the marc

i've been going here for a couple of years now and used to absolutely love the marc, overtime however i've found the food quality and taste has gone down, it's not as well prepared as it once was. the service it still outstanding and they have a decent wine list. it's definitely not over priced and has a great menu, just a shame it's not what it used to be

inceadible food, oustanding sevice. i highly recommend this restaurant

holy! over-rated!. wow, the thing with fine dining is you're either fine dining or your not, the places that are in between are just aggravating. this place offered good food but it wasn't amazing and for the price your paying you may as well skip it. i thought the food was bland and under seasoned. the escargot was plain, a bit of garlic butter served with a crostini, maybe i should have tried to just make that at home... the place was busy so other people obviously dig it but it didn't do it for me.

went with a group of friends and had a wonderful time. clean, classy decor with bright attentive staff. great atmosphere for socializing with enough noise that you can't hear anyone's conversation and they can't hear yours. the ribeye was perfectly done and the unique drink menu had something for everyone. went back for a second time soon after with hubby and he loved it as well.

it was just ok.. started with the tartare - nowhere near as good as bistro praha's but it was ok. bread was great - made by sobeys - thought it would have come from a small bakery or be in house made - nonetheless, it was good. ordered mussels and was told they were out - the table next to us then ordered them - that was a dissapointing mistake on behalf of our server (although she was sweet). had the poached seafood in broth - unbelievably bland! doesn't the chef taste the food! $23 for fish in water - unbelievable! husband had the pheasant - it was freezer burned or had been sitting in the fridge for too long! part of the meat was cooked just right but the other part was tough and dry. dessert was ok - had the chocolate cake and the donuts (donuts were raw inside but perhaps that's how they're supposed to be. had a nice bottle of malbec. overall, for the price, we will not return as there is much better quality food available in edmonton for that kind of money. they really need to pull up their socks on the quality/flavor. perhaps praha could teach them a thing or two about flavor.

fine dining at a reasonable price. this place serves high end food at a reasonable price. i was pleasantly surprised, the service, food, atmosphere were all better than i expected. i would recommend this place to everyone.

great service, very good food. had a very nice lunch and the nicoise salad was very good. very attentive service, they also offered very interesting specials that are definitely worth a return trip.

also they have a very nice patio for a meal on a nice day.

fine dining with budget in mind. 2012:

this place is booming like crazy. it's busy during weekday lunch time and dinner time. the bread is still the most delicious bread i've had as table bread. the service is unpretentious and exceptionally personal, funny, witty, and down to earth. i think that's how they have created such a strong customer base. one of the rare few new restaurants that can survive the cold. the food is absolutely fabulous here and doesn't break your bank. if you are a fish lover, you've come to the right place. if you like steak, no problem. dessert? even better with the beignets. hard for me to complain about this place at all... maybe it's a little too crowded and lively? :)

2011:

went for lunch today finally - limited selections - very tasty - had to eat a second lunch within an hour.

i had the sausage/potatoes/salad for $15+tax+tip. for $1 more i should've gotten the fish that would've gotten my money's worth. the sausage was definitely home-made and it was flavorful and tasty and not salty for once. the potatoes were healthy and retained its natural flavors. the salad was crisp and had an amazing salad dressing similar to lux steakhouse except that it wasn't wet like lux's salad.

the service was remarkable, all the way from the greeter who sat us down at our table to the waitress that served us the wonderful food.

this is definitely a higher end place that focuses on cooking from scratch and exhibiting the food's natural flavors. any seasoning or preparation added to the food is not strong in such a way that it takes away from the food's natural flavors or overwhelm it in other restaurants. it is truly remarkable to taste something so genuine for once. it is not pretentious and the one complaint i will really have is the portions. i suppose larger portions will take away the gracefulness of the dish but at the same time i think a patron should be more than 75% full given the price of the food. if you are on a diet or somehow have a very tiny appetite or if you are full from breakfast that day - give this place a try - at least you could say you had lunch!

casual french fare. i had heard many good things about the marc, so had been wanting to try it out since it opened. generally, one does not associated french food with casual dining, however, the marc tries to bring it down to a level where it's accessible to anyone. this being said, the decor and atmosphere of the restaurant contradict one another. with pristine white table clothes and gorgeous pendent lighting, it completely clashes with the casual atmosphere they are trying to create. it was also very loud and difficult to hear my dining companion just across the table. service was a bit slow and our server could do with a bit more training and knowledge of the food. nothing wrong with not knowing your food, but better to say "i don't know, but i will ask the chef", then giving a very confident, yet wrong answer - particularly when a food allergy is involved.

the food itself was executed well on a technical level. no major complaints about the escargot, scallops, pork, duck confit, fries, creme caramel or lemon curd tart. however, the food did not wow me and at times was over seasoned with salt. things tasted as they should and were cooked well, but not a single item other than the sauce that accompanied the pork or the truffle aioli with the fries really had flavors that stood out and shined.

