The Marq

There is a fairly new restaurant in Marquette (within the past year) that has been receiving amazing reviews. The Marq gastropub opened up next to where our children's museum is with an idea that many other restaurants should try and pick up. The Marq is a farm to table type of restaurant, and pride themselves in the fact that they use one thing better than many others in this town, which is buying everything as locally as possible. The menu changes seasonally, and to what is available to them. Everything is made from scratch, and even though the plates are on the smaller side (which just means you can order multiple things to try, right?), you can literally taste ever single ingredient that goes into the dish to make it absolutely amazing.

My family and I came here for the first time to celebrate my husband's birthday, and did not leave hungry or disappointed. We decided to order a few appetizers to try since it was our first time eating there, and because we were told the entree portions were smaller. The first appetizer we ordered was the Lamb Meatballs. I will say, ground lamb and the way these were cooked wasn't really my ideal texture. However, the pickled cauliflower with the chickpeas and carrots were delicious, and the yogurt and mint sauce helped bring everything together.

The most beautiful plate that we received was a Beet Salad. Along with beets, the salad also had carrots, cocoa nibs and two different sauces, topped with random mixed lettuce and micro greens (the greens seemed more for garnish, but did make it look beautiful). This plate would have been an amazing vegetarian entree also. The texture of the beets were very meaty and soft, and the cocoa nibs gave this dish a great crunch.

Since we went on a Friday, they had their Fried Whitefish on the menu. The fried fish came with a side of cabbage slaw with a lemon aioli and a grilled lemon. I wasn't a fan of the cabbage slaw. The dressing was very thick and I didn't taste a lot of lemon. It was almost like a tartar sauce (which most people like, I am not a fan), with cabbage mixed in. I also don't like fish, usually, or at least in large quantities. The fried whitefish was amazing. The batter gave it the nice crunch on the outside and it was moist and soft on the inside.

The Pan Seared Duck Breast wasn't a bad dish. If I eat duck, I almost have to ask them to over cook it because even though I'm sure that it was technically perfectly cooked, that chewy texture is something you either love or you don't. The apricot tomato ginger chutney was a perfect pairing flavor wise and brought a great sweet note to the dish.

The birthday man ordered the Ricotta Cavatelli with Lamb Ragu, yellow curry, mint and yogurt. It all sounds like a very strange combination of ingredients, but let me tell you, they work. When the ricotta is mixed in with the rest of the pasta, it becomes an unbelievably creamy dish that isn't overly heavy. There was no "floating grease" to be found, and was just enough sauce to coat the pasta. Getting a small piece of mint in that bite of pasta brought it over the top.

I ordered the Beef Short Rib with a fried grit cake, acorn squash puree, grilled kale and jus. Now, kale is okay, and the grilled kale wasn't bad, but the large amount of it that was sitting on top of my dish was overwhelming. I love charred things, but the taste tends to take over your pallet after a certain amount. The short rib was perfectly cooked. If you are able to get a small piece of everything on the fork, it all went perfectly together. That squash puree was to die for. Squash is a great winter comfort food for me, and pairing it with a tender and melt-in-your-mouth piece of beef was just amazing.

We ordered three desserts to share, and although I didn't get pictures of any of them (which the reasoning we will get into shortly), they were all delicious. The favorite at the table was the Basque Cake with a brown butter pear and creme fraiche. I kid you not, this cake tasted like a gooey massive spritz cookie with the perfect hint of almond (or was it amaretto?). And the soft pears were perfectly tender and juicy.

The prices in my opinion, for the fact that you are getting the most fresh ingredients possible, was perfect. You will go to many places in the area and pay that much for something that is 80% out of a bag or can, so complaining about the price (which I have heard from many people), is slightly ridiculous. The only downfall that I have, and bugged me tremendously, is how dark it was. I know restaurants like to set the mood with a romantic ambiance and low lighting, but had I not had to use my flash to take pictures, none of us would have really known what our food looked like at the end of the meal. Yes, taste is a large part of why people come back to a certain restaurant, but for many people like myself, you want to eat with your eyes first. I am going to assume that they are on a dimmer, and I would suggest letting people actually see the beautiful dishes that come to the table.

The Marq, Main Website
 The Marq, Facebook Page

Sweet Water Cafe

After not stepping foot in Sweet Water Cafe since I was in middle school (no particular reason), my husband and I decided to venture there for date night. Since not having been there for so long, I had no expectations and approached everything with a clean slate. It has definitely changed over the last decade or more, and in a very positive way.

