Marketplace at Theatre Square- Perfect Valentine's Day!

All,

We went to Theater Square last night for our Valentine's Day dinner. All I can say is : WOW! The space is fantastic- gorgeous with soaring roof, inside waterfalls and a very sexy bar. ( Where is Phil when you need him?- this space definitely rivals the best anywhere. ) New lounge area with couches near the live music for hanging out and listening. We did the grand tour and there is even a wonderful, large landscaped patio area. Patio is obviously closed now, but we will definitely be back in the Spring/Summer for al fresco- it's one of the best outside eating areas in town.

Service was very good- attentive and polished, but the star was the food. The special V-Day 5 course prix-fixe ( $55) sounded wonderful- so we both went with that. The Tuscan salad was spot-on with a great, tangy addictive dressing. Our first course was Dallas' house gnocchi ( one of my very favorite foods in town) served in a truffle cream sauce with shitake mushrooms. OMG good!! We both cleaned our plates with bread to get every drop. ( Dallas:you need to add this one to the regular menu- please?) Brian 's filet with mashed sweet potatoes and my seared sea bass were both excellent, very flavorful and cooked to perfection. Ended with chocolate covered strawberries with housemade graham crackers and chambord mascarpone. A perfect meal!

If you don't have reservations for V-day yet: they still have a few reservations and I highly recommend for a special evening. This is definitely in our top 5 restaurants in town.

Deb

Deb - thanks so much for sharing! Tom and I are headed there for our Valentines celebration tomorrow - so this just makes me more excited!

Awesome work, Deb!

That review got me giggling like a schoolgirl...

Deb- so happy you liked it. I think the red aligator placemats rock.
Safe trip to China.

A friend and I dropped by yesterday around 4:30 or so for a late breakfast. The space is expansive without being too open and the aesthetic is dark and sleek. As I looked around, I thought to myself "This looks like a Decepticon lounge.", and that is in NO way a bad thing. Upon entering, we made our way through a counter service/deli area, then a small retail specialty food area, and ultimately to the bar, where we had our way with the lunch menu.
Jeremy, the bartender, was great. Out of the gate, he crafted me a near-perfect 4Roses Old Fashioned. Fruit cut fresh to order, fresh (not maraschino) cherries were put to use as well. Also, as we lunched, Jeremy was making the sour mix for the night shift using fresh citrus, filtered water, and house made simple syrup. Little things like that bode well for the potential quality of drinks to come.
My friend's Elmer T Lee, neat, was executed flawlessly.
The lunch menu was short and sweet. The usual suspects of salads, sandwiches, and scaled down entrees in addition to few really interesting plates. We ordered 3 plates to share and were not disappointed in any way by any of them. Crawfish Arancini were super tasty. Creamy risotto balls with whole tails of mudbug, simple breadcrumb coating, fried crispy with a tomato puree and a generous ring of truffle oil around the plate. Baked Goat Cheese was served in the souffle cup that it was cooked in, bubbly and brown on top. Under the surface, creamy, herby, tangy and very easy to enjoy with the crunch of the crostini that accompanied it. Mac N Cheese was exceptional. The menu read 'cavatappi' but when our dish arrived, the noodle in use was a rigatoni or mostacioli type. Not a bad thing though. The larger, hollow tubes worked very well to hold a most intense, creamy, lush cheese sauce. I expressed out loud and in English how perfectly the pasta was cooked... and I rarely. The addion of caramelized onion and a topping of simple toasted bread crumbs added sweetness and an awesome toasty element and a welcome crispy textural additon. A little truffle oil finished this plate of decadent hedonism.
I had a Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA with lunch. My pal, a glass of 4 Vines Zin. Both were good and paired well with the food.
All in all, a VERY pleasant experience. Props to Jeremy. I WILL be attending your bar for more bourbon breakfasts in the future. And big props to Dallas and the rest of the staff who, at all times, made us feel invited and welcome

Living right next door (or, should I say, behind) Theatre Square, I have watched it from the beginning when it was only a liquor store and a Nancy's Bagels outpost. It has been excruciating at times because they have had some serious growing pains in the kitchen area and this has to be the absolute most beautiful restaurant in the city. So very upscale and relaxing in a comfortable way. It will have the best patio area in town this summer, no doubt! Now, with Dallas at the helm in the kitchen, OMG! There's no where to go but up, up, up! I love George and Eric to death, wish them the very best and wish I had more expendable income ~ I would eat there everyday! I try to help out by buying goodies from the liquor store and grocery whenever I can!

We tried Marketplace on Monday and had a lovely meal. It's stunning inside. The food was excellent and our service was polished and professional. I can't wait to add it into my regular dining rotation.