick and dirty:
Merkato 55 is a solid restaurant and a welcome infusion of African cuisine to NYC. I would absolutely go back, maybe for a date or with people visiting town or with friends before a night out. That's not something I'd say about many restaurants here. It's a fun atmosphere in a hip neighborhood and makes you feel like you're exploring when you read the menu. Although the space doesn't seem to match the comfort-food type style of cuisine - hip, cold, Meatpackingly impersonal - it's nice to see an underrepresented cuisine showcased with flare in a new, stylish light.

The food is full of deep, rich, biting flavors and the key here is spice - spices you can't name, spices that are bold, spices that make you anxious to get another bite. The dishes overall demonstrate strong command of flavors with, again, a particularly impressive integration of spices which make a statement. Because Chef Samuelsson utilizes spices so well, Merkato 55 offers a refreshing alternative to the heavy feeling you get at many restaurants whose food is most heavily enriched by butter, fat, and marrow. Best dishes I tasted were the guinea hen and the fried chickpea dumplings. Desserts were ok and the ice creams were good but the strength is in the savory items.

Biggest weakness was the clumsy and seemingly inexperienced service; they need to focus on training and especially on the timing when they bus plates so that it doesn't feel rushed or like it's interrupting the dining experience.

There's plenty of reason to go here - it's different food and usually well-executed. Can be the beginning of a fun night or simply a fun night on its own.


Full Review:
Tonight's visit was to Merkato 55, the much celebrated Chef Macus Samuelsson's newest venture in the Meatpacking District. Chef Samuelsson greeted us with a broad smile and warm handshake shortly after we were seated at our table - and it appears that his friendly and genuine demeanor have found expression, at least in part, in this restaurant. At Merkato 55, the food is full of deep, rich, biting flavor and the key here is spice - spices you can't name, spices that are bold, spices that make you anxious to get another bite.

Some might be confused by the pan-African theme or laugh at the idea of trying to combine all in one. Yes, it's a little confusing when you try to define what makes up the cuisine at this restaurant. But to me the point is not to create a single pan-African palate but rather to pull out various elements from around the continent. So at the end of the day, who cares about cohesion if it's delicious and exposes you to fun combinations you might not tasted before. The guinea hen was best - the bird is served in a reddish jus and covered in a dry spice rub - the seasoning was delicious, not overly salted, and fit deliciously with a tart mix of carmelized onions, roasted cherry tomatoes, lemon rind, and bitter greens. It's been a while since I've tasted a dish with such strong, harmonious flavors that lit up in your mouth. The dish demonstrated a strong command of flavors and an ability to dance on the adventurous and unexpected without being gimmicky/pretentious.

Also good was the fried chickpea dumplings served as spicy nuggets mixed in with various differently textured garnish. The taste of the garnish paled next to the fried chickpeas, which melt in your mouth and, as one of the people at our table remarked, a spicy saag. I'd get it again.

The chicken doro wat dish came recommended by the server but oddly, her warning that it was very spicy turned out not to be true - in fact, the flavor was flat and the meat portion was lacking. The slightly sour injera bread was nice though, and when used to scoop the sauce and chicken, made for much better bites. The rack of lamb entree was beautifully cooked but perhaps also not that different taste-wise, from a lot of racks of lamb - after tasting the guinea hen, the lamb was less exciting and not as hard hitting as the hen.


Desserts were tasty as well, and again spiced in interesting ways. The creamy ice creams were quite nice and generally melded well with the rest of the dessert - in my case, the pineapple tart which was too sweet but had a nice, thin, crunchy crust. The chocolate samosas were the most original that I saw, with melting, hot, spicy, bitter chocolate flowing out of pockets of chocolate dough (kind of like an empanada). It's actually only mildly sweet and more spicy than anything so it's not for everyone, but if you're looking for the unique, this would be your selection.

Service at the restaurant was definitely clumsy and a bit disorganized, though polite. One of my pet peeves is when a server takes or tries to take a dish prematurely - there's a timing to taking bussing tables and if done wrong, it can make you feel rushed or even feel bad about wanting to keep your plate a bit longer. In this case a server interrupted our conversation mid-sentence to take two of four plates, try to take my dish, which I still wanted, and leave only one that clearly wasn't finished. If only one person is left eating, I think it makes that person feel awkward and maybe embarassed to be the only one with food. Being watched while eating isn't that fun. There should have been no hurry especially given that it was a slow night at the restaurant. Other gripes: we requested tap water but bottled water was served; 3 of the 4 entrees were presented first and then the 4th came trailing afterwards; my water glass had a sharp chip on the rim; despite being a slow night, I saw a couple patries arrive to no one at the host desk. Additionally, I like it when the server can give some suggestions or opinions with some authority, when solicited. I find it helpful to hear a couple words to gauge the kinds of foods that are strengths on the menu or the server's knowledge of it. After all, they are there a lot more than I am and should know. That isn't to say I want someone telling me what to get right off the bat, but if I'm asking for it, I want it. The server we had was fine - knew the menu, ingredients, and descriptions - but had few assertive suggestions. That's a let down - take a stand; sure there's a risk of suggesting something I won't like but I'll take responsibility for that, if that happens. The food was surprisingly good - but the service was surprisingly amateur.

Decor and atmosphere are generally fun at Merkato 55 but there's a soul to this restaurant and its food that I think is betrayed by its somewhat cold, impersonal surroundings. It seems better suited to a cozy or warmer feeling place but then again, it is the Meatpacking District, and moreover, I can appreciate Merkato 55's effort to present African cuisine in a new way, at a new level. All in all, it's a stylish, fun place to hang out without the crazy prices - and it's not uncomfortable like so many exclusive places. I would go back to this place, maybe for a date or with people visiting town or with friends before a night out.

It'll be interesting to see if this restaurant sticks around given the challenges of operating such a large space in a chique area. They'll need to shore up their service and tweak a couple dishes but it's hard not to root for this one to succeed.