Marche in Chicago: A Sad Decline (Chicago Area Restaurant Review No. 71)

Marche is somewhat of an institution in Chicago's West Loop, as it was one of the first restaurants on Randolph Street. Both Lisa and Steve independently loved the place when they first tried it, however, neither of us has been there for many years as it was not so good on our last visit. We decided to give it one more try, as a precursor to our upcoming trip to Paris and because it has a nice outdoor eating area and it was a beautiful night.

Steve started with a glass of Volmoissine Pinot Noir, which he liked a lot. Lisa had a French martini consisting of chambourd, pineapple juice, vodka and champagne. It was a little sweet for her, but she enjoyed it, though the waiter admitted that it probably was not particularly French.

The food disappointed us immensely. We started with steak tartare because Marche was out of the salmon appetizer. The presentation was awful. We realize steak tartare is raw meat, but usually restaurants manage to make it look good. Not so here. This looked like (for those of you who like old campy horror movies) the lump of raw meat Michael Landon ate when he was turning into a werewolf in I Was A Teenage Werewolf (note: LIsa is not old enough to remember that movie, even from late night TV when Steve saw it). Steve did think it tasted okay, but Lisa didn't like some of the seasoning. The salads were by far the best part of the meal. We ordered the two special salads, the heirloom tomatoes and the dried beef and goat cheese. The tomatoes tasted fresh and slightly sweet with flavorful greens. The dried beef came wrapped around the goat cheese with a peppercorn coating that set the flavors off well, although Steve thought the peppercorns were a bit strong. We both still really liked the dish, however.

For main courses, Steve had the lamb shank and Lisa ordered the double four ounce filets. The filets were absolutely tasteless and were smothered in bland sauce. The whipped potatoes, however, were good -- very smooth and creamy. The lamb shank was decent, but lacked the tenderness which is what's needed to make this dish top notch. Steve also liked the whipped potatoes.

Dessert was particularly disappointing. Lisa ordered what sounded wonderful -- an ice cream sandwich made with brownies and cheesecake ice cream, with berries on the side. Unfortunately, what little ice cream there was had melted by the time the dessert was served and the brownies tasted like the gummy vending machine variety. Steve ordered the cheese plate because none of the traditional desserts looked particularly good to him. He liked the bleu cheese, but found the two others -- a Gouda and a mystery cheese -- not so good. Both lacked flavor, though Lisa thought the Gouda had a bit of a nutty taste that she liked.

Marche is worth one visit, however, for the decor inside. It has velvet curtains and curving red seats and looks very Parisian. The bathrooms are no exception. The Women's Room has a beautiful gilt framed mirror right inside the door, separate small rooms instead of stalls, and curving bench seats. The Men's Room is spotless and similarly well furnished. This is one of the few restaurants to earn a 3 (the top) rating for its bathrooms. Unfortunately, one can't eat the decor and Marche's food has totally gone down hill, in our opinion, since it opened.

Dinner for two, with drinks by the glass, was $190 (which we feel was very overpriced for what we got).

Our ratings for Marche, 833 W. Randolph St., Chicago, Illinois:

5 of 10 Steak Knives; 3 of 3 Bathroom Brushes; 2 of 5 Bug Zappers (meaning at least two bug zappers would be needed to control the pests -- which was also disappointing because it was a windy night and so we thought there shouldn't be any bugs).

Stay tuned for reviews of actual Parisian restaurants, as well as London restaurants, when we return from our upcoming travels.