The Marc

The Marc
9940 106 Street
780-429-2828

I've passed by this restaurant many times but have never patronized it. The Marc was one of the restaurants featured in Edmonton's Downtown Dining Week. It offered a 3-course menu for $25. It was also recommended to me by my colleague Amanda. These were signs that we needed to try out this place.

Our dining companion, Thomas, and I decided on the wine for tonight: La Posta's Cocina Tinto, 2009. It's a blend of malbec, syrah and bonarda from Mendoza, Argentina. It was smooth and enjoyed by all.

The first course was the Seared Scallop. Two scallops were served with peas and thinly sliced pickled fennel on top of a carrot puree.I thought that the flavors and textures were pretty unique on their own and they came together surprisingly well. I savored the scallops as they were wonderfully seasoned and crispy on the outside, and melt-in-your-mouth smooth on the inside.

seared.scallop

A Pork Belly Aiguillette followed as the entree. I had to look up the meaning of the word "aiguillette" - it means thin slivers. I didn't think there were thin slivers of anything on my plate, but no need to be technical. The sides to the pork belly were roasted fennel, chanterelles, pearl onions, and a small dollop of celeriac puree. A flavorful maple cider aigre-doux accompanied it all. Now I didn't know what several of the aforementioned items were, and I had to look them up. Here are the lay terms in case you didn't know either:

1. Fennel bulb: similar to an onion in that it has multiple layers, is crunchy and slightly sweet. It has a mild licorice flavor.
2. Chanterelles: fancy wild mushrooms
3. Pearl onions: tiny sweet onions
4. Celeriac: a version of celery with an edible, turnip-like root
5. Aigre-doux: sweet and sour

pork.belly.aiguillette

Amanda told me that her server had instructed them to not cut the fat off the pork belly, but to enjoy all of its sinful goodness, because that was where all of the flavor was. Overall the piece of pork belly was very juicy and tender. But what made it even better was that it was seared on two sides, adding an extra level of texture to the entree. It was seasoned impeccably and was delectable, yet my piece of pork belly was so amazing that it didn't even seem like I was eating fat. I thought the sweet and sour maple vinaigrette was a perfect accompaniment to everything on the plate.

Our dessert was yet again a huge mish-mash of flavors and textures that cooperated incredibly well with each other. It was called the Spiced White Chocolate Mousse, but that wasn't all that was on the plate. In the ramekin with the mousse was a cookie (I'm sure there was a fancier name for it, but we'll just leave it as cookie...sugar cookie if you will). On the side was a tiny macaron topped with a decadent lemon cream. St Germain (elderberry liqueur) jelly, berry sauce, blackberry, and nectarine slices garnished it all. The mouse was incredibly light and tasted like a chai latte was infused within. Divine! The macaron was also very tasty and I wished that it was bigger in size.

spiced.white.chocolate.mousse

Based on this menu, The Marc has a superb quality of food. The service was top-notch as the waitstaff kept on top of clearing our plates and refilling our glasses at the most appropriate times. The dining room is bright and open with two long mirrors along the back wall to allow for maximum people watching. Go to The Marc. It's French food with personality. I would love to return tomorrow if I could. I'll have to try out a few more items on the menu, but this could very well be my new favorite restaurant.

5/5