I strongly advise a detour to Lazy Susan's if considering brunch at Merchant. I walked in on the afternoon of the large art fair on the square. It was warm and sunny outside, and the Merchant had blocked off a nice outdoor seating area. I went up to the hostess stand where a server was standing, and I asked her if we could sit outside. She said, \"Sure. I'll be outside in a moment.\" A moment turned into nearly 10 minutes. Finally, the host appeared with a carafe of water and two glasses. He said, \"A server will be right with you.\" The server's appearance took nearly another 10 minutes, and we had not even seen a menu during this time. So, when the server finally appeared, she brought us menus. The brunch was basic with a few standout options. My husband and I went the basic route, opting for an \"American\" style breakfast of scrambled eggs, Breakfast potatoes, sausage patties and Madison sourdough wheat toast. I went with the Greek yogurt with granola, honey, and dried fruit. It took about 20 minutes before our food arrived. Thank goodness we brought the newspaper and a book I was reading. It helped us to be a little less perturbed by the snailed waitstaff. The interior dining room had not been that busy when we walked in, so we could not comprehend why it was taking so long in between staff appearances. We noticed that was the case with other tables, and there were murmurs of disappointment from diners surrounding us.\n\nWhen our food was delivered, the table became filled with plates. The kitchen had presented the food on different dishes: the American fries in a bowl; the scrambled eggs on a plate with the sausage; the toast on a small butter plate. Unnecessary and wasteful. Plate everything but the toast, at least. The plating was not the only issue. Although the scrambled eggs had a good flavor, they were slightly burned. The sausage were greasy and overcooked. The only redeeming plate among them was the order of American fries. Those had crispy skins and great seasoning. \n\nMy granola and yogurt were all in one bowl, but quite a sad presentation. There was a heaping serving of Greek yogurt with a pathetic sprinkling of granola. I expect the granola to play at least a supporting role in this menu item, seeing that it says \"maple almond;\" I would like the flavor from the maple to stand out more. I also expect granola to have some substance, some structure. The sprinkling looked more like flakes than bites of granola. The honey was a great additive, since it brought a luscious sweetness to the bowl, something it desperately needed. Pure Sweet Honey Farm is a Verona producer of the sticky stuff, so there was the one plus. I could really taste its quality. But, aside from that and the delicious nutty wheat bread from the artisan bake shop, and the seasoned breakfast potatoes, we were unimpressed with the Merchant.\n\nThey will need to retool their AL fresco service and how they are executing their brunch items. I will not completely discount the Merchant, though. I am sure it was not named one of Madison Magazine's \"Best Of\" for nothing. I think that ranking alone warrants a return visit, but it will have to be for an evening meal with one of their craft cocktails...indoors.
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