I know that I have not been up to date posting restaurants but I have written all restaurants I ate at the last two months and am planning on posting them now and keeping up to date with it. First stop on the list, Mercato.
I went to Mercato for my friend's bday, the biggest reason is everyone loves their frozen drinks! Getting there, we were seated right away and given a minute to look at menus. I have been here before many times, one of my favorites, but I will comment on the atmosphere anyway. The inside is very trendy casual, with nice decor and lighting and mainly being a place you can go with a group of your friends to enjoy food and just talk. They have a small bar inside, which I have never been to but heard that it gets busy especially when there are drink specials. As always, the waitress took our drinks order very quickly upon sitting down.
I had to order my Italian Love, amaretto peach puree frangelico creation. Everyone was ordering the frozen margaritas/daquiris... they are so so good here and very big sized. We than looked at the menu and this menu is the easiest to highlight. A) Always order a flatbread as the first thing you ever try there. The flatbreads are the best I have ever tasted and the toppings get creative (chicken ranch, Hawaiian..etc) Past the flatbreads B) Panini is a second great option. Everything is great quality with really great choices of fillers. C) If you want a combo of a+b, try a flatzone. Remembers me of a flatbread + panini, the bread not too thick but the fillers are just like as if you were to order a sandwich. D) IF your like me and have had all of that already, go with a salad. They are very large portions and I promise you you will not be able to finish it. Last time I dined there my friend got pasta, papparedelle and mushrooms (something rare since most restaurants do not offer that cut of pasta). She let me try a forkful and I must say, it stood up to the quality of any good italian restaurant. I did not expect that because I would never recommend Mercato for food such as pasta or meat entrees, I would definitely suggest it as a sandwich/pizza type of restaurant but with a bit more class. But for choice E) I would say if you come with an appetite, don't exclude trying one of their entrees!
I decided to order the grilled calamari salad while most others at my party ordered flatbreads, one person ordering penne alla vodka. Our food took a bit to actually come out, which I did not mind because I appreciate a wait but it did get close to the point of being ridiculous. But either way I was with a group of friends I haven't chatted with in awhile so the wait made no difference. Once our food come out, piping hot, everyone was okay with the wait. First comment, wow my salad was big. There was a pile of grilled calamari greater than if you ordered a fried calamari appetizer at an Italian restaurant. The dressing it came with was a honey ginger dressing and alone, that dressing made it the right decision to try the salad. Everyone else loved their flatbreads and the person who ordered the penne even said it was very very good. It is a place like this where you can't go wrong with what you order you will always come out happy.
We did not order dessert this time because it was a bday and we were picking up ice cream cake but one dessert comment, since I have ordered it, is definitely if you have room try it. Me and my friends ordered the peanut butter chocolate fondue last time and I am a bit picky and did not like anything the fondue came with, so I waitress made it her goal to present us with a mix of dippers to satisfy me. She even gave us a scoop of ice cream! It was very good.
My comments about Mercato... a must try. If you want respectful servers (and you don't mind a little slower time to get your food), if you want great drinks (especially frozen ones and a must try Italian Love), if you want great food (especially a menu where no matter what you order you can't go wrong with), and you want a casual fun ambience, just go to Mercato. Whether it's girls night, or dinner with you brothers or sisters, this is the place to try to Massapequa. Enjoy!
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