mercato italiano trattoria

best in louisville. thursday night we tried cena for 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. ourserverwas great and gave us great suggestions. will be back again and can't be soon enough.

first time visit on jan. 5, attracted by the fact that they have a squid ink pasta dish (a favorite). what a hidden gem! nick ourserverwas personable and attentive but not overly so. i sat near the bar so was able to watch the careful creation of my manhattan, which was spot on. even the complementary bread with two dipping oils (one chili infused) was remarkable. goat cheese fritto and caesar salad were both very good, but not as extraordinary as everything else i had. the orecchiette (made with shell-shaped, homemade pasta) was outstanding and a perfect choice of entree' on such a cold night.

i have read other reviews which commented on the decor. i'm no expert, but this place is tucked away in a diverse but carefully planned community, and off the beaten path for most louisville-area diners. my guess is that in order to survive (sorry, corbett's fans), it must primarily appeal to the people who live in norton commons (including many families, of which there were several during my visit) while also providing a level of dining experience that will be worth the drive for people living elsewhere. it must also be versatile in a way that allows it to take advantage of our contrasting seasons. it seems to have been designed with that in mind, featuring large glass-paned retractable garage-style panels which presumably will be open during warmer temperatures, and al fresco seating available on the sidewalks. seems to me that they have struck a nice balance between high quality food and service and broad appeal. this place is now on my short list of louisville favorites and i will definitely return soon. well done!!

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girls night was great, we pick a different restaurant every week and once a month we go out of town. eaten at a few good places but this was a find. the food was wicked good, octopus and oxtail ravioli yum. might i add not over powering on the truffles in the sauce with the house made ravioli, bravo. ourserverruben was adorably attentive and had great recommendations. chef and gm single? just playing but not really, every course was perfect and i don't think my water was not but a few sips from getting filled throughout our meal. several of the staff greeted our table and made for an exceptional evening. this will be a place we visit again.

great hidden treasure, restaurant is difficult to find but worth the search. service was attentive and we couldn't ask for more from ourservermichael. food was a home run! will return now that we know where it is.

i like what they're aiming for, but ultimately it missed the mark.. food- starter course great (octopus), pasta course disappointing (diavolo overwhelmingly olive flavored), main course (whole bass) alright.
atmosphere - modern , fine-dining vibe.
service - not so fine-dining. ourserverwas friendly, but overly so. his shtick wore thin. he had way too many tables to properly give each one the attention it needed, and the wait time between courses got longer and longer. dishes sat on the table too long because there seems to be no intentional bus staff. he ended our meal by bringing us a dessert when we hadn't even ordered yet, and pretending he read our mind and knew what we wanted. no. he gave it to us in a to-go container even though we didn't ask for it, and while pretty in its glass, tiramisu in a to-go box looks like something you try to avoid stepping in.
plenty of nice dining options closer to home and not really worth another drive across town for me.

above average food, average service. great setting, comfortable space and nice decor. excellent food. a bit pricey. service was rumored to be outstanding, but i was honestly disappointed. table of 4 ran over 200.00 without tip... and the service was pleasant but not 5-star. biggest issue with our group - the menu. hard to follow, not a good flow, needs descriptive work (especially when yourserverhas trouble with it too!!) i would return, but the owner's other restaurant's would be higher up on my visit list.

dinner for two, yes this place is the ticket.. my wife and i ate at cena last 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 for cena and 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.
ourserverarrived 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.