Marc 49

Saturday Date Night: May 21, 2011 @ 10:20 PM aka "END OF THE WORLD"

Some people probably chose to hide in their basement awaiting the end of the world but I was sipping a very nice bubbly at Marc 49 with  Enrique.

HOW TO FIND:
If you blink you will miss this tiny wine bar on 51st and Telegraph but the fairy lights outside will beckon you to come in to quench your thirst. 

DECOR:
The decor is mixed nostalgic, gothic and speakeasy-ish. Black and white pictures of the generations before us (including the young Elizabeth Taylor) cover most of the wall on the the side. Red velvet curtains framing a huge mirror cover the opposite wall gave Marc 49 the feel that you are in dracula's lair. (There is also back patio that looked like a steam wooden sauna but I did not check it out during this visit.)

SOCIAL SCENE:

The patrons that night were hip 20s to 40s friends and lovers lazily lounging on the low leather benches sipping glasses of vino.

Enrique and I chose the low table and chairs by the window. We were there for the food!

BUBBLY: Reasonably priced at $8 a glass, this champagne was nice, fresh and with a generous taste of honey.

STRAWBERRY FIELDS $6: Greens with blue cheese, candied nuts, strawberry slices and sweet strawberry dressing. A light sweet delicious salad!

BROADWAY PANINI $7: Chicken breast and pesto panini. He added a Monterey Salad (lettuce, pear, candied walnuts, blue cheese) for just $3 more!

SOLOIST BRUSCHETTA $6: 3 generous slices of nicely toasted baguette, crispy but not hard, topped with goat cheese, proscuitto and melon. Eventhough I had to take out the proscuitto slices that were fresh and not even a hint of dry edges, I really enjoyed these toasts sans the meat. Delicious with my salad!

BROWNIE: It looked prettier than it tasted. It was sweet with mounds of whipped cream and a little bit on dry side but it completed the meal.

SERVICE:
The food and drinks at Marc 49 deserve 4 stars. The staff deserves 6 Stars. Only at a neighborhood place can you get the kind of accomodation we received last night. When we walked in at 10:20 at night, the kitchen was already closed. Our server said that it was a bizarrely slow Saturday. She joked "maybe because it's the end of the world but wouldn't you want to just drink wine and run up your credit card instead of hiding?" They decided to close the otherwise open until 11pm kitchen early. Seeing our disappointed faces, they reopened, told us not to apologize and order whatever we wanted on the menu and served us kindly and ungrudgingly!

LOWDOWN:
We wanted a light dinner and a night cap after a family party then watching "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" at the Kabuki before calling it a night. Marc 49 is the perfect spot for either late night dinner and drinks in Temescal, catching up with your friend, a quick weekday date night dinner or going solo.

They also serve tapas aside from what I mentioned above. Extensive offerings of wine reasonably priced at $8 per glass or $26 per bottle.

Marc 49 is a real neighborhood gem and is now added to my short list of favorites!

$40 including tax before tip. With $20 Groupon, this very enjoyable meal was only $27 including a Diet Pepsi, tax and 20% tip.

Foodie Girl's Rating: 4 Stars

Key:

0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Some are good. Some are okay. Some are bad.
3 Stars: Like! I will return!
4 Stars: Love! I will be dreaming of you at night!
5 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)