text: The Merc has been around since before Biltmore lost its hip and it is still a cozy bar at times but as the working crowd clears out on a weekend it becomes a little too skeezy for comfort If we are ordering bottles of spendy bubbly we kind of like to chat and once the deejay sets up the throb is way too loud for the tiny venue The swank dressiness of the place descends into stripper sleaze and all before pm Offering more than crockpot meatballs on the menu might help as would offering valet service The couches and tables are comfy though and the service friendly and quick as ever I guess it is become a preshift watering hole for the Van Buren troops of dancers an attraction for some and a repellant for others