Have A Merc Ball
Featured Posts,Table Talk
When most businesses see potential hazards in the road ahead, they throw money at the situation. John McDonald throws a toaster oven at it. McDonald, as most of you probably know, is the owner of the MercBar in the Esplanade, across from Biltmore Fashion Park. With a relocated Houston’s across the street (now Hillstone), half-a-dozen empty restaurant spaces to the left and right, and tons of Esplanade office space up above that’s collecting cobwebs faster than, well, any other empty cobweb-collecting office space, times are tough. So, McDonald needed to do something with the iconic MercBar to stay in the conversation.
A couple months ago, he came in from his home in NYC to give the sexy little space a cosmetic freshen up – new bar top, community table, updated seating, fresh lighting, etc. Truly, it’s better in there now. But here’s the kooky move that no one saw coming–he took a corner of the bar and stuck a chef back there. No, not a bar chef, a chef chef, behind the bar, cooking food with a toaster, a toaster oven, a Crock Pot, an induction oven, and couple sticks to make fire. Kidding about the last one, but people were skeptical at first, no doubt. How the hell could a place as sexy as the MercBar serve food out of a Crock Pot … especially one sitting right there. However, as the press started hitting, no one was saying a bad word about the food. Gotta be honest, we thought people were going to talk shit – yet no one did, or has. Probably because the stuff’s actually pretty freakin’ good.
The chef that made the magic with his approximately one square foot of space is Walter Sterling, formerly Aaron May’s go-to guy. McDonald contracted him to make the most with a pretty primitive setup, and he knocked it out of the park. You can now graze a menu of delicious small plates in a place that historically never served more than cheese and salami. Wild Mushroom Ravioli is served in a garlicky white wine sauce and topped with shaved pecorino ($10). Mozzarella & Cherry Tomato Skewers are punched up with flavors of basil and aged balsamic ($5). The large portion of Peppadew Peppers is stuffed with mozzarella and herbs and doused in olive oil ($4). There’s also toasted bread with lump crab, lemon aioli, and jalapeno ($8), soups, and an amped-up selection of charcuterie and cheeses. But the most popular item is probably the heartiest–the Meatballs, served in a bowl of tomato sauce with toasted bread ($10). Everything we tried was actually, dare we say, worth going to MercBar for – not just something to think about once you’re already there.
Meanwhile, Merc’s GM Tommy McCormack has been busy on the cocktail side, orchestrating a menu of 10 new signature cocktails for $12 each and a few of the classics for $10 each. A couple of the new ones almost taste True Food healthy, they’re so refreshing. We dug the La Zanahoria with Patron Reposado, Domain Canton Ginger Liquor, Cointreau and fresh carrot juice, as well as the Chef’s Table with Cucumber Effin Vodka, pressed jalapeno and basil, jalapeno olive juice, and tomato juice. He’s also put together a list of about a dozen red and a dozen white wines that feels like someone’s put some actual concern into what’s being served. We were always frustrated with selections there, and now it’s on the list of places with, well, a good list.
The MercBar’s tagline has always been “It’s just a bar.” And as the Arizona Republic’s Megan Finnerty cleverly pointed out in a recent article, “It’s not just a bar, it’s a snack bar.” She’s right. We’re just happy the snacks are worthy of keeping Merc in the conversation.
2525 E. Camelback Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85016
(602) 508-9449
Facebook: MercBar Phoenix
Twitter: @MercBarPhx
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