On the tip of PW writer Lauren McCutcheon, I traveled to 2619 Westmoreland St -- the wrong 2619 Westmoreland St. Thanks to my cursory mapping, I landed myself and my dining partner in great peril, or so we thought. Suffice it to say the nearest thing to a cafe from this Westmoreland St. was a McDonald's with outdoor seating (no offense).
After this stress-inducing mishap, we made our way to the correct street in Port Richmond, a section of North Philly that's a stonesthrow from I-95. This part of the city is a far cry from Rittenhouse Square, but as a close appendage to Center City, Port Richmond's cheap real estate must be attracting some new commuters and entrepreneurs.
Mercer Cafe's presence is certainly a sign that things are looking up. The cafe would be a nice fit for any small town -- I'm actually quite jealous. It's friendly sign and bright striped awning give it a precious appeal. When we arrived at 11:40, still planning on breakfast, the place was filled accept for two long family-style tables. And when I say family-style, I really mean six strangers sitting in close proximity.
Despite our late arrival, all breakfast items were still available. The menu opens with a selection of sandwiches, numbered from 32 to 56 (don't ask me why), plus chalkboard specials. The last two pages were filled with morning diner fare -- eggs, meats, potatoes, waffles, and pancakes. Along with those typical selections, one of two chalkboards was filled with more upscale breakfast choices. Out of those, the marscapone French toast jumped out as a sure bet, and the chocolate chip pancakes and crab, asparagus, and mozzarella omelet sounded nearly as alluring. Since I'm not a fan of chocolate in the morning, and because I've been duped by fanciful omelets before, I ordered the French toast. McCutcheon's positive review of said omelet nudged my dining comrade into ordering the dish.
I should note that the wait service is lacking. Mercer is understaffed, a fact that is especially evident around midday. It took too long for us to get our drinks -- a delicious Raspberry Chai Tea and a La Columbe-press cappuccino -- and when delivering them the edgy waitresses nearly spilled them. In our famished state, the wait for our food was simply ennervating. Make sure to bring your newspaper and get comfortable.
When the orders did arrive, we (ok - I) could bitch no more. Mercer's cooks are obviously fed up with the boring same-old, same-old that is so easy to come by and so hard to avoid. (Good breakfast foods aren't all that difficult to make, but you wouldn't know it judging by the pale eggs and gloppy pancakes that most restaurants serve.) The crab, asparagus, and mozzarella omelet had to be the most visually appetizing fried egg dish I've ever dined on, and the taste was no let down. The crab was juicy and accented the entirety of the egg. Quiches everywhere should envy the solidarity of flavor had by the asparagus and crab combo. And the mozz! Fresh, stingy, and fully flavored. The eggs in this omelet were only the glue that held together the ingredients; they were cooked just enough to keep a light yellow color without becoming rubbery.
My one minor annoyance with the omelet dish was a side of French fries. Not only is the addition pointless, but the fries were of terrible quality -- limp and underseasoned.
The marscapone French toast was illuminating. Mercer's version is the best classic French toast I've had, sincerely. The French toast was 3 slices of compact, not airy, challah that soaked up the mix of marscapone and maple syrup that was spread over top. The marscapone, which was used in place of extra butter, outweighed the syrup and defined the dish's flavor. I will never use butter again.
Aside from these two delights, we split a side of potato pancakes. While I was thinking flat fried
hash browns, the potato pancakes actually looked like balls of crab cake. They were panko-encrusted, a reshreshing change, and were very creamy and spiked with scallion and parsley. They were good, but the herbed cream overwhelmed the potatoes.
So, although service should have been more snappy, Mercer Cafe is an exemplarary little cafe. The breakfast and lunch selections range from simple to adventurous, leaving fussy eaters without excuses. Even if you don't want to eat a meal, or don't feel like a healthy portion, Mercer's supplies it counters with Isgro's pastries (made-to-order cannolis included), cookies, and croissants. So what's left for Mercer Cafe to do? Open one in my town.
Location: 2619 Westmoreland Street, Philadelphia (Port Richmond area)
Without fussily pairing my flavors, I chose a scoop of Cannolo Siciliano and Panna Cotta, which were crammed into the smallest cup. (Don't quote me, but the small cup was approximately $3.30 including tax.) Both gelati had the signature creamy, not icey, consistency. Without a cup-to-cup comparison, it would be difficult to distinguish differences between Capogiro's and Toscano's gelati, but I felt that the the latter's was more akin to a rich ice cream on the tongue. As for taste, the Cannolo Siciliano was gustatorily arresting. Immediately I got the sense that I was savoring a cool ricotta cannoli. The sweet ricotta gelato was rife with tiny bits of crunchy cannoli shell, giving it a fitting touch of authenticity.
but with a taste more redolent of eggs and cream than of vanilla bean (and Panna Cotta is an eggless custard!). 
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