Marcel’s by Robert Wiedmaier

Eating at Marcel’s is more or less the best thing that’s ever happened to my «I’m-a-broke-graduate-student» existence. This place is basically the lap of old-​school DC establishment luxury. Marcel’s is upscale and high class in the most classic and traditional sense. It doesn’t have the modern, sleek appearance or molecular gastronomy fireworks that some of the newer restaurants like Minibar and Rose’s Luxury do, but that doesn’t matter in the least. It’s simply Chef Robert Wiedmaier (DC food scene royalty in my opinion) doing what he does best: delivering delicious, impressive, and memorable food.
My friend and I opted for 4-​courses plus wine. Everything was spectacular from start to finish. First, we received a salmon caviar amuse bouche and amazing tiny potato rolls with three kinds of butter. The truffle butter was especially unctuous with the truffle flavor being present, but not overwhelming. I began my meal with a scallops and crab dish complete with a quail egg on the side. This plate was gorgeous with simple, clean flavors. Perfect for starting out the meal. My next course was seabass with beets and goat cheese. Perfection! Who knew that goat cheese would make such a great accompaniment for fish? The third course of filet mignon with potato purée and balsamic onions was divine and perfectly balanced. For the final course, my friend ordered the cheese course and I ordered dessert so we could try some of each. Both were amazing in such drastically different ways. The cheese was phenomenal. Creamy and salty, with unusual accompaniments, such as a blackberry gel cube. The dessert of milk chocolate flan with mango sorbet was rich, yet refreshing. We each had a red wine and a white wine. Both wines were good and well-​priced. We also received petit fours at the end, which were devine. Service was excellent.
The progression of the meal was from light to increasingly decadent. I enjoyed every minute of it. I can’t wait to return and experience Marcel’s all over again.

An amazing place! I had never been to DC before so I wanted to the out one of the nicer places in the city and the concierge at The Ritz-​Carlton nightly suggested Marcel’s.
I eat seafood, but not meat, and the server that we had was so nice to give my boyfriend meat dishes and give myself vegetarian or shellfish dishes. I had no complaints about anything I received, and I am pretty picky.
After the fabulous meal, my boyfriend and I went to the bar for a final drink and the bartender was equally as nice. He even gave me a bag of corks because I mentioned that do cork projects. The final note was when the driver drove us in a house car to The W so we could check or their rooftop.
I recommend this restaurant to everyone who tells me they are going to DC.

We came to Marcel’s for brunch on Sunday. There were very few patrons at that time. The ambiance was upscale and the service was impeccable from the second we walked in the door, to the second we left.
Both dishes we ordered were presented with an artistic flair. I ordered the halibut with carrot curry purée. The purée sauce was delectable and the flavor was very balanced. The halibut was very well prepared, but the quality of the fish was just average and a bit dry. Perhaps they do better during dinner. My companion had the steak with potato purée. Again, the purée was excellent. The steak was well prepared and tasty, but no where as good as what you would find at an upscale steakhouse like Abe & Louis in Boston or Peter Luger’s in Brooklyn. For dessert, we had the blueberry/​lemon layer cake, which was very refreshing, but did not blow me away. So I guess I have to say that the preparation and presentation at Marcel’s was wonderful, the flavors were well-​balanced, but the quality of meat may be less than what you would expect at a high-​end restaurant (for brunch anyways).
I would give Marcel’s 4.2 stars.

Our experience at this restaurant was disappointing. This is only partly because of the quality of the food served here.
The MAJOR reason we were disappointed was that this restaurant advertises that they shuttle patrons to the Kennedy Center. They offer a three course pre-​show dinner which specifically references this service. It was the deciding factor in our choosing this restaurant for this particular evening.
We arrived at 5:15 for a 5:30 reservation. We asked about the frequency of the shuttle when we arrived. The waiter told us that we should hurry with our dinner because several other customers were planning to go there that night. Huh???
We finished our dinner and were out of the door by 6:30. We were told that the shuttle was currently bringing other customers to the Kennedy Center. That was fine. We didn’t expect it to wait for just us. We asked when it was due to return. The answer — which I forgot — became irrelevant because THE SHUTTLE. CAN ONLY CARRY FOUR PASSENGERS at a time and there were thee people ahead of us!!!
Traffic around the Kennedy Center is heavy when a performance is due to start. By the time the «shuttle» would have come back to the restaurant to pick us up, we’d be too late to be seated until after the intermission. (Thankfully we were in good enough shape to walk there.)
As to the food, it was mediocre (except the dessert which was fabulous.)
The scallops were undercooked and the (highly recommended by the waiter) chicken was too salty.
In a city that has some wonderful restaurants, Marcel! s by Robert Wiedmaier is NOT one of them.

Let me just begin by saying that the food was phenomenal! Our waiter walked us through the menu very patiently and kept asking us if we had any questions to make sure we knew exactly what was offered on the menu. Service very efficient, even though the restaurant got busy really fast our food was served in a timely manner. Very content with the service!
Moving on to the food — we chose a five set course menu, each portion of the dish was rationed accordingly, enough to satisfy your appetite but not make you uncomfortably full towards the end of your dinner. Food was served at a good pace, giving you a 10−15min break for each course. The entire meal did take about 2.5hrs to complete, but allowed us to really be able to savor and enjoy each dish.
Strongly recommend the Marcel’s Boudin Blanc, Duck Breast with Bokchoy, Raspberry foie gras, as well as the white and green asparagus soup with crab cake. The Boudin Blanc is known as the chef’s signature dish — their homemade sausage drenched in a rich truffel sauce — this dish was a delightful surprise and blew my mind in so many ways! The foie gras completely melts in your mouth and complemented well with the sweetness of the raspberry and raspberry sauce. The duck breast was cooked at medium and was very tender, another incredible dish by the chef. The caramelized orange gave the dish alittle bit of citrusy and the sauce added just a tint of sweetness to it. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and the Chef made two poor college students very happy for their 6month!

