Marche Restaurant

Oh bummer! I never got to come back for round 2.
There were few places that had such modern elegance.
Loved the wine list, the sommelier was a charmer.

My friend raved about this place for sometimes and we even bought a coupon together just so we can eat here for the fraction of the price. It is located as you can see in Menlo Park. It is sort of out of my way from where I usually dine. But nontheless, I had to make reservation to eat here before the coupon expired.
I decided to take my BF here for his birthday dinner. Given that we just ate at Gary Danko, he wanted a low-​key, inexpensive dinner. What better place than Marche with a coupon I might add. Reservation was easy and without a hitch. Told them about the coupon from Bloomspot and they nicely accepted it.
When we got there, we were greeted and nicely seated to a booth-​like area near the kitchen. What was also a nice gesture was a birthday card at the table when we were seated. Since we both never been to Marche before, we did not know how the 6-​course prix fixe menu works. Our waiter was so kindly to ease us through the process. He helped us to select some of the dishes.
What I got: the beet salad, grapefruit salad and the crab salad, some kinda fried cheese balls, main entrée: chicken and for dessert I got the donut holes filled with hazelnut. All were good except the fried thing I don’t care for.
My BF: got the sweet potato soup, crab salad, same fried cheese ball, main entrée: chicken dish and lastly for dessert, raspberry sherbet. His dishes were good as well minus the fried cheese balls.
The portions are very small which I was very disappointed. The food was good but not great for the amount of money I would of spent hadn’t it for the coupon. Service is quite slow and not as attentive for this kind of restaurant. Décor is not up to par for fine dining. Their restroom is like what you see at a fastfood restaurant.
For the kinda money you would have deck out for this place is quite disappointing to say the least. Their décor, service as well as their entrees are not comparable to other fine dining restaurant that i have been accustomed to. Lots of improvements needed. Sadly, they will close toward the end of March.

First time eating at Marche, and sadly, will likely be our last since they’re closing their doors at the end of this month.
Here’s what we ate:
1. Dungeness Crab with fennel, green apple & radish, avocado, horseradish & lemon
2. Fennel Salad — with grapefruit, puntarelle & avocado goodness
3. Carrot Soup — Pureed to perfection
4. Buckwheat Gnocchi, Fava Leaves, green garlic, walnuts, parmesan
5. Mary’s Chicken Breast, Corn Coush Coush, Bacon, Red Onion, Spinach & Chanterelles
6. Dessert = AMAZING! Warm Chocolate Truffle Cake, Condensed Milk, Vanilla Crisp, caramel ice cream
My husband got the Marché Beignets, to which he said «I could eat an entire box of these things.»
Oh yeah, and can’t forget the unlimited warm bread. I lost track of how many rolls we ate, but it was mmmm, mmmm good.
Service was excellent and attentive, and the 6-​course meal left us feeling perfectly full. The portions were perfect. Each dish was well-​balanced with fresh ingredients, and were very complementary to each other. It was great to have a fine-​dining experience so close to home. The ambiance is classy, sophisticated, and a great date place.
I highly recommend you to try Marche before they close, although it may be hard to get a reservation!
We’ll miss you Marche!

We went again (2^nd time in 4 days), to try and get as much Marche as we can get before they close in late March (hmmm… Marche, closes in March? Interesting coincidence).
Anyway, we again LOVED the diver scallops and the beet salad. I also had the Marche Bacon Cheeseburger with Pomme Frites. Amazing, as always. Hard to believe what a value Marche is — 2 people, 2 glasses of wine, 4 apps (between us) and 2 entrees, for under $ 150 with tax and a generous tip.
We hope to come back one more time before they close their doors. Interestingly, the place was PACKED both nights we were there this week. Every table was full on a Tuesday night, and they were even using the private rooms as overflow seating this Friday. We love you Marche, and will miss you!

