Mercy’s at the Bell Tower

First time here last night. Mercys sits just inside the front door of the Bell Tower Hotel. Dinner at 5:30. Parked in the garage right next to the hotel. Met at the door by George who was very friendly and conversational. Turns out he lives in our neighborhood. World just got smaller. I think the interior of Mercys is just fine. Very clean and simple. Not very large. The bar has that classic old hotel look to it. Lots of wood and mirrors. I wanted a beer and George suggested a local brewery called Old Gravity in Milan. Glad I took his suggestion. Would be more than happy to ask his opinion the next time we go in. Mike was our server and we relied on him to help make our dinner choices. We had the bacon bits appetizer which is pan seared, marinated pork belly with pickled veggies and some steamed Asian buns. We have never had pork belly before so for us this was going out on a limb. Very glad we took the chance. All of the ingredients were perfect together. The pork belly was very tender and came with a sweet smokey sauce. The pickled veggies were great and added the perfect amount of acidity to the sauce. The main menu is small with about 10 choices. I had salmon and my wife had the braised pork shank. My salmon came with jasmine rice and broccolini and it was all good but nowhere near as good as the pork shank This thing was huge and came with mac n cheese and coleslaw. I would not hesitate to order this the next time in. Coleslaw was creamy, maybe a little too much but had lots of flavor. The mac n cheese came in it’s own little dish and was very good. Had a little bacon in it so that was a plus. The pork shank was very tender and very large. Enough to bring home to enjoy one more time. Service was okay and maybe a little too casual for the atmosphere Mercys promotes but we really appreciated Mike’s help. Did not try dessert. It is a little higher in price with entrees starting at 17 or 19 dollars which is the big reason I gave it 3 stars. They also have a burger at 13 dollars which sounds like it is worth a try. I think this is a definite go to place in my book and would be great for a special occasion.

Our first visit to Mercy’s was on a whim during restaurant week and we were blown away by, of all things, the blue cheese salad dressing. The salad is no longer on the menu, but it hooked us enough to get us back several times and we’ve had good experiences each time.
The menu features recognizable entrees with a Burmese twist, but the fusion doesn’t stray too far to concern less adventurous eaters. On our last trip I had a curry-​brined chicken that hit the mark and the short ribs were well-​cooked and tasty. The steamed pork bun appetizer was also fantastic. The cocktails are great — last night I had a lavender-​sapphire collins, and the ginger-​line martini was memorable from my last visit. The also have a few good beers on draft. Last night they had offerings from Arcadia, Bells, Shorts, and had just run out of the Liberty Street Red.
This place should be a lot busier than it is. Mercy’s is worth a visit. There is decent off-​street parking around in addition to the structure right next to the hotel. Take a break from Main St and give it a try.

Against my better judgement decided to try something different for restaurant week. Mistake. Two words. Everything sucks.

The scallops were delicious.
But the «cracklings» did not crackle.
Next time we’ll just go back to Pacific Rim when we want upscale.

Gone downhill. Don’t like the Burmese theme or the fact that every dessert contains fruit.

Hit-​and-​miss, mostly miss tonight. Group of four visited for Restaurant Week – wish I had seen the Jan. 23 review by Jason! Our first course was pretty good, though we were told the croquettes contained fish… and couldn’t detect any; the dumplings received an «okay,» the piajaw pea fritters seem to have won that round.
Unfortunately two of us ordered the broccolini for our second course, and like Jason’s group we found that it was utterly lacking in seasoning. The broth had a bit of heat, but other than that it was quite like someone had washed mushrooms in water and then served it. Not at all appetizing, can’t imagine how it could be so lacking in salt or body. I would have been embarrassed to feed that to anyone…
For the third course we had mussels, the chicken breast, and the grilled tofu. The grilled tofu dish was delicious – it rescued the meal for me: great texture, tasty okra curry, and a substantial enough portion that I was full despite not eating much of the previous course.
Our waiter was helpful and welcoming (knew exactly what questions we would have), but seemed overworked. Because he was handling so many tables it took a long time to get his attention. And he kept neglecting our bread …

