Il Mercato is an Italian restaurant located within the Hotel Grandezza. I am not sure if it…read moreaffiliated with the hotel or not, but they do share the front door together. It appears that the restaurant has since closed since my visit.
The meal started off with an impressive bread selection, which could have made up a whole meal.
The Chicken Pate with Pears was rather sloppily presented. The chicken pate was smooth and creamy, but the pears were rather grainy which led to an odd combination.
The Beef Carpaccio was served with foie gras. When serving raw beef, this is the center of the dish. Unfortunately, the beef was rather bland and lacking in flavor. The foie gras was nicely seared and cooked to a medium temperature.
The Chicken Wings was a rather small portions with some strange looking "chicken parts". The chicken was cooked well, and was nice and crisp. The salad helped to cut through the fat and richness from the chicken.
The Beef Broth with Veal Dumplings was disappointing. The broth had little beef flavor, as one would expect by just looking at the color. The dumplings were cooked rather nicely however.
Next was an intermezzo of lemon sorbeto. Having an intermezzo served in a wine glass was a first, as most intermezzo's are sorbets or granitas which are supposed to act as palate cleansers. This one was too creamy and sweet, and unfortunately did not do the intended job.
The Pappardelle with Beef had a flavorful sauce. The pasta was cooked nicely, but the beef was way too rare. I think it was still mooing when it came to the plate.
The Tomato Pasta with Beef, did not have a sauce per se. Instead the sauce consisted of chunks of tomato, beef drippings, and pasta water. The pasta was cooked nicely, but it seemed like tomato overload which overshadowed the beef.
The Crème Brulee had a nice crunchy, sugary topping which looked like stained glass. The custard was nice and creamy, which is the way I prefer it. I am not a fan of the firm custardy texture that brings out an eggier taste.
The Tiramisu was a deviation from the norm, as it was made with both cake and lady fingers. The filling was light and fluffy, but the mascarpone flavor seemed to be missing, as well as any alcohol. The coffee and chocolate chocolate flavors were pronounced though.
If the reports are true that Il Mercato has closed down, I am not really surprised. It is never good to hear that a business has closed, but the restaurant never seemed to be more than 20% full whenever I passed by. The prices were also really high for Brno. Most dishes were lacking in execution, or flavor.