While browsing through the menu, we were both happy to see that the ingredients are purchased as fresh as possible, and everything is made from scratch. From the homemade baked breads, desserts, soups, smoked meat (also smoked in house), there were so many things that sounded delicious.

For an appetizer, we ordered the Hummus and chips, for which we substituted the chips for the homemade sourdough bread. The garbonzo bean hummus was smooth and creamy in texture, and although I wouldn't have mind if there was more of a flavor with spices or roasted garlic, it was a very simple and clean hummus. The sourdough was a great choice. The outside of the bread had a chewy texture and the inside was nice and soft.

My husband ordered the Ginger Chicken Stir Fry for his entree. I of course stole a bite of his to see how it tasted, since it looked beautiful, and WISH I knew the ingredients in that sauce. The vegetables were the perfect consistency and still had a small amount of crunch. The ginger wasn't very pronounced while you ate it but there was a huge aftertaste that screamed ginger. The ginger also gave off a small amount of heat that was needed.

Dinner for me was one of my favorites ( that strangely does not show up on the menu online right now, but I promise they have it!), Beef Bourguignon. I don't know why but this dish just screams comfort food to me. It also might be one of my favorites because it reminds me of Julia Child who is one of my culinary idols (for many people out there as well I'm sure), although I am glad that I could order it and not have to make her version that takes hours upon hours to make. The red wine sauce that the beef and carrots were cooked in was rich and wonderful. Having the mashed potatoes there to soak up some of the sauce was amazing, and the root vegetables on the side were perfectly roasted. Had everything up to now not been as good as it had been, I would have had a bit of a problem though. I think I either got the end of this batch of Bourguignon, or was just the lucky one who ended up with half meat, and the other half being large fat pieces. I know that all of the fat isn't trimmed, and helps give the liquid some of its flavor while cooking, but I literally had half fat half meat. Regardless, the flavors were amazing.

Sweet Water Cafe is definitely a hidden gem on Third Street in Marquette. It is a hard find lately to come across restaurants that have this amount of fresh ingredients used. The flavors are amazing, the food is proportioned perfectly, and about 90 percent of the items on the menu I would try, and only for the simple fact that I don't like fish, which would be the other 10 percent. Be sure to stop here for a great meal, or if you are lucky enough, get here before late afternoon because they serve breakfast until 3PM!

Sweet Water Cafe, Main Site

Sweet Water Cafe, Facebook Page

Seasoning Bistro

Traveling back from Kentucky, I used an app called Roadtrippers on my phone to find somewhere close to us to eat for dinner. One restaurant that stood out, since I like restaurants that use fresh ingredients rather than frozen or out of a can, is Seasoning Bistro. Seasoning Bistro is owned and operated by two classically trained chefs. I would describe the food as upscale versions of home cooked meals. There is a very comforting feel in this small bistro. Their goal is to bring a healthier lifestyle and food to the southern Illinois area, and help local businesses by taking advantage of the local farms, artists, businesses and the community as a whole.

I don't normally post pictures of my coffee (which was much needed on the long ride home), but this mug just cracked me up and I felt like I had to share. If you get cream with your coffee you also get a mini glass milk jug that is chilled, which I thought was a nice touch.

My husband decided to try the soup of the day, which happened to be Wisconsin Beer Cheese. Living so close to Wisconsin, broccoli cheddar and beer cheese soup are two of my favorites. It was very good. There was only a slight hint of beer, which left you being able to taste the richness of the cheese.

For an appetizer, we ordered the sweet potato fries with a chipotle ranch dressing. The fries were nice and crisp and had larger flakes of sea salt on them for seasoning. They are probably some of the best sweet potato fries I have had at a restaurant. They were not greasy, not soggy, and the dip had a great kick from the chipotle seasoning.

For my main course, I ordered the Chicken Carcioffi. It is breaded chicken topped with mushrooms, artichoke, white wine, lemon and butter. It comes with two sides, but I decided to go with just the broccoli which is my favorite. The sauce was packed with a lot of lemon and the chicken was cooked perfectly.

After a long drive, this meal was perfect because after eating junk in the car, we had a nice light and healthy dinner. If we lived closer, and not in Michigan, I would eat here all of the time. Everything tasted amazing and was very fresh. If we ever drive back through here we will definitely stop again to try something new! And of course, if you live near here and have the ability to eat here frequently, I am sure you agree that it is absolutely delicious!

Seasoning Bistro, Main Website
https://www.facebook.com/SeasoningBistro/timeline