Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Light lunch at Il Mercato

A couple weeks ago, a friend and I stopped in at Il Mercato to enjoy a light lunch.  Not really in the mood for the traditional Italian Caesar, I chose a grilled vegetable salad instead.   I'm definitely a meat-eater, but when I make up my mind about what I want to eat - in this case, lighter fare - I can't easily be swayed.  I was pumped for this meal when it arrived in front of me; the portion was plenty, and it was only $10. 

A plate of tender veg with those yummy, smokey char grilled marks were drizzled with a sweet Balsamic vinaigrette.  The 'cherry on top', or in this case, the cheese, was a healthy portion of goat cheese.  The simple flavours and varied textures combined together to create lots of interest in this plate of greens;  smokey, sweet and tangy, combined with fresh, soft and crunchy - these were the elements that kept my palate entertained until the very last bite.  

Sometimes the salad doesn't have to be the starter, if you're lucky, you can find a good one that has all the action as the main event.  

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

In another lifetime, I was a cook at Il Mercato. I've made more of these than I can remember. But they still look delicious!

Kristen said...

They are so good! A nice alternative to a heavy pasta!