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Mercat a la Planxa

Address : 638 S. Michigan Ave.
Blackstone Hotel 60605

Website: www.mercatchicago.com

Telephone: 312-447-0955

Type: Restaurant

The historic Blackstone hotel gets a major makeover, and with it the arrival of Jose Garces' tapas bar specializing in Catalan cuisine. Small plate items range from cut-to-order charcuterie and cheeses to fresh seafood, steaks and chops, with an emphasis on meats and seafood served a la planxa, or grilled-to-order.

Groups who order three days in advance can also feast on whole, roast pig.

The bar offers seasonally inspired sangrias, Spanish-styled cocktails and martinis plus an extensive collection of Spanish cavas, wines, ciders and beer.

Menu
Cuisine	Tapas - Small Plates
Location	Loop / Downtown
Features Type	Memorable Experience View Expense Account Diners
Spirits	All Spirits
Av. Dinner Entree	$26-$35
Music Type	Latin Music
Meals Served	Dinner
Parking	Valet
Payment Method	All
Reservations Accepted?	Yes
Seating	100

Click Here for Directions

PARTY ROOMS

Private Party Room(s) Capacity : 20

This unique party space overlooks the restaurant and Grant Park.

Reserve a room

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Comment :

This is one of the only restaurants I've ever gone to with people, where I was actually embarrassed to have taken them there afterwards. The service was that bad. It was me, a white American, two of my Chinese friends, and two of their Polish friends. We all spoke perfectly understandable English. When we arrived, it was a little late, but they were still posted to be open for another hour. There were plenty of empty tables and yet the hostess looked put-upon when I asked for a table as opposed to sitting at the bar. I'm pretty familiar with tapas and Spanish food in general, but not an expert by any means. So we had a few questions about the meal. The server had a difficult time answering our questions and had to go to the kitchen to get some of the answers - and they weren't complicated, esoteric questions. The dishes came out in odd orders, and some of them were cold. I thought the scallops were poor quality - they were flat and tired looking - I actually think they may have been skate, not an acceptable substitution at a restaurant that charges this much. Which brings me to another thing - pricing. It's a nice enough space, but their pricing is overboard. Flavors were mixed - some plates were awesome, others were watery and missed the ball. Neither food nor service were really up to the level needed at their price point. I'd like to try it again sometime - but on my own, so as not to risk embarrassment again - to see if they really can step up to the task

From :

Eric M. ( 2009-04-20 )