Say Mercy is a restaurant from the same group that owns St Lawrence. I did the “Jesus Take the Wheel” option which is essentially a tasting menu type format. Dishes were served family style off the a la carte menu.
The meal started with the clams disco. They were topped with a Corn Sabayon, Tarragon Pistou, and Gremolata. The sauces were delicious.
Next was the smoked veal & tuna. This had Tuna & Anchovy Dressing, Salsa Verde, Caper Berries, Pecorino Fresco, and Celery. Although the ingredients were very fresh, I could not taste the smoke or tuna.
Next was the shrimp and grits. This had Mussels, Fennel, Calabrian Chili, Tomato. My benchmark for polenta dishes is the polenta at Scarpetta. The flavors in this dish were more subtle, but overall, it was still a good dish.
Next was the bbq bolognese. The pasta was well cooked and I loved that it was hand made. However, I was not a fan of this dish. I found that the BBQ sauce was too sweet and that’s all I could taste in this dish. In a traditional bolognese, sweetness comes from carrots, onions etc, and everything works so perfectly. I did not find that here.
Next was the peas & carrots. Pan Seared Dumplings, Spring Pea Puree, Spring Pea, Carrot Powder. It was basically a gnocchi. My favorite part of this dish were the peas. They were extremely fresh and cooked well. This is how peas should taste! The carrot powder did not come through in this dish.
They served some house made bread with the pasts including parker house rolls and a focaccia. These were the highlights of the night. Absolutely delicious and soft pillow texture on the rolls.
For the main, there was a lamb barese (sausage) served with polenta cake and bbq pork croquettes. The dish was good.
For dessert, BANANA PUDDING CANOLI which was very good and LEMON CAKE which was also very good. Nothing was too sweet and each bite made me want to eat more.
Overall, service was good and the food was also good. Other than the pastry and bread though, I would not crave anything here so would not return. You should check it out for yourself though. Its good cooking. 7/10