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Last Sunday I met up with a group of friends I haven't seen in forever!! We were finally able to get everyone together for brunch. I suggested Marquee Grill in Highland Park because I've been dying to go there! Ever since it opened with Chef Tre Wilcox (from Top Chef) as the executive chef, it's been at the top of my list.
Marquee Grill
33 Highland Park Vlg.
Dallas, TX 75205
(214) 522-6035
http://marqueegrill.com/
Price (for brunch): $$
I was able to make a reservation for our party of 11 plus 2 babies really easily, the girl that took my call was super nice.
My bf and I were the last 2 to arrive. I saw Chef Tre talking to someone on the side right as we walked in. Yay! I was hoping he would be there!
We were seated in a long table by the window. It was nice and bright, perfect for brunch. The restaurant is nice. I liked the decor which was slightly Art Deco with a hint of modern. I didn't see the upstairs though. I heard the bar upstairs was nice too.
The waiter took our drink orders and we looked over the menu. I was a little disappointed because some of the items on the online menu were no longer available. :( They need to do some updating on their website!
After making our orders we got some complimentary bread. Mini basil corn muffins, cheese and sesame flatbread crisps. I really liked the muffins especially the addition of basil inside. It added an extra freshness to the buttery bread.
I already knew what I wanted going into the brunch. I've heard lots of good things about this dish and it's got everything I love. "Bacon" & Waffles (house cured pork belly, buttermilk waffles, huckleberry maple syrup) $12~
I can't pass up anything with pork belly in it. It's probably one of my most favorite cuts of meat. The plate looked a little plain but everything also looked delicious. The pork belly had a nice sheen from the caramelization of the sauce. I liked the slight crispiness on the outside of the pork belly a lot, and it was tender on the inside. It had just the right amount of fat in the middle so I didn't feel like I was eating just chunks of fat. The waffles had good texture and wasn't too sweet. It held up to the pork well. The huckleberry syrup was also good. It wasn't too sweet on the waffles. I was wishing for some freshness though. If it came with some greens or fresh fruit on the side it would've made it better. It was yummy but I think I still prefer the chicken and waffles combination. hehe.
My bf wanted the tuna which was no longer offered on the menu so he opted for the Marquee Grill Beeman Burger (bourbon ancho sauce, cipollini onions, cheddar, bacon, cajun parmesan fries) $15~
The burger here is also highly rated so being the burger buff he is, my bf decided to get it. The burger looked good. The ingredients were fresh. The meat was flavorful and juicy but there wasn't anything special about it. My favorite part (other than the awesome fries) was actually the bread. It was a good burger but we both agreed it's not the best we've had by a long shot...not for the price anyways.
Some other dishes my friends ordered included: Steak & Eggs (grilled flat iron steak, scrambled eggs, truffle butter, potato hash) $16~
It looked pretty good but a bit simplistic. I didn't get to taste or any feedback from my friend.
A third of the group all got the Southwest Chicken Sandwich (avocado pico, citrus slaw, cajun parmesan fries) $12~
It was a pretty big sandwich. And again, everyone loved the fries. They said the sandwich was good, but didn't rave about it.
Special of the Day: Classic Eggs Benedict (with side of potato hash). This looked really yummy. My friend cleaned his dish so I assume it's pretty tasty.
We were finishing up our food and I've been talking about this butternut squash ice cream I saw on their website. We got the dessert menu, and it's not there either! Boooo... I guess it's a seasonal flavor. So none of us opted for dessert, we were all pretty stuffed.
However, I asked the waiter if we could meet the chef. He wasn't too thrilled about it and said something like the chef might be too busy or something but he'll ask. As he walked away one of my friends said that the waiter wasn't very good. She had been to Marquee Grill a few times before and have had great service. I told her that online reviews have mentioned that their service is hit or miss. Guess we got the miss this time around. He wasn't that bad, but it definitely wasn't up to the caliber of the type of restaurant this was. He later came back and said that the chef was busy prepping a party for later that night so he couldn't come over. I'm disappointed. It doesn't take that long to come say hi at the table and at one point my friend saw him just standing around the kitchen. I was sad that we weren't important enough for 2 minutes of his time. :( Sigh. It was one of the main reasons I chose this place to meet!
Anyways, the waiter brought the check. Just one check. So we called him back and asked if he could split it. I turned back to the table and started pointing out to him who were on the same checks together and my friend says "oh he already walked away..." WTH... Made me feel kinda dumb.
It was great to see everyone and catch up but the overall dining experience was eh. The food was good but I expected more. And I definitely expected more from the service and hospitality. It might just be one of those off days other people posted about. If I'm in the area, I'm still up for checking out their happy hour. I heard they make pretty good drinks.
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value:
Overall Experience:
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
This includes all the sit-down restaurants I went to during the trip...
Wu Chao Shou (Sichuan Food)
Most of my family enjoys spicy foods. For my cousin's birthday we went here. My favorite dish of the night were the sauteed string beans. And they came with these wrappers that you normally see when you have duck. I never had it this way before and it was pretty tasty!
