Located in a red brick building that was once a church on Westheimer Rd., Mark's American Cuisine offers top-notch service, incredible food and an atmosphere so romantic that it will transport you somewhere near Tuscany! Last Sunday, my hubby took me there for dinner in celebration of our first wedding anniversary.
The interior of the restaurant was beautiful: high ceilings, a pointed window atop of the bar from where you could see the wine cellar, a pretty spiral staircase that led to additional seating area, candle lit tables, I guess you got the picture. It's the perfect place for a special date, a proposal or an anniversary.
Our table was not hard to spot: My husband surprised me with a couple of red roses that he had ordered and the restaurant nicely displayed them on our table. Sweet!
We began our epicurean experience by ordering a bottle of Ken Wright Cellars McCrone Vineyards 2009 Pinot Noir. Outstanding!
A few moments later, our server presented us a verbal menu which he said it is changed everyday. I was impressed. Not only with all the exotic options available but also with his remarkable memory and impecable presentation, which made us want to order everything! We ended up sharing three appetizers before main course and dessert.
I had always thought that you could only get frozen Alaskan King Crab due to logistic reasons but I was wrong. Not always available on the menu, this appetizer had FRESH Alaskan King Crab served with herbed lemon-butter, sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, broccoli and asparagus, topped with snow crab!
That did not last very long. Soon, the second appetizer came. I usually prefer raw oysters, but these roasted oysters were spectacular! The orange color dressing was a bit spicy and the green sauce had some sort of a basil/mint flavor.
We were already thinking "hmmm....maybe we ordered too much food" when we saw the third appetizer coming up. We changed our minds very quickly. I loved the way they presented this dish which is part of their Fall menu. A mini-pumpkin, cooked with cider, filled with tiny bits of apples, squash and a bunch of other stuff I don't quite remember, paired with a perfectly cooked lobster tail. Yeah, baby!
An apology to the vegetarians, but my husband and I are particularly fond of game meat. So, for the main course, my hubby ordered New Zealand venison with champagne-truffle risotto. There were two other side dishes which I think were not necessary. Other than that, the venison was seasoned and cooked to perfection. The champagne risotto was so tasteful it could be a stand-alone dish.
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| Venison I ordered the bison ribeye medium-rare that you see on the picture below. What a feast! |
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| Bison Ribeye |
After all that food, I thought we were going to pass dessert but hubby wanted to try the creme brulee, so I decided to make the effort and help him out! We also ordered a glass of Sauternes d'Yquem, brilliant dessert wine. The creme brullee was served with a "happy anniversary" chocolate plaque and a blue candle. Now, this was the cherry on the top!
Mark's is not exactly a cheap place (far from that!) but at least you can rest assured that you will get what you're paying for. Hands down to Chef Mark Cox!
Looks amazing! Let's make a plan to go together one night over the next few months!
ReplyDeleteNanda!!!! Que experiência!!!! Fiquei morrendo de vontade de comer essas entradas... Perfeição mesmo! Adorei a plaquinha de "Happy Anniversary"!!! Aproveito para desejar mais felicidades ao casal! ;)
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