By: Nancy Dow
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There is no dining experience in Brantford quite like Mercasa Little Italy Eatery.
Walking in, you will find a large selection of authentic Italian foods readily available for you to grab and go or sit down in the casual eating atmosphere of the restaurant. With this new upscale cafeteria style of ordering and eating, they are aiming to change the quick and convenient way that we are accustomed to. The fast-casual trend is catching on quickly in the industry as it tackles the busy but healthy eating challenges of our daily lifestyles.
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Owner, Tom Mercante has made it a priority at Mercasa to ensure they have invested in top of the line kitchen appliances as well as having highly trained members of staff. Modern technology in the kitchen ensures the same quality and cooking temperatures every time so even though your food is handmade from scratch, it is cooked identically every single time to ensure consistency from visit to visit. Many experienced chefs and bakers, including the Master Baker in France’s World’s Best Baker Competition (7 years running), are experimenting in their kitchens like this to ensure quality.
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Serving up dishes that are freshly made, from scratch and using local ingredients are key to their service. Dishes like paninis, pastas, soups, Roman pizzas and even gelato are just a couple of the must try menu items!
The made-from-scratch menu items are created using only the finest and exclusive cuts of meats which are from a local, grass fed, hormone and antibiotic free supplier as well as a majority of choices are also local and organic when possible.
A portion of the menu is dedicated to the house specialty, their vast selection of Roman Pizzas. A Roman style pizza is typically different than the usual round pizza pie in the way that they are created in a rustic rectangular shape and the dough is thicker and heartier to support the multitude of delicious fresh toppings. Mercasa’s Roman Pizzas are created from a 72-hour process dough, and consist of creative toppings such as fig jams, caramelized onions, basil pesto, pancetta and artichoke hearts along with pizza favourites like mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.
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If pizza is not on your mind, there are so many other delectable choices too.
Paninis are created with a similar 72-hour bread dough and filled with things like mortadella, provolone, their in-house made slow roasted pork or thinly sliced pork loin.
Their house made pastas like the 10-layer lasagna, ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta, penne alfredo or the farfalle with a smoked, bacon vodka rose sauce are all everchanging on the Pasta Of The Day menu. A various selection of soups and salads round out your meal choices as well.
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The creative, innovative and specialty dining experience that Mercasa is presenting is perfect for any occasion. Casual meeting, catering a large group, hosting parties, quick lunch to sit down or take a hot and healthy meal home for dinner.
Whatever the occasion, be sure to try the house made Gelato. You can trust me on that one.
All of the hot and ready choices are out on display ready for you to choose from with friendly and knowledgeable staff that are on hand, ready to help you make your selections.
For more information, you can visit their website at www.mercasa.ca or visit them at 195 Henry Street in Brantford.