I was super excited to try out Mercy’s during the restaurant week. Sadly that excitement dissolved into thin air and I came out of Mercy’s very disappointed and declared that I would not be back (ok, maybe I will after my emotion dies down).
We walked in and there was NO host person. We waited and few minutes later the lady behind the bar came to us… I told her my name and reservation time… she confirmed and seated us in the booth.
The booth was too small in my humble opinion… all the tables for four people were taken, so we had no choice. They only had one simple menu for the restaurant week — they were not serving out of their regular menu (which is really sad, because other restaurants let you choose). So this place is known for it’s French and Asian Fusion foods (folks, please stick with one thing you are good at, don’t cross breed between the borders, unless you are really really good at it!!).
So my selection:
— Mercy’s dumplings
— Ono kautswe
— Braised beef, black bean sauce, house made kim chi, jasmine rice
Dumpling — had better dumping from frozen bags! (Ling Ling from Costco? Yes, Ling Ling was better). The dumplings are boiled and sent out. you get two of them. Actually, I can make better dumplings then Mercy’s. However, I did like their soy sauced based dipping sauce.
Ono Kautswe — what is it? it’s chicken curry noodle soup (who know that based upon the name, right???) This was actually my favorite dish — minus the chicken and the noodles. The chicken was tough and hard to chew and the noodles tasted funny. the curry broth was great!
Braised Beef — they took Brisket, cooked it for long time to make it soft. The beef was really fatty! I ended up removing ¹⁄₃ of the top, which was nothing but fat. My buddy ended up eating less then ½ of his beef, because the rest were all fat! The kimchi was little salty, but in all honesty it was good. The rice was NOT jasmine, rather it was a short/​mid grain rice. The whole combination did NOT go well. Kimchi and rice is a great combo and having beef is even better! However, the saltiness of the kimchee and the black bean sauce did not go well… there was no harmony in the dish.
I also tried my friends Broccolini, chilis, rice noodle — OMG… they forgot to season the dish. It needed a lot of salt, because it was So bland… no flavor whatsoever!
The restaurant puts out high class restaurant, but sadly the decore and everything in the restaurant makes it feel cheap… but their prices aren’t! The bathroom needs major overhaul and remodeling. The tables need to be replaced with more of a modern theme. Replace or hire more wait staff… our waiter check-​in on us only when he needed to clear the plates or when new food came out. When it was time for us to pay, our bill with our credit card just sat there for like 25 minutes. and at the end, another waiter took it from us to run it. Service on this visit sucked!
As for the taste of the food… it was ok, not the best and I hope their regular menu does justice for their restaurant week menu offering. The place wasn’t that busy either.

Every dish was flavorful, unique and extremely delicious! Mercy’s is now our new family favorite dinner spot and look forward to Chef Frank Fejeran’s gluten free menu to roll out. Our server was extremely knowledgeable, professional and kind, so was management. Looking forward to many more top notch experiences at Mercy’s!

I was looking forward to trying this place. It sounds great on paper (on the menu). Unfortunately, the food is disappointing.
If the normal food is anything like their restaurant week, I would avoid this place. The steak was flavorless and tough. The Burmese chicken soup was lacking.

I started with the Butternut Squash Simosa’s, which was delicious, not dry lie a lot of places. The chutney was sweet but not too much so. For dinner I had the Vegetarian Curry. Amazing. I ordered it extra spicy and it was great! Two others ordered the Drunken Shrimp and raved about it. One actually tried to lick the plate!

I had the phở. It was raining as usual so what better than a big hearty steaming bowl of phở?
But when it came it was a miserable tiny portion. Undoubtedly the smallest bowl of phở I have ever eaten. Probably even the Vietnamese had bigger bowls while they were getting bombed by the US.
It was in one of the gigantic plates with a little small depression in the middle where a tiny quantity of food may reside.
There was of course no big heaping plate of bean sprouts and basil leaves and all the condiments that any Vietnamese person would know MUST accompany phở.
And of course none of the usual «exotic» body parts that you’d find in any self-​respecting restaurant claiming to serve phở (but I was not expecting this.)
My dining partner had the Ono Kautswaye and he was reasonably happy with it though. And the burgers and fries I saw others getting looked decent (and decently-​sized). So maybe I was just lucky. Or dumb to try ordering phở in Ann Arbor.
(Redeeming factors: the service was good, so was ambience. The lunch menu is surprisingly affordable, though perhaps only because of the surprisingly teeny portion. So yea if you’re on a diet and want to feel a little more royal than what you’d get most other places on Central Campus.)

