Chicago has a new restaurant, the Mercat in the Blackstone opened last night and the milepigs were there. This is a quick review. There is one rating on Metromix which gave it one star, I find that harsh.

We enjoyed Mercat last night and will go back. It is nice to see some nightlife on this part of S. Michigan. Unfortunately, you don't really notice the change on the street, since the restaurant is tucked away upstairs and there is only a small door on Michigan that one could easily walk right past.

I was worried that the room would be very loud - open kitchen, tile walls, wood floor, etc. - but we found the level to be very bearable. We were promptly greeted in the downstairs bar, which was HOPPING, and were shown right to our table upstairs, keeping a reservation time on the first night was a very good sign.

Service was great, although it lapsed a little in the middle. Great, reasonably priced wine list, heavy on the Spanish, of course, but many good selections in the $35 to $60 dollar range. The menu is HUGE and a bit confusing since it isn't laid out in any way that gives you a sense of direction. The server walked us though it, and being a confident enough diner to say "OK, help us out here" saved the day. She led us through a progression of small courses.

Starters include charcuterie plates that we didn't have, tapas like various croquettes (the serano ham was delicious), sizzling garlic shrimp, and other small plates. There are 3-4 rice based dishes - we had the delicious one with crab cake and lump crab mean, a similar number of pastas (pastas? are they Catalunyan?), and then grilled seafood and meats. The diver scallops and seared tuna were great, with the later tasting of sea salt. There are several pricey steaks, which we did not try, and the desert menu looked interesting but we were full.

Total bill for 2 with a $55 bottle of wine was $130, so not someplace one could just wander out to every evening.