While lunch here may cost you a pretty little penny, it is an absolutely fabulous place to spend your afternoon. The restaurant itself is very elegant yet masculine with deep mahogany wood and plush leather booths. You’ll find contemporary seasonal American cuisine here, not as much French as the name would imply.
My lovely gal pal and I were only two of a handful of people dining here in the middle of the day during the middle of the week, so it was practically like private dining. The fried shrimp po boy immediately caught my eye, and at $ 18 it was a bit hard to stomach for lunch, but I went for it. We started off with their selection of three artisan cheeses, of which all were decadent, but the truffle brie was the best (if only I wasn’t lactose intolerant, I would eat it every day). My po boy definitely did not disappoint — it was so delicious!
Service was very pleasant, and because we were practically the only ones there, it was nice that we could just take our time and catch up. We also got a chance to sit down with Chef Guillaume Bienaimé, who comes from a very prestigious culinary background (including time at The French Laundry) and is around our age, so it’s always very cool to meet talented chefs as accomplished as he is. I definitely think that Marche does get overlooked when it comes to dining options in downtown Menlo Park, but I think people are really missing out.

A Bloomspot voucher entitled us to a six-​course dinner at Marche valued at $ 170 for $ 99. I was rather excited given that Marche is one of the few fine dining options south of SF. I had been wanting to try it for the longest time.
We had a 6:30 pm reservation on a Saturday, and were seated promptly. Cozy ambiance yet elegant. There was a bar area, with 4 seats, fully occupied by who seemed like regulars. Our waitress was prompt but lacked warmth. She would ask how things were, but never actually bothered to wait for a response.
For six-​course, we got their four-​course tasting plus a couple of additional dishes from the dinner menu. I got wine paring for $ 45 (4 whites, 1 Burgundy, 1 late harvest viognier).
Dungeness Crab
Fennel, Green Apple & Radish
Avocado, Horseradish & Lemon
*******
Fennel & Citrus Salad
Puntarelle & Avocado
*******
Turnip Soup
Apples & Thyme
*******
Buckwheat Gnocchi
Fava Leaves, Green Garlic, Walnuts
Parmesan
*******
Mary’s Chicken Breast
Corn Coush Coush, Bacon
Red Onion, Spinach & Chanterelles
*******
Marché Beignets
Warm Chocolate Truffle Cake
The ingredients were fresh. coming together into non-​pretentious dishes. They were good, though nothing that knocked your socks off. I don’t know if it’s because of the discount, but the portion size was rather small. I’ve never raised a stink about portion size, even at fine dining establishments, but 3 pieces of gnocchi? We licked clean the chicken breast plate after, because we were still so hungry.

I had such a wonderful time last night at Marche that I decided to write a review for fellow Unilocalers.
I purchased Bloomspot’s $ 99 offer of 6 course meal for 2 people. Considering Marche’s 6 course meal costs $ 85 per person this seemed a very good deal. But I wasn’t sure how the food was since I never tried here.
Well, last night (after proposing to my girlfriend) my fiancé and I went to Marche to celebrate and we were both blown away by the food, the wine pairing and the service. Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the wine and the food and we had great conversation.
The 6 course meal consisted of 2 salad dishes, 1 soup, 1 appetizer, 1 main dish and dessert. We both tried the wine pairing with the meal which was $ 45 per person and it was SO worth it. The wine (and 1 beer from Belgium) perfectly complemented the food and it was great that Marche decided to match their wonderful food with great wines from the old world. I’m a Napa Valley fan but sometimes you want to get treated by some of hidden gems of old world wines.
The main dish was a lamb steak which was so tender and not gamey that it could pass for a filet mignon. It had slightest taste of lamb which washed away with the burgandy that March paired with.
I’ve been spoiled by so many good restaurants in the Bay area that I was yearning to try something new and Marche was a pleasant surprise for me. Without Bloomspot deal this restaurant would’ve gone unnoticed. I’m glad that I got the offer to try out this wonderful restaurant!

I came here for my birthday. We had called ahead to make a reservation, and still ended up waiting 30 minutes before we were seated.
The mushroom soup, beet carpaccio, beef tartare, and sunchoke soup were all tasty. However, my main course, leg of lamb, was a horrible cut of meat. The gnocchi had too much brown butter and not enough flavor. The pollock wasn’t seasoned and too heavy on the citrus. I enjoyed the chocolate truffle cake and sorbets. I found that the food was not up to my expectations, due to the price tag– I was hoping for much more! — 3 stars for the food.
As if that wasn’t enough, the service was horrible. The waitress was sloowww and inexperienced– I could tell she was having a bad day because she appeared to be holding back tears while taking our order as well as throughout the night??? We were told that they ran out of BREAD (?), but when we asked a different waiter he managed to find some… I asked to substitute one of the dishes on my tastings menu, and the manager said they would «figure something out for me», but it never came… I only got ⁵⁄₆ dishes. We had to ask three different people to open our wine bottles before it finally got done.
I also didn’t get a birthday candle, even though I saw it done at a different table earlier :(Minus infinity stars for service!!!

