mercato italiano trattoria

best in louisville. thursday night we triedcenafor the first time. great meal and service. goat cheese frito and short ribs were perfect amount of food and didn't cost a arm and a leg. our server was great and gave us great suggestions. will be back again and can't be soon enough.

slow service. uncooperative kitchen.. i had the misfortune of eating atcenalast night. it took 3 hours to get a plate of pasta. the waiter was so slow that i left my table with my check, went upstairs to mussels and burgers, got change so i could pay and leave. i was that tired of waiting. also, if you do not like what is on the menu, do not go. nothing will be changed for you. the food was adequate. i may have appreciated it more if it had not taken 2 hours to get it. also, as the hours passed, it got hotter and hotter. the restaurant is in the basement and i guess there is poor ventilation.

incredible dining experience!. we travel to louisville occasionally and love trying new restaurants. i had been to the m&b bar upstairs and loved it, but this was our first time to cena. it will definitely not be our last! it was one of the best dining experiences we've ever had. the atmosphere was nice and intimate, but still very comfortable. rick and the entire staff atcenawere warm and attentive, but not too smothering. the salumi & formaggio appetizer was awesome! and the oxtail ravioli was one of the best things either my wife or i have ever eaten! like i said, we will definitely be back!!!

dinner for two, yes this place is the ticket.. my wife and i ate atcenalast night, we had intended to go to mikato which is apparently closed for good. we then decided burgers and mussels. they had a 20 minute wait, we asked about the wait forcenaand was told they accept walk ins currently.
we walked into the place cozy, well decorated and looked solid. we though we were under dressed but the staff said we were fine when we asked. soft music was playing in the background.
our server arrived and i can tell you now, she was amazing, she asked if we had ever eaten there, we said no and she reccomended we get an appetizer or two and split a pasta and then maybe a main course if we wanted.
we ordered the beef marrowbones and the crustini to start. the marrow came out split shin bone maybe well roasted and well cleaned. the marrow was topped with bread crumbs and a garlic, herb mixture that was the saving grace. the marrow tasted well like marrow. we had never had it before and the taste is itself. neither of us were impressed with the marrow. i doubt it was the preparation, it just tasted like beefy butter gelatin kinda. nothing to write home about.
the crustini were perfect, the bread was still hot and perfectly crunchy. the toppings flavorful and nice and cold. we have the tuna and egg, the peppers and ricotta and the basil, tomato and mozzarella. the best by far for me was the pepper and ricotta one, the sweet and hot peppers paired with the creamy cheese was perfect. we will have them again.
the pasta course was the gnocchi with sausage ragu and tomatoes. the gnocchi were perfectly cooked and then pan seared, the sauce , cheese and sausage were fantastic.

the main course we picked was the shortribs, sweet baby jesus this was great, we chose the brussels sprouts with walnuts and bacon as the side and it came with perfectly creamy polenta. i thought the price was a bit steep for a plate of shortribs, but i had forgotten she said this is served family style. the two of us ate like a king and queen on this main course. there would have been left overs if we had not both skipped lunch earlier in the day.
one of the best meals we have ever had, we will be returning.