Mercato

Reserve

Mercato Review

Mercato is the new darling of those in Charleston who like to see and be seen. Placed throughout the two floors are 18th-century antiques and Venetian lighting fixtures juxtaposed with contemporary artworks hung on elaborately plastered walls. Reserve a banquette under the 24-foot-long oil painting inspired by an early Italian circus banner. Music four nights a week, like the incredible gypsy band, is kept low-key until after the normal dinner hour. (There's a late-night menu, too.) Thereafter, the volume goes up, adding fuel to the firey bar scene. Kudos go to the house-made pastas and raviolis (like duck and wild mushrooms with pine nuts plus). The beef marsala with wild mushrooms will make any chilly night as warm as Tuscany in the summer. Desserts like the panna cotta and the warm chocolate cake with vanilla gelato are most agreeable with a small glass of limoncello.