Chicagoist Weighs in on Mercat A La Planxa's Restaurant Week Menu

Cordero a la planxa: lamb chop with pickled guindilla aioli, and romesco.(Erika Kubick/Chicagoist)

Chicagoist weighs in on Mercat A La Planxa's (638 S. Michigan) restaurant week deal.  Sounds like it was good, but not enough:

A diner's haven on Michigan Avenue, Mercat A La Planxa is explosive but civilized all at once. The first floor of the restaurant space features a waiting area with a bar alongside a swirling staircase leading into a sprawling dining room. A massive, plateau-like open kitchen overlooks the diners, allowing the wait staff to glide around the restaurant in a circle. It's an intelligent design, allowing for quick transportation and a loud, bustling atmosphere. I tend to feel skeptical towards tapas: they're so tiny that you're smart to arrive with a semi-full stomach and aren't there always a couple of blah dishes? Not at Mercat, where nearly every course is fresh and flavorful—and you almost leave full!

They sum it with:

All together the meal was fantastically tasty and I had a lovely evening. Unfortunately, I was still pretty hungry an hour later, which left me wondering if you really save money with the restaurant week deal. If I had not stuck to that menu, I surely would have ordered more food and left satiated. Rather, I felt like all I saved was room for a bag of banana chips from Trader Joe's.While I strongly recommend the restaurant, you might want to go during a different week.

For the dish by dish review click here.

Restaurant week last until February 6th, so you still have time.

We still have never been.  This will change in 2014...this is a Sloopin goal!