the marc

the food was great . the mussels were the best i have ever had in the city. it took a little while for my entrées but it was well worth the wait. the lady who answered the phone was kind enough to squeeze us in on short notice. our waitress jenn was very kind and knowledgeable about the menu. i would highly recommend this place.

diver scallops with peas a la francais. here is an intersection of earth and sea. vibrant green chlorophyll meets sweet, understated salinity. tender scallops, toothsome peas. beautiful to the eye and to the palate.

it was me and my girlfriends anniversary so off to a nice restaurant we go. and the marc was first on my list. haven't been back to this place in ages (way before days of reviewing) so 'twas the perfect time. had a reservation for 7:30 on a wednesday night and it was pretty packed. no sign of a economic downturn from the looks of it, people are still willing to shell out $100+ for food haha. i got a table in the far back of the restaurant, just how i like it. our server was very pleasant and knowledgable throughout our meal.

for appetizers we went with their steak tartare and escargot. their steak tartare was delicious, the meat is a bit finer as i personally prefer a little more chunky but you can taste that it had been seasoned right (nice amount of worcestershire in there). chunky, soft and smooth steak tartare with toasted crostini makes for a wonderful texture. next was the escargot which is served with bone marrow. the combination of snail, marrow and the sauce on toasted bread is divine. for the mains i went with their 10oz ribeye with frites (fries) and fois gras butter. steak was cooked perfect medium rare and the fries were perfectly seasoned. goes well with the truffle aioli. but the real star of the plate was the fois gras butter sitting on top of my steak. ever so slowly melting away. it added the perfectly mellowness of flavour to every bite with just a hint of nuttiness. overall it was very satisfying. my girlfriend opted for their duck, which she enjoyed throughly. cooked perfect medium and it was moist and very flavourful. but everything else was underwhelming. the corn, mushrooms and shaved fennel were fine but the quickly charred green onion is what threw me off. not really acceptable as a side, it's not palatable enough to warrant 5 charred stalks of green onion on a plate as "veg". we finished off dinner with their creme caramel and their lemon tart. their tart had a nice lemony sharpness to it, nice for waking up the palette. my personal favourite creme caramel. nice and soft with just the right amount of firmness. overall very sweet and i would say savoury.

overall it was a very satisfying meal. ambience is busy but not too loud and there's ample space between the tables for the diners. my girlfriend and i left very full and happy.

disappointed at marc. i read great reviews of marc and thought it would be great! i totally agree with the next reviewer when he says, "first time at the marc and really enjoyed it. nice room, sleek yet inviting, with a warm greeting from (presumably) the owner." i will add that this was the first time we received such cordial greetings.

but we were totally disppointed at tasting the lunch menu we ordered - a braised lamb sandwitch and an omlette. there was too much salt in the sandwitch, the lamb was not tasty at all, to call it or the omletter french would be an insult to french cuisine. the omlette though expensive ($12.00) was made of just two eggs, just an ordinary, small size, nothing better than you find in an ordinary restaurant where you pay less than half the price.

why is it that most edmontonians praise this restaurant so much? is it that edmontonians have no taste in good food, not to mention french menu? i thought i could get better taste from made to cook package omlette or sandwitch!

the atlantic char was great. risotto was delicious. even the bread was good. the staff is friendly. the restaurant fills up fast even on a monday evening.

went for downtown dining week so had their fixed menu. food was tasty but not hugely memorable and the portions were super tiny,even for a fancy restaurant. service was decent but with their prices and portion sizes, i'm not sure i would go back.

last friday, craig and i were in need of some serious grown up alone time, so last minute (two days prior), we got holly to watch fitz and booked a reservation at the marc via open table for dinner. known for its steak (the marc has won avenue's best steak four years running) as well as it's polished, tranquil environment; first-rate service; and beautifully french style cuisine (also selected as avenue's best french restaurant 2016), i've been dying for an opportunity to give it a try (even given my reservations about french cuisine, mind you my cooking versus a chef's... well, they'll obviously do a better job).

beignets. they are little know here, but undeservedly so. these fried bits of heaven are paired here with creme fraiche and caramel sauce for dipping. doughnuts from a certain famous chain cannot quite measure up.


-----02 may, 2011-----

fries with garlic aioli. naughty food at its best. crisp on the outside, steaming and tender on the inside. the garlicky aioli adds extra kick.


-----02 may, 2011-----

steak tartare. don't be alarmed at the prospect of nearly-raw beef. think of it as bovine sushi. it's steaky, peppery and well-suited to crisp slices of baguette.


-----02 may, 2011-----

seared scallops with peas. earthy, vibrant peas paired with juicy, milky scallops. a perfect means to whet one's appetite, for this dish carefully balances salty and sweet.