Diamond Tony's 101 (Panorama view, 85th Floor of Taipei 101)
Since my mom has been in Taiwan since the beginning of the year, we didn't really get to celebrate Mother's Day with her. This was a good occasion to go see the view of Taipei. My cousin and his family went the day before to celebrate his birthday and they said it was good food and a good deal. Plus you can't get a view of the city like this anywhere else! (For those of you that don't know, Taipei 101 is the tallest building in Taipei by far...you can pretty much see it anywhere in the city.) It's a 4 course lunch and the prices are determined by your entree. Prices start at NT800 and go up to NT3300. We were perfectly content with the 800 entrees. hehe. There's also a 10% service charge. So total came to NT880 per person (almost US$30 a person, which is pretty good considering the venue, # of courses, type of food and service). You can't find deals like this in Dallas really...
Homemade Garlic Bread with Fresh Crab Meat Cream Sauce to start. The bread was super soft and the sauce was rich, creamy and luscious. A great start to the meal.
Wild Mushroom Cream Soup. I love cream of mushroom soup. The flavor was great, but I wish there were more chunks of mushrooms inside.
Appetizers:
Caesar Salad, Diamond Tony's Style (romaine lettuce in homemade Caesar dressing, topped with crispy bacon and Parmigiano-Reggiano). Asian style Caesar salad is the only way to describe this. haha. The dressing was weird. It was almost like there was soy sauce in it?
Smoked Calf's Tongue (decorated with capers and tuna mayonnaise). I ordered this. The tongue was tender enough but I thought it was sliced too thinly. Good, not great.
Barbecued Fresh Oysters (with spinach, sour cream). I liked the flavor of it, but my sister says she's had better.
Entrees:
Ink Fettuccine (with smoked salmon in cream sauce) NT800~ This was my choice. It was so pretty...the contrasting colors of the black pasta with the cream sauce. The pasta was cooked perfectly. The sauce was rich and decadent. I loved it. It was my favorite entree of the day.
Roasted Spring Chicken (in piccante sauce) NT800~. My mom's dish. The chicken was pretty tiny and flavors were just ok. Not the best...
Oven Baked Pork Spine Steak (with pepper and onion gravy sauce) NT800~. My sister's. The pork was super tender...almost like eating super tender steak. I liked the mushrooms on the side.
Sliced Sea Bass (pan fried with cream clams sauce) NT800~. My dad's choice. The fish had a nice crispy sear but needed more seasoning. The cream sauce was great and paired well since the fish flavor was so light.
Choice of Coffee or Tea
For dessert, everyone gets the same thing. Tiramisu (with fruit and chocolate truffle). We were so full already but the tiramisu was nice and light. My stomach said I couldn't eat anymore, but I managed to stuff it all down. haha.
I enjoyed the lunch overall. You can't beat the view of the city and the food wasn't shabby either. It was just a lot of cream throughout the meal which put me into a food coma for the rest of the day. haha.
Quality of Food:
Service:
Ambiance:
Value:
Overall Experience:
Ming Yue (Xiao Long Bao - Soup Dumplings)
This place is around the corner from my grandma's and we go every time we visit. I think they have the best Xiao Long Bao (better and cheaper than Ding Tai Fong in my opinion...)
Ming Yue Soup Dumplings (8pcs) NT130~
Vegetarian Dumplings (8pcs) NT150~
Pot Stickers (10pcs) NT130~
Green Onion Pancake NT50~
Mushroom and Asparagus Stirfry NT180~
Shrimp Fried Rice NT150~
Sauteed Water Spinach NT120~
Black Sesame Mochi Dessert. This was the only thing I haven't had there before. I loooove black sesame and this was delicious. I ate my mom's as well. hahaha.
Fullon Hotel Danshui - Fishermen's Wharf: Buffet
My uncle treated us to a buffet lunch here one day. It was pretty epic. I loved all the food selections (including some really fresh sashimi) and all you can eat Haagen Dazs ice cream! Heck yea!! There was prime rib, create your own noodles or pasta station, assorted breads (french or Asian), salad bar, hot foods, 5 different dessert stations... OMG! My uncle got a discount so I think it was about NT590~ a person. He was very impressed with the amount of food I ate and was glad that I got his money's worth. hehe. :)
Spaghetti House.
My sister and cousin and I went to find some lunch by my grandma's hospital. This place was super cheap! Each entree came with a soup and tea.
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce NT80~
Mushroom Bacon Penne NT95~
Garlic Bread (3pcs) NT30~
The flavors weren't the greatest but the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. Asians know how to cook pasta, that's for sure! And the garlic bread was delicious. The best part? Three of us ate for about US$7!!! Awesome.
One of my uncles treated the family to this Peking Duck Restaurant. He has to have Peking Duck every time he visits Taipei. The duck here was pretty good. Eaten in 3 ways: the standard wrap, sauteed with veggies, and a soup. The other dishes were good too!
There's always good food when I go back to Taipei. Needless to say I gained some weight in the short time I was there...but I'd say it was worth it. I'm working really hard to lose it all now though. :( haha.
~~ CHOMP CHOMP ~~
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