Ten Mercer scores with hearty and tasty fare.(Brief Article)

The innocuous name of the new restaurant on Queen Anne Hill, Ten Mercer, and the equal billing of Dinner and Drinks on. its sign were not promising. The fact that it was located where a very good restaurant named Credenzia's Oven recently failed also had me ready to make invidious comparisons. I am happy to report a most pleasant surprise. This is not bar food. Ten Mercer is a first-class restaurant.

From the outside, it looks like a well-appointed bar with tables along one side of the room facing a J-shaped bar. White linen tablecloths and softer lighting make an upper level dining area a little more formal than the bar area. The music, generally popular jazz which can verge on loud downstairs, fades to background upstairs. Huge …