The Merchant

3 Reviews on “The Merchant”

• Can

  Good spacious bar and restaurant. Attended the Icelandic taste week and had a great time. The welcome was nice. The chef was gracious. The service was not friendly, which was surprising.

  June 26, 2017, 12:31 pm

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• Cristina Ruiz

  I’ll admit it. I’m a sucker for Groupon-like deals. And brunch. So when I saw the Gilt City offer for brunch for 2 at The Merchant, I hopped – er clicked – on it immediately.It really was a great deal, as they didn’t limit us at all! We could each pick any drink (wines, beers/ciders, cocktails, brunch bevs) and any brunch entree off the menu. The build-your-own Bloody Mary (regularly $11) lets you choose your poison among interesting options of vodka and gin including peppercorn, Thai chili, and maple & bacon flavors. Then you can choose 2 garnishes of your choice (go with the cornichons. Always the cornichons)!The entrees all sound tasty and generally range from $9-15. I went with the eggplant sandwich with peppers and goat cheese. It tasted good – as expected – although it was a bit bread-heavy, and I found myself forking out the insides. Entrees come with a choice of fries, mixed greens, or homefries. Homefries are the obvious choice here, served deliciously hot with caramelized onions.My brunch bud ordered the country pate, served with spicy whole grain mustard, cornicons, and crusty bread. This was a considerable slab of pate, which was fatty and less spreadable than the previous pates I’ve encountered. Definitely a different brunch delicacy.Overall, we enjoyed our experience – and the deal – at The Merchant. However, the restaurant itself doesn’t provide the ideal brunch atmosphere. It’s dark wood, dim lighting, and sports on the TVs emit an after-work and late-night drinks vibe rather than a casual morning meal. The large space was also rather empty on Saturday around noon, showing that its brunch popularity has yet to take off.Honestly with all the great brunch options in Boston, I’m not sure if I would go out of my way to pay full price for brunch here. But if you happen to be in the area and need to build-you-own Bloody Mary STAT (hey, it happens), this is the place to do it.

  January 10, 2016, 1:56 am

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• Frederick

  Excellent Food, Mildly Generic Atmosphere. This place feels like it was designed from a trend checklist – I’ll give the kitchen their due, the food is exceptionally good albeit rather expensive (even for Boston) and portions could use a boost. We started off with a couple of craft ales and shared a plate of decadent, rich, veal sweetbreads. Cubed and lightly pan fried and served oddly with house made potato chips. My main course was ‘pork two ways’, the tenderloin was indeed tender and rather bland especially paired against the shockingly excellent pork belly. One of the best examples of pork belly that I’ve tasted in Boston, crispy-shellacked exterior with meltingly tender chewy bacony pork underneath. Layers of flavor and texture. Service was fast and efficient, rather too fast, with frequent interruptions as we tried to relax and decompress after work.

  August 20, 2014, 2:58 pm

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