01/18/09

Great service, HORRIBLE food

by as123456789

The waiter could not have been nicer and more attentive. It was not his fault the food was terrible, buttery, creamy, overly seasoned and weighed down in sauces. It was his fault that he apparently forgot to order my dinner so when the other three diners got their food, I waited for 10 minutes for the kitchen to prepare a complete disappointment. The waiter described the stew as having a touch of cream. The fish stew was swimming in heavy cream and butter and the fish was not fresh. It is hard to screw up white fish. The salad was salty and swimming in dressing. Something an airline would serve. The restaurant was packed which was very surprising considering the vast array of AMAZING restaurants in Chicago. The sorbet for dessert tasted like the metal tray it was served in. My husbands greens were swimming in a pool of butter he could not touch. Great space, if not stuck in a 90's time warp. This was by far the worst meal I have had in Chicago.

07/10/08

The worst service I have ever had.

by malexan

Why when there are free refills he found it necessary to literally interrupt my conversation I do not know. Then food then came. I had ordered the Marche burger medium rare. When it arrived it was prepared somewhere between well and medium. There was the slight hue of pink if meticulously examined. One of my friends ordered the same thing but medium, and it arrived very well done. It was at this time that I started to feel ill. The waiter/busboy interrupted my conversation for the fifth time to ask if I was finished. I said yes, and instead of taking my plate, left it there and stacked many other plates and other items onto, all the while he was standing behind me. He effectively forced me to watch him clank plate after plate for 15 to 20 seconds before removing them all at once.

Finally the check comes and as we are placing the money down we realize that we had come up roughly 100 dollars short. Baffled, we looked at the tab and realized that instead of the 4 pre fix and 6 a la carte that there were 6 pre fix and 6 a la carte. How the waiter thought that there were 12 of us instead of 10 I do not know, and frankly at a restaurant of this supposed caliber no excuse. We brought it to his attention, paid the correct amount and left.

Again, I was hopeful at first. The next day I receive at that time I let them know that I was not looking for any reparations, but as a courtesy wanted to make them aware of the issues. I explained that I was doing it now, since I felt socially obliged, the night before, to hold my tongue. I then started to hear a list of excuses. I told the women politely that I was not looking for excuses, and that I wanted to make them aware, when another ?manager? was put on the phone. She habitually interrupted me until I simply had to hang up.

• Pros: I hear that it is a, "good place to be seen."
• Cons: Service and Food. Is there anything else that should count for a restaurant?

03/08/08

Run, do not walk to Marche immediately!!

by hungrypup

For the last couple of years, I've been willing to endure the weak service at Marche, because of the fabulous chef there - Paul Wildermuth!! I highly recommend dining there on nights when Chef Wildermuth is "in the house"- (He spends alternate nights at "Opera" restaurant.) His creative ideas and succulent specials, rival even the most celebrated local chefs! I don't know if it's true, but there is a rumor that Chef Wildermuth will be gone from both of those restaurants by the end of this month. Do yourself a favor; GO IMMEDIATELY AND DINE AT MARCHE BEFORE THIS GUY LEAVES!! It's well worth the just OK service you might encounter! GO!! You won't regret it!!

• Pros: Ambience and FOOD
• Cons: Some good servers, some just OK