This is a wonderful place that I cannot help recommending to everyone…
Have a wonderful dinner here…

As promised, I’ve returned to Mercy’s several times since my first review. The cocktails are still outstand — possibly the best manhattan i’ve ever had! The ginger lime martini and pimm’s cupp are also very chic and delicioush.
The first time I came to Mercy’s it was for restaurant week in May 2011. My boyfriend and I tried the salmon tartare which was fresh and flavorful and I really like the spin on salmon tartare as opposed to the standard tuna tartare. The Ono Kautswaye soup which was WAY better than I expected and I would definitely order this again. mmm…then we order the «meat» off of the restaurant week menu. The meat had a little curry in it, I think it was pot roast, it was tasty and perfectly seasoned and prepared.
The most recent time I went to Mercy’s was for the January 2012 restaurant week — HOLY COW! This time my socks were knocked off. The Chef has been there a little longer now and you can tell that the menu has improved drastically since my first visit. Before it was good but its gotten to be outstanding! I had the sweet potato samosas — so amazing and then the vegetarian option, which was a quinoa, veggie, lettuce wrap type of dish — I don’t know exactly what it was or how it was made, but man! that was really good. And then… the Beignets. OMG. I was sad they ran out of crème brûlée by dessert time for our table (around 1030pm on a Friday) but the Beignet was to-​die-​for. Get it. I’m not joking. And get your own, do not share this desserts. Its SO good.
The reason behind only 3 stars is simply the atmosphere. The restaurant itself needs a little more color, and the bathrooms need some work. But you know what — the tables, chairs, service, food and drink are great so it the walls aren’t too much of a bother! I still think the owners need to decide on a theme and really go for it, if its minimalist, then make it a little shinier or fresher.
I still need to splurge and give the scallops a try!
Great job on the food Mercy’s, but keep on working toward the fine dining atmosphere!

What a mess. I’d probably rate this 2 stars were it not for the price of the meal.
I don’t know where to start. Organization is terrible — when we were seated, THREE people were involved even though the place was virtually empty. One person didn’t know the table numbers, another had taken our table and changed the reservation, and the third clumsily sat us. I am so BAFFLED by this place.
The entrees are expensive (30 bucks a pop) and the walls are covered in modern art posters. The food professes itself to be fancy-​shmancy on the menu. But half the staff is dressed like they got their clothing at a blow-​out sale in the business section of Walmart (this sounds more savage than intended). The service is amateur at best. And the food. The food…
The filet mignon was a huge slab of meat that was unevenly cooked. The bean salad was mush and inedible. The crème broulee was really tasty but not at all crème broulee (completely runny?!). The French onion soup was like tomato or minestrone soup base with cheese on it. I just don’t know what to say. There was nothing French and nothing Asian about this place.
And yes, take heed. As another reviewer mentioned, they tack on a service charge of about 20%. Even for a party of two. WHAT ON EARTH.
I am so exhausted by Ann Arbor’s over-​priced mediocre food fare but this is by far the biggest sham of them all.

The service was great here but I can’t say the same for the food. I went for restaurant week and ordered the chicken brie sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries. The sandwich tasted a bit bland with barely any brie. My friend ordered the mac n cheese that was probably better than Zingerman’s Roadhouse. but I can’t say it’s the best mac n cheese I’ve ever had. The sweet potato fries we’re okay and just like the mac n cheese, I’ve had better.

We went to redeem a LivingSocial deal. The service by our waiter was attentive and courteous. However, a waiter at a nearby table loudly refused another patron’s request to redeem a deal of some kind. I find this incident to be distasteful. The waiter could have avoided embarrassment by being more discreet in his rejection of a customer’s request.
I had their coconut curry soup (Ono Kautswaye) and it was good but it tasted really heavy. It felt like I ate a brick. Their duck breast entrée could use a bit more flavor. The duck breast was a bit greasier than I expected. The vegetable sides were, however, much more enjoyable than the duck itself.
My companion had the duck confit egg rolls which were over fried and had a weird gamey smell /​after taste. For his entrée, he wanted the filet mignon but was told after he ordered it that they were sold out. Instead he got the burger which he described as good but nothing special. They also made a couple of stiff gin and tonics which he enjoyed.
Finally, on the bill, they instituted a mandatory «service fee» of over 20%, perhaps nearly 25%. That seems a bit presumptuous, especially when they took forever to calculate the bill and ran out of my companions original entrée choice. Overall, the restaurant tries to be high end but is lacking in some details. Not a terrible experience but nothing special.

