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

02/14/08

Awesome!

by rootytooty

I had such a fabulous meal here last night!!! I've never written a review before, but felt compelled because the food was so fabulous! I went on a weeknight and ordered from the prix fixe menu. SO GOOD! I will definitely go back!

• Pros: awesome food
• Cons: can't think of any

01/09/08

I was very disappointed

by gabibovio

I was very disappointed at the food. It was cold under seasoned. Everybody on the table had the same complain. But I loved the decorations and the service was good.

• Pros: service

07/01/07

Pleasant night out

by jriehm

Four of us ate here for a joint b-day celebration. The decor is wonderful, and the music (although a bit loud) was fine. The food was great; we shared the pate and a pear salad -- both were spot-on. We all enjoyed our entrees -- ranging from walleye to steak frites to pork. The only downside was the service -- our waiter forgot a couple of things (side of frites, glass of wine), and one of the many servers was a bit too fast picking up a dish we hadn't actually finished. But it wasn't awful -- we decided that the food and room made up for it. We'd go again, and cross our fingers that we get another waiter.

03/25/07

Horrible Customer Service

by jcollins24

And the food was nothing special, just another trendy restaurant, that has nothing real to offer it's customers other than ambiance, and a message to the wait staff and hostess, your job is to serve your paying customers, so what is up with the snobbery and attitude, you have them to thank for you paychecks, remember that.

02/15/07

Good time

by spartan_13

this was my first time at a place like this i normaly wouldn't vist a high-end restarant but it was valentines day and i was suprised the food was great i had the "Bistro Steak" best thing I've eat'en in a while i will edmit though that the potatoes that came with it well slighty over salted, as for every one complaining about it being over priced if i can get a full meal anyone can go

• Pros: food, service
• Cons: ok the price but still wroth a go

12/02/06

Overrated

by perry24

I have been here several times and am extremely disappointed. The food is over-salted and mediocre. This place is an insult to the French! Also, when you leave the restaurant, you smell like you've been cooking all day in grease since the kitchen is open to the restaurant. The only thing remotely related to fine-dining in this restaurant is the pricing on the menu.

The management is horrible too. The coupons they offer are subtracted post-tax, even though they are supposed to be subtracted pre-tax (according to tax companies, this is the way it works if the restaurant is not reimbursed for the coupon, which it is not). My friends and I have brought this up to them once and they argued with us. Even the manager on for that night would not agree that they were wrong. A good manager would just let it go since it's really only a couple dollars (not to mention that they were completely wrong!) When we wrote a letter of complaint to the general manager, we got no response.

• Pros: NONE
• Cons: Food, price, ambience, clothing smell of grease when you leave

06/24/06

for special occasions

by turbo5150

My friends and I went to Marche to celebrate a birthday and had a good time. The restaurant makes a good first impression with open space and interesting decor. The staff was very polite and we were seated promptly. Our waitress was very nice, making a small talk and joking with us. Over the course of the night she was good but not overly attentive, yet we were having fun and were not in the rush so it didnt bother us. The list of cocktails was interesting and we all tried something. We also received free appetizer from the chef which was nice. Overall the food was good although I was a bit disappointed with my choice. I ordered Lemon Sole, and the fish was really good but I didnt like the sweet sauce that actually had no lemon in it. Not a big fun of sweet fish. However, my friends salmon was really tasty with the right amount of spice and my other friends lamb shank was juicy and tender. The deserts were also really good, I recommend the creme brulee (both vanilla and banana flavors were outstanding) and the flourless chocolate cake.

We enjoyed our dinner and were not rushed; we stayed for almost three hours.

The restaurant is a bit on the pricey side; expect to spend at least $50 per person. It may not be an every day place, but for special occasions or if you want to impress your date this is the place to go.

• Pros: good vibe, food
• Cons: price