overall, we have no burning desire to return to the marc.

the skin on the char was perfectly crisp and seasoned, and the fennel risotto had a flavour that was assertive enough to stand up to the fish.

going back again... and again, and again, and again.... i have been to the marc twice now, and i have already recommended it to countless people. for starters, the restaurant itself is beautiful - bright, glamorous, and modern.

when i arrived for my first experience at the marc, i was the first of my party to be seated. patrick, (the owner, as i later discovered) took my coat and graciously seated me. while i waited for friends the server made sure i was comfortable and brought a wine list. i had a delicious pinot noir (unfortunately cannot recall the name) and a beet salad. for an entree i had the pheasant. everything was beautiful and delicious.

my second experience was equally as remarkable. i had a glass of white wine, and the special, which was a jasmine rice pilaf and sauteed snapper. i also had the opportunity to taste my friend's arctic char. for dessert i sampled the lemon torte. again, delicious, delicious, delicious.

overall i think the key to the success of this place is it's small, focused menu. there are still plenty of options as far as meat goes, but it truly encourages you to try something a little different. and the best part? i can afford it! it is the most reasonably priced that i have come across for a restaurant of its type.

mmmmm. very nice food, and great servers. i had the pasta with prawns and scallops and enjoyed it very much.

i don't eat at table cloths restaurants too often but this managed to be fancy, but not pretentious or cheesy. very nice.

exceptional, i'll be back

doing what they do best. we love visiting patrick. the food is simple but tastes great. the room still feels a little cold. the staff really turned around with more confidence in the menu and the customers. the new chef really accommodated to our food allergies and left us very impressed. keep up the great work and thank you
mary

4/5 for the marc. a few years ago, if anyone had asked me what the best italian restaurant in edmonton was, i would have said "il portico," without hesitation. i still have not filled the italian cuisine void that was left since it's closing.

the marc is not italian food. it's french food. it was opened by patrick and doris saurette, who's previous restaurant was il portico. based on my love for french food followed by my love for il portico, this was a restaurant that i was dying to try.

it turned out to be an ideal 'friday date night' type of destination. the room isn't huge, but it shines. the tables are covered with white linens, the light fixtures sparkle, there's just the right amount of natural light from the large windows, the bar is even made of reclaimed marble from the cn tower. it's clean and simple, but gives you that perfect contemporary, cosmopolitan feeling. this is what you would hope to expect from downtown.

we were seated at a comfortable table for two near the bar and were well taken care of by our friendly and knowledgeable server. this night was a bit of a celebratory outing, so we were quick to start with two glasses of bubbles at $14.00 each. we were also promptly given some fresh french bread with butter, which they had no problem refilling once it ran out.

the menu isn't huge but the items on it all sound excellent. i will have to return as there is certainly more that i would like to try. the first big decision for the appetizer was a tough one because of course the steak tartare sounded like an obvious choice, but i was also enticed by the beet salad and the soup of the day sounded great as well. we settled on the pate de campagne (with dijon mustard, cornichon and grilled crostini - $8.00), however, because if there's a classic french dish that i love, it's pate.

a little bit grainier then your typical pate, this one was made up of duck liver and pork. it was beautiful. easily spread onto the toasty crostini with a dollop of mustard on top, the flavours were perfectly balanced. the pate was salty, savoury and distinctive - likely some of the best pate that you'll find in town. this was a treat.

the mains were a bit of a tough choice as well. the pan roasted pork tenderloin sounded like a definite must-try. this will be my choice next time. but since duck is such a favourite of mine, i couldn't say no to the duck confit (lavender cured with apricot sauce and lentils du puy - $21.00). this is a french dish made with the leg of the duck and prepared though a process of preservation that consists of salt curing the meat and then poaching it in its own fat. the majority of my experience with duck up until this point had been with eating the breast, so having the dark leg and thigh meat was something different. i was surprised at how similarly it tasted to turkey, and in texture as well. but the preparation was expertly done - the skin was crisp and beautifully seasoned. the meat was cooked to juicy perfection. this was a great example of something being so simple yet so perfect. while i found the essence of lavender to be a little lost, i liked that the apricot sauce added a fruity element reminiscent to that of duck a l'orange, another classic french preparation. the abundant green lentils were so buttery and delicious, making it difficult to allow them to slip into the backround. i would easily recommend this dish.

while they had an array of yummy-sounding desserts available, we chose the special feature that day, which was stone fruit that had been marinated in white wine, with a goat cheese whip on top and olive oil croutons. i believe that it was peaches and nectarines, and they were fresh and juicy. a very summery dessert. i appreciated the whip on top being quite different, but it was just a little bit strange. while i liked the contrast in flavours, i found myself looking for more of the sweet fruit as opposed to the other components.

it was such a pleasing meal and there appears to be so many more exciting things to try. the value is also quite excellent. for the two of us it only came to $95 before tip, which is usually not expected when it comes to french food. i'd like to go back once the patio is open - i think that would enhance the experience even more.