-----02 may, 2011-----

mahi-mahi. it isn't a regular menu item, but is well worth sampling. the mahi-mahi is very meaty and adorned with a sweet tomato relish. nutty barley risotto and crisp asparagus accompany this fish.


-----28 apr, 2011-----

on your mark, get set.... when i dine out, i prefer to go in without bias, so i avoid reading reviews. with the marc, however, i was literally bombarded with feedback from others who dined there, and this feedback was overwhemlingly positive. hence, the precedent was set. going in with high expectations - as opposed to no expectations - meant that i expected to be wowed. and i was. beef steak tartare, seared scallops, and fries with garlic aioli were bursting with flavour and pleasing to the eye. our mains, mahi mahi and lamb, were fresh, juicy and accompanied by interesting sides like barley pilaf. dessert included beignets (tim bits will never again be sufficient) and chocolate cake with dark cherries. excellent service and a personal visit from marc owner patrick saurette were the icing on the proverbial cake. their patio will open in a few weeks and i, most definitely, will return.

celebrated an anniversary here on a thursday for 6pm. we arrived 15 minutes late and were still graciously seated to a table in the back corner near the kitchen and bathrooms. it was fairly busy in there, most tables occupied and the noise level wasn't really noticeable. within minutes our waitress was there and provided us with water and to take our drink orders.

my boyfriend enjoyed his old fashioned cocktail, but the black cherry that adorned the top was his favourite. our waitress kim recommended the sauv blanc to pair with my entree, which was the special that night. a basket of bread and butter was given while we waited for our appetizer.

we ordered the scallops to start, which came out pretty quickly. the sauce of pickled apple, fennel and potato purée with chicken au jus was delicious. i could have licked it off the plate!

the entrees however took a little longer then we expected to wait.my boyfriend enjoyed his cornish hen entree with cabbage and i really enjoyed my halibut dish with baby yukon gold potatoes and asparagus with a tarragon butter sauce. we both found the portion sizes fair for the amount paid.

we decided on beignets for dessert, with caramel and a creme sauce for dipping. they came out nice and warm and it was the perfect sweet treat to complete the meal.

the ambiance was somewhat romantic, we noticed most people were dressed up in dress shirts or semi formal. we enjoyed the food, service and the overall dining experience! food all came out warm and the service from the hostesses and waitress was wonderful. kim was a fantastic waitress, very knowledgable and friendly! will have to come back in the future to try some other dishes!

the restaurant is located close to the heart of downtown edmonton, and is tucked away under a nondescript, generic office building.

the interior is bright, spacious, walnut-toned minimalism.

service during the bustling lunch hour was fast and efficient. despite some initial confusion (and sloppy logistics) regarding the lunch special, our food came out in a blisteringly fast 10 minutes. the wait staff was knowledgeable and unobtrusive, while still providing quality service.

i had the brisket sandwich and frites, while r ordered the fish special, which happened to be some sort of multi-species monstrosity with aioli and a side salad.

the sandwich was on a simultaneously crisp and chewy bun and was heaped with grainy dijon, smoked brisket and sauerkraut. to be honest, there wasn’t much to screw up here. meat, combined with sauerkraut, mustard and bread has been around for a while, but i’m happy to report that they didn’t screw it up. the brisket was tender, the dijon was grainy, and the sauerkraut was… sauer.

decent food, price was a bit above the quality, but the service was quite good. maybe go and try it, but not something i would keep going back regularly.

this is a fantastic restaurant. the ambiance is intimate, the service is superb and the food was outstanding. our waitress was so friendly and well versed. my husband had the arctic char which was cooked to perfection. i had the pork shoulder confit with gnocchi which was absolutely decadent. we are looking forward to going back

enjoyed a date night with my wife on a tuesday evening. no reservation was no problem. our waiter was fantastic, gave suggestions and his wine pairing suggestions were spot on. food was absolutely delicious from appetizer to dessert. loved it.

location and decor are well executed. i do love this place. great service, and great food. a tad pricey but worth it! we also manage to get resos at short notice.

the appetizers are very enjoyable, though i do wonder if the foie gras is house-made; when i ordered the escargot with bone marrow, the portion was tiny the flavor of marrow was absent from the dish, a substitute of some kind of fat was most likely added. the chicken dish they have occasionally is horrific, it looks like the chicken that came out of a sweet sue whole canned chicken container, the pearl onions, sweet corn, carrots tasted as if they were previously frozen. lamb rack chops was cooked to order, the mild lavender glaze was extremely pleasurable on the palate, i substituted the yam puree for potato as the glaze itself tends to fall on the sweeter side.  i would highly recommend the pintade, very flavorful, and enjoyable as is the pot de creme, rich, decadent with a silky texture.