A few years back I must have read some raving reviews about this place, so I decided to finally step in and try it out…
I think you can tell a lot about a restaurant on the way they decide to seat you. I read in previous reviews that they had trouble accommodating parties larger than 5. My boyfriend and I had a late dinner, around 8:30, and the restaurant was practically empty. However, with ample seating they decided to sit us around a few other parties, cornered between two couples. This isn’t too bad but toward the end I felt we had to whisper to keep our conversation quiet. It was a little awkward and uncomfortable.
I feel I’ve been to quite a few ‘elegant’ restaurants, defined by their great service, pleasing aesthetics, and of course tasty food. Albeit Mercy’s description it did not strike me as an elegant, ‘high-​end’ restaurant. The décor is bleak and the lighting in the restaurant gives the whole space an old-​fashioned feel. The Picasso posters in a shiny black frame that were hanging up in the corner made me feel I was in an office or at the dentist… I guess I could give Mercy’s credit for seating us next to a cute little window with two little plants. Sadly, those plants were dying.
As for the food, we ordered the special Sashimi appetizer ($ 12), two salads, the Lamb Shank ($ 22), the Duck Breast ($ 29), and the Lava Cake ($ 9). The appetizer was probably the best course and the price wasn’t bad. The wasabi sauce they paired with the thin cuts of tuna was very subtle. The salads, on the other hand, were rather bland. My salad was served with a ginger vinaigrette but maybe they like to make that subtle, too. The lamb shank was rather good. Also, desert wasn’t worth $ 9. As for my main course…
I love duck. I grew up eating duck. I especially love it when duck is cooked well. I ordered Mercy’s duck breast medium rare. When the plate finally came out a few pieces were medium rare and then 2 – 3 pieces were basically still quacking. The plate looked O.K. and the duck was decent but not worth $ 29. Disappointed, I am…
Overall, I’m a little disappointed with Mercy’s. I was expecting to find a hidden «gem» but considering the quality of staff, the decoration, the quality of food, etc I don’t think I’ll be going back.

A very good French-​Asian restaurant. They’ve got great menu. Worth trying: duck breast

I had a nice meal here the other week. While in michigan for business, I ventured out to Ann Arbor so that I wouldn’t have to eat mcdonald’s or arby’s, which were really my only options in the small town where I was staying. Ann Arbor, as it’s a college town, doesn’t have too many options either, but I ended up at this fairly new restaurant that’s part of a hotel.
I sat at the bar and had excellent service, despite the fact that the food did take quite a long time to come out. The bread alone was some of the best I’ve ever had, and I wanted more. It was so good I even had to ask where it came from (they get it from Chicago). The dumplings were good, but not great. My side salad was excellent. My entrée of scallops was also quite good, even though a bit on the rich side for me with all the cream on top. It’s a nice option on a campus where the only alternatives are wings or burgers. Now since it is beyond wings and burgers, it’s not cheap. It’s definitely a pricier meal, but sometimes, it’s good to splurge.

Central Ann Arbor has always been the wasteland of college student eats with sandwich chains, really bad sushi, bars selling wings by the boat load. There have been a few exceptions like Redhawk, and the now defunct Zanzibar.
Well, out of no where, a friend of mine informed me of Mercy’s at the Bell Tower has now replaced the Earl Uptown, and we decided to take advantage of their «soft opening.» About the restaurant, the formally rich and gilded Earl has now been stripped into a very stark bright bright white dining hall, which besides a few posters, really lacked much character. The owner seemed to be very nice and accommodating, and we met the very nice daughter who the restaurant is named after.
On to the food, which was a fusion of french and asian and burmese. We ordered the very pretty duck confit on a fried cracker appetizer, and the fried spring roll which were ok. Both were crispy, but on the room temperature side, and although well seasoned didn’t sparkle. The salads were also good, but unremarkable, which at 3 dollars as a side dish made it doable.
Where Mercy’s began to shine was the entrees. I had the lamb shank, which was a caveman style hunk of meat with a big bone sticking out of it. Really lovely and umptious, with tons of unami richness that had me sucking the end of the bone at one point! Got to taste my dining partners signature salmon dish which was a nicely cooked with a hoisin sauce. Another nice entry was the sea scallops which were tasty.
One big caveat, we ordered the soup sized portion of the fish stew and curried soup. On paper, these sounded really amazing, with all sorts of herbs and spices to throw on top, but the flavor fell either a bit fishy or a bit flat. Again temperature was a bit luke warm, so that may have tainted our view.
Anyway, Mercy’s is a really interesting new restaurant to the ann arbor dining scene, which brings a fresher and more contemporary take on food compared to the earl uptown. I can tell the owners really care about the quality of their food, and as it matures is definitely worth a serious look.