Came here for a birthday dinner. Reservations made on Open Table, confirmation call from Marche, birthday card on the table when we arrived. I ordered the December prix fixe menu and my company had items off the menu since it had all items from the Chef’s tasting menu and he wanted beef instead of the lamb. Marche coursed out our meals for us so that our meals matched (which was highly appreciated!). Split one dish and gave me a soup so I wouldn’t feel left out when my company was enjoying his extra course. Nice touch.
Amuse bouche was clam chowder with no clams (not sure what it was called, but that’s what it tasted like!). Very good. Dungeness crab was served on a chilled plate and was ok (not a fan of horseradish). Beet carpaccio was really good. I love yellow beets. Actually, I love all beets. The beef tartare with chips was excellent. Sunchoke soup with vadouvan chutney was interesting but the chowder was better. The beef filet with tart beans was pretty good, but my beef goulash with yukon mashed potatoes was better.
Peppermint chocolate ice cream cake was perfect. We sat there feeding each other cake while biting pieces of the peppermint candy. Loved it.
Overall, the food was in lighter portions, which was perfect b/​c we didn’t want to feel bloated after five courses and a bottle of wine. Great ambiance (modern, dark wood — minimalist décor with some Xmas wreaths). Looks like a business hotel restaurant but more cozy and romantic. We had the booth with the higher walls for privacy and a window into the kitchen. Older crowd (but I guess we look old since the waitress asked whether we needed to call the babysitter since our meal would take a couple of hours! — HILARIOUS, but appreciated the thoughtfulness.) Dinner was actually about 3 hours and we enjoyed every minute of it.
Would go again. But agree with the other Unilocalers, this place is romantic so come here with a date!

Pretty solid restaurant. Came here bc of the Bloomspot special, which was awesome — $ 99 for two six-​course tasting menus.
Ambience and décor are abs gorgeous. Drinks were delicious and food was pretty good. Given that it’s downtown Menlo, the crowd is def going to be a bit older versus your typical nice SF restaurant. It was a little stuffy but not as bad as other places I’ve been to.
The good: hokkaido scallop crudo, risotto gnocchi, lamb, peppermint ice cream cake (it was like a peppermint mocha in ice cream cake form!)
The ok: butternut squash soup, beet carpaccio, some of the wine pairings
Overall, the food is good but I’m not sure we’d come back unless we had a special deal to take advantage of. And, if you are doing the tasting menu, make sure you have ample time for dinner — we spent nearly 3 hours!

My first time in downtown Menlo Park — and it had me at hello. The street was super cute and Marche had a great location on the corner. Street parking wasn’t too hard for a weekday evening.
I walk into the restaurant around 6pm and it was empty. The ambiance was very modern and comfortable. I asked for a specific table in the restaurant because I didn’t want the private party that I arranged in the Chef’s room to even see us dining in the same restaurant. The receptionist wasn’t very eager to move my table of 4 around in the table of 2 section. With hesitation after moving us once before — I felt a few eye rolls behind my back and sighs under their breathe. I communicated my specific reasons or else we’d have to eat elsewhere, unfortunately. But whatever — they made it work.
Chef’s Room is a great option for small (less then 10) private dinners. Reserving space and getting reservations is simple. And there’s a nice glass window where you can see into the kitchen.
Dinner was just ok. I had the gnocchi starter and 3 people at our table had the salmon dinner. The waitress asked us how we’d like it cooked — we all said medium and it came out medium rare. The other diner selected the pre fixe menu and although the items didn’t sound good on the menu — they were all better then our dinners. The dessert was disappointing — the waitress suggested this apple tart and it was dry and barely touched. I also ordered the huckleberry beignets to share but just ok. Someone ordered the peppermint ice cream dessert — and that was surprisingly delicious — jealous.

