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I’ve been wanting to try The Mercantile in Hollywood since it opened about five months ago, so when I saw a $20 prix fixe offered via Blackboard Eats, of course I snatched it up. Then, as is par for the food course, I went to dinner here with some foodie friends. Good times!

And not only was the company enjoyable, so was the food (save for one hiccup, but I’ll get to that later). We started with a bottle of Plan Pégau on the recommendation of our server, who was very knowledgeable about the food and drink, and it was a great recommendation.

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I had been wanting to try Ammo for a while, so when Blackboard Eats offered a 30 percent off deal for the entire check — including alcohol — I jumped on it. I recruited a few of my friends (the discount was good for up to parties of four) — the usual suspects, Esther of e*starLA, Caroline of Caroline on Crack, and H.C. of L.A. and O.C. Foodventures — to join me. What I discovered was a restaurant that offers great value for your buck in a pleasant (if a tad too dark) setting.

We started off with cocktails, of course. I had the restaurant’s whiskey sour, made with Black Maple Hill bourbon, and lemon, orange and grapefruit juice, topped with a house made brandied cherry. I liked the abundance of citrus, which gave it a light sweet and sour taste without using a nasty-tasting mix. I appreciated that.

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OK, so eating at Grace isn’t really an adventure, but this was my first time using a Blackboard Eats deal and my first time at Grace, so the whole experience was kind of adventure-like. And what an experience it was: great food, great service. Can’t beat that.

I cannot stress how important service is to me. Good service should be easy, but apparently far too many restaurants find this hard to come by. Service can make or break a diner’s whole experience, so when I encounter really great service (or really bad service), I make a mental note. In Grace’s case, the note is a pleasant one.

From the get-go, Grace exhibited nothing but exemplary service.  When I called to make the reservation, I asked if there was a way to substitute the main course on the Blackboard Eats prix fixe menu for something else. You see, the main course was supposed to be lamb, and I don’t like lamb. Honestly, I didn’t think the restaurant would accommodate me, that they would say that this special deal was what it was, and that would be that. But the person who took my call said she would ask the chef, who wasn’t available at the time, so she said she would call me back once she had a chance to ask him. And she 1) actually called me back the next day and 2) said I could have the salmon or grilled tempeh dishes from the regular menu instead. So of course I made a reservation for me and Esther of e*starLA, who had agreed to try out Grace — and Blackboard Eats — with me.

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