CLOSED: IL Trattoria di Merende

My husband and I happened upon Merende last night after finding Matador too crowded. Our first impression of the restaurant was warm, friendly and down to earth. The service had a rough start, but I attribute that to the two tables of 6+ that were sitting near us. We ordered the hummus starter plate and it was good. It had a different taste that we couldn't quite nail down, except to say that maybe it was more sweet than we are accustomed to. I was a little disappointed that they were out of the Cavatelli with figs so I ordered the Salmon flatbread, which was good. My husband ordered the Tagliatelle which was delicious. For dessert, he had the Olympic Ice Cream and I had the tiramisu. The ice cream was fresh, light and yummy. The tiramisu was light...really light. That can be good or bad depending on how much liqueur you like in your tiramisu. We typically share a chocolate dessert and a glass of port (sharing the alcoholic and caloric burden between us) but the 10 year port was a little steep for us.

All in all, it was a good experience. However, there was something lacking. The staff seemed very intent on their tasks, but I didn't sense that they were having a lot of fun. Merende isn't trying to be a fancy restaurant. It feels like they are trying to establish themselves as a down-to-earth-but-stylish restaurant...but, for me, there is a piece missing which I can't seem to name. It's almost like they are caught between two worlds...one in which they intend to bring an Italian familial feel to their work and one in which they want to establish themselves as a place of class and style. There is a happy medium between formality and familial and I don't think they have it nailed down just yet. First impressions can't define everything. We will have a meal with them again.