Great date spot. Not super dressy like others said (We went in jeans/​work clothes and were fine). We also got the Bloomspot coupon and it was a great deal. 6 course tasting menu and they gave us a complimentary mushroom shooter when we got there (I’m not a fan of mushrooms and it was pretty good). We also decided to do the wine pairing for $ 45 a piece, which definitely made the meal pretty spectacular. I’m not sure if it was the drinking, or the meals, but I felt the courses got better as they went along (maybe also because it was a lot of seafood in the beginning, and I’m still learning to like seafood)
The wild salmon in the saffron sauce and with fingerling potatoes was the best seafood dish in my opinion. Those potatoes were amazing. yum. The lamb was also good, but nothing spectacular. I’d probably rate all food ⁴⁄₅ and I’d rate the ambiance and service as ⁵⁄₅ because everyone was super friendly. They even ask you if you have any food allergies etc when you get there. I also like that they work as a team (kitchen and dining staff). If servers were lagging behind, people from the kitchen would come out and help.
I agree with others that the dessert was not anything amazing. I had the Fig Leaf Semifreddo and my bf had the Apple Tart. But I did like how they paired the tastings with our desserts. My bf’s was accompanied by a nice Cognac and me with a sparkling sweet white.
They paired one of our dishes with a German sweet beer (that was strong in my opinion) and it was great. I think they paired it with the squash mole soup, which was a bit bland, so you had to mix the spices in with each bite to make sure you got the most of each bite.
Overall ⁴⁄₅. I think I’d go again when it had less seafood on the menu, even though I didn’t hate any dish that I received.
O yea, parking was pretty easy too!

Got the Bloomspot coupon, so it was an awesome deal!
Regardless, we had a lovely anniversary dinner at Marche. The staff were all attentive and friendly. The food was excellent — innovative and each dish was elegantly presented and executed. We had the six-​course chef’s tasting menu. Well… it was actually just six dishes from their regular menu, not something special from the chef. But the dishes were all tasty and we have no complaints on that.
Of all the dishes that we tried, the scallop crudo, smoked trout and salmon stood out amongst the rest. The dessert was just ok, wish it was better. My husband also had the wine pairing, which he enjoyed very much.
This is definitely a special gem in the Menlo Park area. I would go back in a heartbeat!
p. s. The really crazy thing was that we just had the 9-​course tasting menu at the Dining Room in San Francisco a few weeks ago. The first thing my husband and I said to each other after eating at Marche was, «It was so much better than the Dining Room!» Yes, it was! And the price (even without the Bloomspot coupon) was half of what we paid for at the Ritz!!!

I have been wanting to try this place for a long time and finally came here last night for the first time. In short, I had a very enjoyable meal and I will definitely be back again!
We were greeted by a very friendly hostess upon arrival. We chose a corner booth looking at the kitchen, it was fun watching the kitchen staff throughout the meal. Our waiter was very knowledgable about the entire menu and service is certainly without any complain from me.
Apparently their menu changes on the first of every month. There is a tasting menu as well as a prix menu. We decided against either.
My appetizer was the Day Boat Scallop, slightly seared, half soaked in brown butter, topped with sea beans and wild rice. I was skeptical when I ordered as I wasn’t sure about the ingredient, but really glad about my choice after I took the first bite!
The waiter recommended the halibut for the main entrée but being a lamb lover I decided to order the spiced leg of lamb, served with pine nuts, italian eggplant, basil and green olive, and a mix of tons of spices on the side. Overall the dish was good, but I thought the lamb was not the best I have had, it was a bit tough and quite a bit of fat as well. This is the only reason I took a star off my rating.
For dessert, the guiness ice cream sandwiched between brownies and topped with malted milk was quite good. I can taste the beer in ice cream.
The waiter bought out surprises between each serving. First was a freshly made tomato juice served in a shot glass, little sweet, little sout, very refreshing. After the appetizer, it was a taste of the sqush soup with mole topping, which was WOW! I can see myself finishing an big bowl of it.
I will be back, but next time I will go for the halibut, if it is still on the menu.

It has been on my list forever. So when a foodie friend from NYC is visiting and lets me decide where we want to eat that is local to the Peninsula I chose this.
That and when I think fancy delicious foods I immediately choose French as my high end cuisine of choice. Everything was so spot on here.
When I arrived at around 7pm on a Wednesday night the parking was abundant. Win already. The place was elegantly decorated and service was spot on. Corkage is free on Tuesday, so my friend brought a bottle to share.
To start I ordered the Soup of Sweet Corn, because I absolutely love anything that is corn pretty much automatically. It was really a nice way to start the meal.
As the main course I ordered the Hawaiian Walu. There were 2 nicely portioned pieces of fish. Some might say it was on the small side, but I thought it was just right to leave room for dessert. The fish was cooked to perfection.
For dessert I had a plum tart like thing that was so delicious and refreshing. I was really impressed with Marche. I would definitely go back.

