Ace Mercado
121 Clarence St.,613-627-2353, acemercado.com
Open: Sunday to Thursday 5 p.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday noon to 2 a.m.
Prices: $6 a taco, appetizers starting at $7, main courses starting at $26
Access: No steps into restaurant, but washrooms down some steep stairs
Some like it hot. My dining companion at Ace Mercado on Clarence Street the other night, though, not so much.
He approached his first bites a little nervously at the five-month-old, Mexican-inspired restaurant, given that the braised lamb taco was topped with, among other condiments, “lime habanero mojo.” Fortunately, he was right to go out on a limb. “Oh my God, that’s good. Spicy, but good,” he said.
You could heap similar praise on the best items on Ace Mercado’s tautly composed menu. The dishes that we would want to return for rewarded us with complex flavours, spicy or otherwise, working harmoniously, plus some commendable craft.
That’s what you would expect from a glance at the sandwich board in the restaurant’s entrance that announces the talent in the kitchen.
Ace’s menu was developed by René Rodriguez, the chef and owner of Navarra on Murray Street who enjoyed a breakout year in 2014 after winning Top Chef Canada. “I’m only there as a consultant, about 10 hours a week,” Rodriguez told me in late August, as Ace was about to open. “Navarra is still my baby.”
In charge of Ace’s kitchen day-to-day is Trisha Donaldson, who over the years has turned out fine food at the Black Cat Café, Pelican Grill and Almonte Riverside Kitchen, and who was Rodriguez’s sous chef along the way.
In some ways, Ace Mercado is to Navarra as Clarence Street is to Murray Street. Ace is larger, darker, and more bar-like, with many high-top tables for four surrounding a large bar. Drinks at Ace are a big deal — specifically, Mexican-themed cocktails and several dozen varieties of tequila, offered with a punchy verdita (a green, refreshingly herby, jalapeno-spiked concoction) or sangrita (a red, tomato-and-orange-juice-based accompaniment bolstered with chipotle, hot sauce, fish sauce and cilantro) on the side. Also, Ace grows much louder than Navarra as the night goes on.
Food-wise, some of Navarra’s well-established dishes — Rodriguez’s spins on steak tartare and scallop ceviche — have made the move to Ace. Otherwise, the food pitches a little lower. Rather than Navarra’s new tasting-menu treats, Ace offers tacos, tortilla soup, guacamole or Caesar salad, although we’re talking about refined renditions, not fast food.
Refinement costs extra, mind you. Ace’s prices might give some cause for pause. At $11, that guacamole ought to cure cancer, I think, and I didn’t order it. Tacos are $6 each, making them Ottawa’s priciest, I believe, and they must be ordered two at time. Mind you, the braised lamb and snapper (with chimichurri and corn relish) versions were distinctive creations. Like he said, OMG.
Lamb tacos at Ace Mercado
Red Snapper tacos at Ace Mercado
We also swooned over the tuna tostada ($14), with its seared, coriander-crusted exterior and play of sweet caramelized onions, its acidic hits and crisp tortilla.
Tuna Tostada at Ace Mercado
Kudos too for Ace’s spins on several standbys, including a Caesar salad ($12) that consisted of perkily dressed grilled baby romaine with thick-cut, almost sweet, house-smoked bacon and shavings of mellow manchego cheese.
Caesar salad at Ace Mercado
Tortilla soup ($9) had depth of flavour and good crunch, plus the novelty of liquid-nitrogen-doused popcorn. After the smoke quickly cleared, the real wow was its tomatoey goodness and creeping heat.
Tortilla soup at Ace Mercado
Tuna tartare ($17) dazzled visually, with puck of raw fish joined on a long stone slab by many additions — chicharrons, grilled avocado, root chips and assorted splashes of colour. It was an expansive and enjoyable dish, but I liked even more the huddled tuna tostada.
Tuna tartare at Ace Mercado
Scallop ceviche ($17) was less vivid than expected. I recall the Navarra version that I ate in 2012 had smaller slices of scallop, more potent contrasts of flavours, and above all, more brightness.
Scallop ceviche at Ace Mercado
Related
Fries ($7) were better than many around town, large but crisp. They came with hot sauce liberally applied, but I’d ask for them au naturel. Indeed, we received a comped bucket of unsauced fries after some misgivings were expressed.
Papas fritas (fries topped wiht manchego cheese and hot sauce) at Ace Mercado
Rib-eye steak at Ace Mercado
Chicken tamale at Ace Mercado
Duck duo (duck confit empanada, duck breast) at Ace Mercado
Ace serves just two desserts, but both stack up well against similar rivals elsewhere. Chocolate fondant cake ($7) came with superior raspberry sorbet, chocolate soil and caramelized banana. Churros ($7), while a bit greasier than hoped for, were redeemed by a balanced coconut caramel dipping sauce.
Chocolate fondant with caramelized plantain, chocolate soil, raspberry sorbet at Ace Mercado.
Churros with coconut caramel sauce at Ace Mercado
I see that Urbanspoon’s crowdsourced take on Ace is not good — a mere 59 per cent like it. This doesn’t line up with my two visits, where in addition to commendable, fresh and at times thrilling food, the service was knowledgeable and amiable.
My suggestion to optimize a meal at Ace is to go early when it’s more quiet and less busy, angle for the comfortable banquette beneath the gaudily painted skulls or the more private back room, and make friends with a tequila, verdita on the side.
phum@ottawacitizen.com
twitter.com/peterhum
ottawacitizen.com/tags/dining-out
