Mercy Me — Restaurant in Washington

Copied from OpenTable review overall it was a fine experience. We made a reservation but there were also seats available. We were there for the music. Initially the speakers were having problems and they told us it was all speaker so we stayed where we were. The singer‘s voice was not appreciated by us. Sometimes it sounded like a mumble to me that could have been our location on the other side of the restaurant. The music was the main reason that we were there so it did detract from the dinner experience. About the food, some of it was nice as expected. I also know steaks are sold by the weight and while I do know some people like to eat the fat on the steak, when you’re cutting off a significant portion of the steak as fat, you don’t feel like you’re getting your moneys worth.

Update: Responding to the restaurant. I think i remember from culinary school that marbling, like a marble pattern, is the interspered pattern of protein and fat WITHIN the meat. I wholeheartedly agree that fat is flavor. There is also a fat cap that surrounds the meat. That part is helpful to preserve the meat, add flavor and help it stay moist, but it was not marbling. That part can be trimmed prior to serving but can also be left on. When it's rubbery, it is less desired. Slightly crispy and buttery is delicious. This fat cap was large on our steak as you can't easily cut away good marbling.

For the singer, perhaps the back of the restaurant did not allow my Brazilian partner to hear the singer's voice properly as my partner felt it was not much of a performance.

Restaurant Responded publicly on Jun 27, 2025 I'm sorry our Bossa Nova experience was a disappointment. We were, indeed, having a little trouble with our speakers which we solved quickly once we realized it was an issue. As for the singer, Gigi is beloved both here and in Brazil not for the power of her voice but her delightful and whimsical performance. It was unfortunate that this was lost on you and I apologize for that. As for the steak, beef is an oft-misunderstood meat. A significant portion of the flavor in beef comes from the fat, which is called "marbling". '. This is why fatty, well-marbled cuts like Ribeye, Porterhouse, and New York Strip are so popular. Our Gold Wagu is also New York Strip, so marbling is an important part of its appeal. I'm sad to hear that this feature didn't contribute to your enjoyment...

Visit 1-Breakfast: The space itself was super clean and modern. I had the egg and sweet corn taco and the vegan beans and potatoes taco. The egg and corn taco was the clear winner. The tacos themselves were definitely homemade and delicious which made all the dishes. My brother and I split the MIA bagel. Also delicious. I got a meringue covered alfajores cookie. I wasn't too impressed with it. I think plain traditional ones are more moist and less dry. I look forward to coming back to try pizzas and their weekend brunch sometime soon. Very nice cashier as well who knew the menu well.

Visit 2: Brunch I had the Rumble Bird to drink. Beautiful presentation. I found it to he a little sweeter than I would have liked however, I think more orgeat would have made it better. My cousin got a Cool Chameleon that tasted just like a grapefruit. We split the Egg Arepas, Amazonian Tartare and the South American Toast. The egg arepas were on point and came out steaming hot. The dipping sauces went great with them, particularly the salsa. The Amazonian Tartare was not great. I am a huge hearts of palm enthusiast and I was disappointed it wasn’t the star of the dish. Lastly was the South American Toast which was the star dish. It tasted like moist chocolate chip bread pudding, had gooseberries and starfruit which is relatively exotic for this area and an amazing passionfruit “syrup” that perfectly brought the flavors together. I will be back to try more soon.

Visit 3: Brunch Looks like they changed their breakfast menu and have few veg items. I don’t know why they got rid of their French toast or egg arepas. Those were the best things on the menu. The service was also very slow. It took about 45 minutes for my...

Mercy me seems cute and the atmosphere is nice but I ended up being really disappointed. We were meeting some friends there but we hadn't made the plans so we didn't know how many. We were under the impression this was just a hotel bar and it wasn't very busy, but the hostess didn't seem comfortable seating us without a party number. My husband and I waited outside until our party came in. There were 10 of us. We were "seated" at a table with no chairs or hooks to hang our items despite the place being mostly empty. When we asked for a table they did oblige. The hostess kept eyeing us and didn't have the decency to pretend to not be talking about us. The tables look cute but the chairs are not comfortable. I'm not sure if this place is meant to be for eating dinner but the area we sat at would have been annoying to eat a meal at, IMO. The waiter was attentive and did a great job, keeping all our orders straight and helping split the checks since we had just met each other and all left at different times. The drink I had was fine, wasn't really my style, but that isn't on them. I didn't have any food.

While we were sitting there, I saw a mouse run under a nearby table. My party was not thrilled but it was such a pain to get in that we just decided to stay. I know the hostess saw either our reactions or the mouse itself. Later (about 20 minutes later) she came over to apologize for the "rodent experience" (her words) and it seemed pretty insincere to me, especially because she only apologized to me (I was the one who spotted it). At least she acknowledged the issue, but the only offer we got was to move our table.

All in all it was a pretty meh experience. I would...