French-Asian restaurant Mercy's now open in Ann Arbor's Bell Tower Hotel
Mercy's restaurant features French and Asian cuisine and is now open at the Bell Tower Hotel in Ann Arbor.
Erica Hobbs | AnnArbor.com
Their new restaurant, Mercy’s, replaces The Earle Uptown at the Bell Tower Hotel at 300 S. Thayer St. The Kasles say the space has been completely renovated, including a brand new bar, lighting and custom-made booths. It had a soft opening for family and friends Jan. 22.
“We’ve always wanted to create something that could be great in a restaurant experience,” Steve Kasle said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to achieve that with Mercy’s.”
Steve and Mercy Kasle are the owners of Mercy's restaurant, now open at the Bell Tower Hotel in Ann Arbor.
Erica Hobbs | AnnArbor.com
“We want (patrons) to be totally enthralled with the food,” she said. “It’s unique. They won’t get it anywhere else in Ann Arbor.”
Mercy’s entrées, which range from $15 to $34, include dishes such as coriander-dusted sea scallops, rack of lamb de Provence and maughinga, a Burmese fish soup. Starters include cashew chicken compote, goose mousse paté and honey-lime glazed ginger chicken on rosemary skewers, all from $5 to $15. Mercy’s also offers a full bar with more than 40 selections of wine.
“Our prices represent a real bargain for anyone who’s interested in fine dining,” Steve Kasle said.
While Mercy’s is currently only open for dinner, Steve Kasle said he hopes to start serving lunch by the beginning of April. He said the menu would a modified version of the dinner menu, but would be designed for a quicker turnover.
“People will come in and be out in 45 minutes or less,” he said. “Until we can do that, we do not feel we should open for lunch.”
Mercy’s is open for dinner from 5:30-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays and 5:30-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, with the bar open at 4 p.m. Tuesday- Saturday.
Steve Kasle said the restaurant will open on Sundays for special occasions, such as Valentine’s Day, and during events at Hill Auditorium and the Power Center.
He said Mercy’s is planning a grand opening for the beginning of March.
Erica Hobbs is a reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at ericahobbs@annarbor.com or 734-623-2537.
Comments
mama247
Sat, Apr 10, 2010 : 12:25 p.m.
Chef James is the tops!
David B
Mon, Feb 15, 2010 : 7:31 a.m.
Not yet ready for prime time. This restaurant has a lot of potential, and I admire the effort by the owners, but there are a lot of wrinkles that need to be ironed out. My partner and I had dinner at Mercy's for Valentine's. We ordered appetizers, soup, and entrees. One of the soups offered on the menu was unavailable because it was "not yet mastered by the chef." The timing of the dishes was off. It seemed that we were waiting a while, and then our appetizers and soup came at the same time. The appetizers and soup were barely warm. The wait staff was friendly, but did not seem experienced. Even though there were 2 wait staff attending to our table, there was a significant delay after a request was made (e.g., asking for salt). I ordered the rack of lamb, and my partner had the 8 oz. steak for entrees. I was informed upon ordering that the lamb was prepared medium, and when I received it, it was raw. The waiter took it back, and it was much better after cooked with good flavor. We also split a dessert- chocolate bannana egg roll with ice cream. I was expecting more of a crispy wrapper and the flavor was bland. In fact, there was still remnants of the dessert left on the plate, and I have a notorious sweet tooth, usually never leaving any to waste. Steve, the owner, stopped by the table to inquire about our dining experience while I was waiting for the lamb to be cooked. He was very nice. However, after I informed him about my lamb being cooked rare, he seemed incredulous, and did not even acknowledge it. Overall, we were disappointed with our meal, but understand that this is a new restaurant, and if these issues are addressed, then we may try it again.
acedeucetownie
Tue, Feb 9, 2010 : 6:25 p.m.
Delicious food prepared by Chef Jilek, looking forward to tasting more culinary creations.
Chrysta Cherrie
Mon, Feb 8, 2010 : 3:14 p.m.
Looking forward to trying this. While we have a wealth of Asian restaurants in southeast Michigan, Burmese food is hard to find around here.
Susan McClanahan
Fri, Jan 29, 2010 : 11:49 a.m.
Congratulations to Mercy and Steve on creating a fabulous experience for UMS friends and patrons following the performance by the CSO at Hill Auditorium. The food, service and ambiance were first rate. It was great to work with some of my favorite A2 servers as well!
Mike D.
Fri, Jan 29, 2010 : 11:02 a.m.
I'm a huge fan of Asian fusion, so I'm excited about this addition to the local food scene.
mama247
Fri, Jan 29, 2010 : 10:06 a.m.
Excellent food and lovely service. An important addition to the U-M "cultural" district (Hill Auditorium, Power Center et al).
Joel Goldberg
Fri, Jan 29, 2010 : 8:51 a.m.
Congrats on your new venture, Steve and Mercy! The article doesn't mention beverages -- wondering whether the license transfers are complete, and what the wine list will look like.
Jim Toy
Fri, Jan 29, 2010 : 8:41 a.m.
Congratulations to Mercy and Steve Kasle! I was sorry to see the Earle Uptown close and have missed the Kerrytown Bistro since its closing. At the Earle Uptown I appreciated the service of one of the Bistro's former waitstaff. I am lookng forward to visiting Mercy's.