the marc

quite disappointing. seared arctic char was tasty; swiss chard and 3 razor thin strips of carrot were bland and beans just blah. after completing mymeali was still so hungry. no desire to go back at all.


-----27 mar, 2015-----

quite disappointing. seared arctic char was tasty; swiss chard and carrots were bland and beans just blah. after completing mymeali was still so hungry. no desire to go back at all.

wife and i came here for the first time for a saturday date night. we arrived about 15min early for our reservation (at 6pm) and were seated right away. we were immediately given a drink menu and a set 3 coursemealmenu and were told that as soon as two regular dinner menus were free they would give use some to review as well - which was a bit odd but not really an issue. in the meantime we ordered drinks. after about 10min we got the regular dinner menus and decided on arctic char croquettes to start, braised pork cheeks and encrote and frites (ribeye steak as fries) for me and my wife to share as we both wanted to taste each of the entrees. the arctic char croquettes (2 per order) were small in size one being about a bit smaller than a medium sized egg but they tasted good and the sauce and greens it was seved on was good as well. the pork cheeks were tender and had little to no fatty parts plus the peas and cabbage served on the side were delicious and really made the whole dish. i would have loved more of the sauce it came with as the fingerling potatoes left my mouth dry while eating this. the steak and fries was amazing with the expectation of the large amount of fatty gristle - now i order ribeyes almost whenever i can so i know it is fatty but this cut specifically had a lot more fat/gristle than i have ever had. the foie gras butter really kept the steak moist and tasty and the fries, truffle aioli and even the arugula parmesan salad were top notch! will definitley order again next time. we wrapped up with the beignets which were good and actually reminded me exactly of a fresh chinese donut (the sugar coated ones you can get at dim sum). the whole bill came to just under $100 (before gratuity) for two drinks, one app, 2 entrees and dessert - which to me was well worth it. will definitley be back the next time we get a craving for french fare done well!

2 home runs, 2 strikeouts and some olives.. the marc has been at the top of my must-do dinning spots for a long time. them being closed sundays makes it quite tough to make it in.
we ended up getting a reservation on a friday for 7 people with no reservation and at the very end of the night. however or whoever made that happened, thank you, it was very much appreciated.
since it was quite late, we ordered mostly appetizers. one couple split a salad and one of us had the cornish game hen.
the absolute highlight was the cornish hen. cooked perfectly, seasoned just right, the veggies matched the protein nicely and the pan jus brought everything together in perfect harmony. the steak tartare was the main reason we went. a few of us love tartare and they did not disappoint. a classic done just the way it should be. the escargot was nice as well, very nice presentation, but i felt it lacked the richness i enjoy with escargot. that might just be a personal opinion though.
on the other end of things the rillette did not impress. there really wasn't any balance. the texture was something like rendered fat(i know it contains rendered fat) and canned tuna. the flavour wasn't much different. the port figs just felt like heavy on heavy and provided no reprieve to the fatty rillette at all. needless to say, it was quite a let down. the other dish that didn't make the cut was the octopus. the spice on the octopus was a pasty flour texture, so much so that i couldn't taste much else. this stung a little as we really enjoy octopus and most of the meat remained untouched.
two things other i wanted to address, firstly, the wine list is small, but awesome. we had a spectacular wine with supper and that always makes for better meal. the second is the service. our waitress was to say the least very accommodating to us, even though we were a bit of a handful. her knowledge of the menu was perfect and it wouldn't have been the samemealwithout her. one more mention to whoever got us the table, that went a long way with us.
overall, you really can't get much better service and the food, although maybe a little inconsistent, had some really really good dishes. i wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place, but i'd likely hint at passing on a few dishes.

walking the line between casual and formal, i really was impressed by the marc. the interior is simple, clean, classic with a slightly upscale feel. service was absolutely amazing. attentive, friendly, accommodating and really felt like the staff here care about the food and ensuring every customer has a nicemealexperience.

the jury is still out, and may not return. for some reason despite all the praise we never rushed out to try the marc, it came up in conversation, but never got the nod. finally, we decied to give it a shot. it checks off all the boxes. decent quality protiens, interesting options, pleasant environment, nice (although small) wine list, and i think reasonable prices on everything. we enjoyed the french cooking style, which we don't often do. so, obviously there was some salt/butter tones on almost everything. service was good. but...it didn't surprise, delight, or impress. my guinea hen was a little dry, and would have benifted from more than just a teaspoon of the reduction sauce, which was very tasty. frites and truffle aioli. meh, fryer oil was obviously very clean, and fries made fresh in house, aioli was (my guess not house made) mayo with truffle oil. nothing really to write home about. char was pretty good. service was great.

overall, everything was pretty good. to be honest, the part i enjoyed the most was the wine. i think our visit was our 'aloha' to the marc, becuase i don't think we'll be back. i certianly wouldn't avoid it, you will most likely have a goodmealthere, but there's a couple other places in the same price point i'd take any day instead. although, i think it's pretty silly to suggest you could get a bettermealat earls.

awesome!. you know i'm one of those who is completely guilty of using this site, always trying new restaurants and never writing reviews myself. well the marc has finally got me to write one! my husband and i booked here last minute saturday night and it was soooooooooo worth it! we had both the steak tartare and the escargot to start. the tartare was awesome, and the escargot were good as well. we like the steak better. my husband also had the ribeye which he was very impressed with (that means a lot coming from a steak man like him) and i had the seared scallops which were to die for! prices were also reasonable, by no means is it a 'cheap' restaurant, but hey if you are a foodie it was well worth the money to us. you pay for what you get! bestmeali've had in awhile, came out nice and hot!! will be back soon, as i was craving it as soon as we left!

