| rev:text
| - I visited Bar Marco this past Sun. for the first meeting of the PGH brunch club. I'd heard good things about the brunch here, so it seemed like a solid choice for our first meeting, despite some scheduling mishaps.
Drink-wise, we were given a complimentary half glass of rose cavo, which made for a nice start. For brunch, there is a drink menu that contains some classic and some specialty hair of the dog drinks. As someone who often prefers the novel to the familiar, I decided to try one of the specialty drinks--specifically, the initial morning, because it contained mint (I love mint-flavored drinks) and our waitress recommended it. Although I forget what type of alcohol this drink has (I don't believe it was rum--but I could be wrong), it reminded me of a mojito, given that it contained lime and club soda in addition to the mint. It was quite strong and refreshing, and I'd recommend it if as a brunch cocktail, particularly if you like mojitos.
Food-wise, after perusing the menu, I decided to go with the mussels. They are served with spinach garnishes, as well as a white wine sauce and potatoes. The mussels and potatoes were cooked well (tender, not over- or undercooked), and the broth gave the dish a pleasant savory flavor. I felt that the portion was decent--between the mussels and potatoes, it filled me up just enough, but not too much. My one qualm with this dish is that it's not served with bread to soak up the broth. In fact, I asked my waitress for bread (which I would have paid an upcharge for), and she checked but said none was available, and that the chef said the potatoes were for soaking up the broth. Although I do happen to be a scientist with a terminal degree, you don't need me to tell you that potatoes don't have the absorption capability of bread! Even our waitress recognized this, saying "it's not the same" when telling me what the chef's response to my bread request. Because I didn't want to waste the broth, I asked for a spoon, which they brought me, and I used to eat the remaining broth. However, given the intensity of its flavor, it would have been much better if I'd had some bread to soak it up!
Service was fine--not great, but not bad, either. During the day, the ambiance is quite bright, which works well for a brunch spot--I wonder how it is at night, though. My one complaint is that we were seated at the table by the door (not my choice), and despite that there was a curtain, every time the door opened, I was subjected to a draft of frigid air, which necessitated keeping my jacket on. Overall, despite the lack of bread, I was favorably impressed by the quality of drink and food here. I'll have to return at happy hour to try their normal offerings. 4.5 stars.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)