In a message titled with the subject line «Ignorant Unilocalers», Phantom S. wrote:
«I am constantly appalled at people’s lack of knowledge when they write reviews on Unilocal.Case in point: Marche, Menlo Park. The «Tomato Tasting Menu» was only offered for two days. It featured Baia Nicchia farms tomatoes which are grown locally in Sunol. They are not just any tomatoes and many diners came specifically to enjoy the tasting menu paired with wines not normally offered by the glass at Marche.
Also, the «Apricot Vacherin» was actually made with plums. Had you read the dessert menu you would have seen this.
As for the service, perhaps your server had other tables to contend with. Perhaps it would be a good idea to take into consideration the other diners in the restaurant and not assume everyone working in the restaurant is only there for your needs. And, no, I was not your server that evening. «
Oh Phantom S., I wouldn’t order a tomato tasting menu even if your tomatoes were grown in the Garden of Eden. If you feel that the tomatoes and the waiter were so great, perhaps you should write your own 5 star review instead of personally attacking my opinions. Not everyone in the world enjoys eating tomatoes or having their silverware and dishes carelessly dropped onto the table. If you don’t like my reviews, you have a choice of not reading them.

This is where I took my wife for our first date, and it did not disappoint. The first time we went there was a five, but the second time it was really more a 3.5…so it averages out to be a four.
If they have Beef Burgundy on the menu, order it as a must. It was really the best I had in the States, only second to my uncle-​in-​laws’ at France. The flavor was good, but what was more amazing was how soft they were able to get the shank (I think that was the cut) considering the size they served. I would say that it was a third of a foot in circumferance, but it still fell apart when you cut into it (as any good stewed meat should). My wife’s duck was also very good.
Dont’ remember what we ordered the second time, but that says a lot in itself. Nonetheless, the service is excellent, as are the ingredients, service, and attention to detail.
I would have liked to give it a 4.5…but in my opinion, one of the three best French restaurants in town.

When I last ate here, Howard Bulka was still the chef. I guess he decided to go simpler and now own’s Howie’s Artisan Pizzas. Had a group birthday gathering here for six of us. The filet mignon’s were perfectly cooked. So much so that two of our orders got reversed and the person who ordered medium got the medium rare and still tore half way into it until realizing. Service is very professional but still friendly. Definitely one of the most expensive dining options in MP but well worth it. I need to arrange for another group dining here soon.

I happened to be working in Menlo Park this afternoon around lunch time so I asked a friend who lives in the area for advice on where to go. Without hesitation he told me that Marche now has a lunch service, and that the burger is «solid». Since it was near where I happened to be anyway I moseyed over to give them a try.
Parking couldn’t have been easier in the free lot a short block away. I arrived around 12:30 to find the small dining room to be about half full. The clientèle appears to mostly be an older crowd, and the atmosphere was slightly formal without being overly stuffy. The service from beginning to end was always spot on. As for the burger, which I ordered medium rare with Gruyère cheese, I would say it firmly placed itself in a three way tie with Nopa and Spruce for being the best I’ve had in California. The fries were perfectly cooked, and the sauce béarnaise served with them was spectacular. Frankly, at $ 14, it almost feels like you’re ripping the restaurant off given the amazing quality of the food and high level of service.
In short, from start to finish Marche provided me with a perfect lunch today. If they can do this with a lunch service burger, I really want to know what their more substantial dinner offerings are like. I’ll no doubt drive down from the city one evening to find out.

4.5 stars
How come I have never heard of this place until NOW?!
Our gracious leader treated us to a fantastic culinary treat for our offsite dinner.
There were approximately 56 of us, so we had the main dining room to ourselves. The restaurant is beautiful, nice décor, furniture, and ambiance. Modern chic.
Had the following:
(1) Golden Beet Carpacchio– Super duper delicious and fresh. A great starter.
(2) Strip Loin with Grilled Asparagus — medium rare cooked perfectly and the dish was warm; not bad considering there were 56 orders. The sauce was nice on the strip loin. Good flavor.
(3) Buckwheat and Hazelnut Crepes — the brown butter ice cream complemented the crêpe perfectly. A very nice touch to a solid dessert.
Service staff was efficient, not overly friendly. Could be a bit more upbeat.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND for a nice gourmet dinner in Menlo Park.