good food, too bad about your allergies tho. 6 of us had a dinner on saturday night - the night of the freezing rain. our guest of honour and dear friend was celebrating her 30th birthday. she also has quite a severe nut allergy. our server, joshua, was notified of her allergy and he assured us that the kitchen can modify any dish to accommodate her.
joshua was very attentive and helpful with the menu. he made an excellent red wine recommendation and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. our appetizers were delicious the service was prompt. we managed to order almost every appy on the menu, the scallops, charcuterie, escargot, steak tartar, and beet salad. all were delicious and well portioned.
between the 6 of us we ordered the steak frites, lamb sirloin, duck breast, guinea hen, and the arctic char. again, we all enjoyed our choices immensely.

when the entrees came out and we were assured that my friend's meal, as well as her boyfriend's (they wanted to share), were both nut free.
well, turns out that the kitchen made an error. the chef could not recall 100% if her boyfriend's arctic char was made with an alternate nut-free pesto. my friend ate some and immediately began to react.
the manager/owner (not sure) kept coming to our table every few minutes to see if she was alright. luckily her reaction wasn't severe enough to cause her to go into anaphylactic shock, but her throat and mouth were swelling and itchy. in the freezing rain it was incredibly difficult to call a taxi, and the manager/owner offered to drive my friend and her boyfriend home. they left immediately and my friend was ok after a long night of being sick. unfortunately this event put a halt to the rest of our plans that evening - which included 20 of her friends meeting us at a bar after dinner for a surprise party.

the marc comp'd us their meals (entrees and appetizers) and a bottle of wine which really, was the least they could do.
this experience doesn't change the fact that themealwas delicious. the service was attentive and prompt, the atmosphere is casual, but we didn't feel out of place all dressed up for the occasion.
i would definitely recommend the marc, but i would add a word of caution if you have an allergy. just always triple check before eating a dish that was originally designed with nuts... because obviously, on a busy night, any one can make a mistake and you don't want it to ruin your whole evening.

excellentmealat half the price. first time at the marc and really enjoyed it. nice room, sleek yet inviting, with a warm greeting from (presumably) the owner. waiter was professional and friendly, food was top notch and when the bill came, i was pleasantly surprised. on par with another high-end resto in town in terms of quality but much less expensive. we will be back!

confused by the "press". person eats a $25 3-coursemealin march, then complains about portion size? in may? c'mon. it pains me to see how people can't even give a timely and unbiased critique when reading the reviews here. small, independent establishments such as this are being given such a bad rap because they tend to not live up to the "fine dining standards" that edmontonians have. i've eaten here recently on different occasions; and their price-points, which is within the $20+ range, compared to their portion sizes is actually quite generous. flavor is relative, you either like it or not. let's not forget that this is a bistro, albeit the decor and food tends to lean towards modern.

what a waste of an anniversary night out. in spite of asking for, and being promised, a regular table at time of reservation 1 week in advance of our 25th anniversary, we were seated 'next in line' under the 'mirror row' at the back, where the tables are about 14" apart. awesome if you like being part of other peoples intimate conversations, and one more bonus - when the wait staff stands between these tables to serve the table beside you, guess where their rear end is. bingo!
moving onward - except for the possible exception of the hostess, everyone working in this place seemed really nervous to me. and unfriendly. when i requested a steak well-done (gasp!), i received a rather sniffy little lecture from the waitress, which she got away with only because i refuse to embarass my wife. ironically, after the initial fuss, they brought the steak out well done anyway, and it actually wasn't too bad. unfortunately, the same could not be said of my wife's 'arctic char on macaroni'.
decor? bland. ambience? i think they were playing a k-tel 'greatest hits of the 80's' cassette they found in the alley on the sound system. don't get me wrong - i like 'don't you forget about me' by simple minds from 1985 as much as the next guy, just not with an eveningmealin 2012, nahm sayn?
i give this place - about 2.5 out of 5.

inconsistent but likely still delicious. i've eaten here on 2 separate occasions. during the firstmealon a busy night, the food was delicious and the attention to detail was refreshing. i went with a group of people and everyone greatly enjoyed the dishes, ranging from mussels, the steak frites, the specials included salmon and a veal tenderloin dish. it was very enjoyable and nice to have the owner come by and ask us about the food and how we were doing.

about 3 months later on a quiet weeknight, i returned to the marc excited to have another delicious meal. however, the dishes lacked the memorable bold flavours that my firstmealhad. i am convinced that the frites with truffle aioli are frozen mccain french fries and don't have the freshly cut tasting quality that frites at a restaurant should have. the seafood stew was impressive in the quantity of seafood but the broth was rather boring. a friend had ordered the lavender honey glazed carrots as a side dish which we all tried. i was indifferent about the carrots and didn't care for them much, she thought they were quite inedible and tasted like a dessert due to the overpowering sweetness and lavender flavouring.

despite the inconsistencies with our meals, i love the atmosphere of the marc, the service, and will return to give it another shot.

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 amealon a nice day.

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 pleasingmealand 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.

great food and even better service!. ourmealwas amazing and was only made better by the top notch service we received from our hostess. she was friendly and inviting and made us feel valued and important. we will definitely be back!

improved. the second time and the food and the service has greatly improve. by trial and error the menu has improve and some of the selections have been removed. the pork tenderloin was great. the server was very attentive and made sure we were will looked after. will return to try other selection on the menu. job will done.


-----20 oct, 2010-----

down home cooking. if you want to have home cooking, cook your own meal. the food was presentable however the variety was amealthat you could do yourself. the room is small and therefore eventually gets loud. try it you may like it. priced reasonably.