The GM is a major disaster. I can’t believe I had to deal with his poor attitude in a upscale restaurant.
He sat us at the corner of the bar without any explanation. After I asked him, he finally explained because we wore jeans.
It wasn’t a problem at all! Having been all different kind of restaurants I respected restaurant’s dress code. Just communicate with us instead of hiding us at the corner.
I tried to explain to him politely there’s not a dress code when I made the reservation hope they will look into it. But he didn’t let me talk and he kept arguing with me that the website has dress code but we just didn’t read with a arrogant and impatient attitude.
It was just a small issue. He didn’t handle it properly and made it even worse due to his attitude. He finally admitted there’s no dress code when we used mobile device. He didn’t apology and still gave us a «do you want to eat here or not» attitude. Upscale restaurant but poor management.
Advice to the GM:
You are managing a upscale restaurant. Just patiently listen to your customer feedback/​concern, apologize and move on.

Atmosphere, perfect!
Unfortunately I forgot our waiter name, he was amazing, for example! Very young, kind of blond and thin. So polite with great manners! I order cocktail and dessert. The cocktail was so strong/​my head spun for a minutes/​of course nothing wrong with that! I didn’t like my dessert with a chocolate mint and our waiter even don’t charge us! Impressive!
If I have opportunity I will come back to explore and another part of the menu!

Oh. My. God (or if you have or believe in one, but you get my intro haha) Absolutely amazing! From the food, to the setting, to the service, to the guests! This restaurant has been on my radar for a while and I wanted to try the «french cuisine» scene, so why not try one of the best french restaurants if not THEE best in the DC area. I walked in and the restaurant was beautiful, the display, the sitting area, and they have an open kitchen. You can see the chefs do the work to your food. I ordered 5 courses off of the «chefs tasting menu». From all the research I did, I wanted to try the squab but to my luck they didn’t offer it that night so I had to opt for Pheasant (which was amazing). I also had Scallops (on the lighter side, not filling) Duck (which was a nice portion for a taste testing) Filet Mignon (which wasn’t spectacular) Bison (which was great, my first time having it so I didn’t know what to expect) and they provided me with some complimentary desserts (I’m not a dessert eater though). I sat next to an elderly couple which were very pleasant towards me and even offered me wine! (which I happily accepted, I mean. who doesn’t turn down wine?) They told me all the things to try and how the restaurant worked (which I knew but they were being so polite I’d be rude to interrupt them haha). I was the youngest person there at the restaurant and it’s definitely a place where you would want to look your best. Don’t come without a suit jacket fellas. All in all, it was a great experience and a lovely meal.
Setting: Beautiful! Nice lighting, not too much I can say I didn’t like about it.
Noise: I could hear the chefs cooking, that’s it! «I need 4 scallops, 2 duck, 3 scallops, then one filet» Yes, that’s what I heard the head chef say.
Food: Didn’t you read the post? I said it was amazing! Lol.
Cost: $ 115 (ordered 5 courses) Of course I tipped!
Come Back: YES!

I think Zagats needs to take another look. Marcel’s is not living up to the service expectations (26 Zagats rating) that placed it on the culinary map (27 food rating).
The décor (26 Zagats) was very nice and the spacing between tables allowed for quiet conversation without eavesdropping neighbors.
I like that one orders any 4+ dishes that he wishes, regardless of menu section.
Avoid the «magic box», I haven’t the foggiest why it’s recommended.
The boudin blanc sausage is the best dish by far and the cooked fois gras may be a personal choice.
This is classic French fare with lamb being very good although the tuna with anchovies I preferred more. I didn’t care for the sole.
The food was up to expectation, but the staff were not. The waiter repeatedly came to the table to encourage us to make an ordering decision, which put an uncomfortable pressure on everyone and interrupted conversation. It was not a late seating so there was no risk of running into closing time.
The staff cleared some plates while other members of my party were still eating, they were pushy with up selling wine, dessert and additional courses. I was in the middle of a long table and other members of my party were asked to pass down my silverware. Hopefully this was an off night but I think if a restaurant needs to evaluate its service, as expectations are high.
The décor is five stars and the food was certainly classic French but an overall value and expectation rating, with service, gave a sour taste of three stars.

Ugh so close to a 5, but just fell a little short. I had reservations at 730 last weekend. Due to metro we arrive about 20 minutes late, although I called at 730 to inform them. Unfortunately they had already given away our table and marked me as a no show despite me calling, which I don’t hold against them. We sat at the bar and decided to grab some cocktails while we waited. It was probably a solid 10 minutes of sitting there waiting for the bartender to finish up their conversation with another patron. We ordered the old fashioned and a lemon type drink with I believe gin that were both very good. We finally sat down and both decided on the 7 course menu each, and to try different things. We started off with the box and the mushroom soup. The box was pretty cool, half of them were «wow» worthy, a few were forgettable. The soup had great flavor, but it was served at room temperature, which we both thought was odd. Second course for me was a diver scallop, which I absolutely love. I thought it was one of the best of the night. She ordered a seared tuna dish which she liked, however it had some anchovies on it which she thought made it too fishy. Next for me was a fish dish, which was good, but I can’t remember what it was exactly. She had a salmon tartar which we both enjoyed a lot. I believe next were our foie dishes. I ordered the pan seared one for the up-​charge, and it was absolutely phenomenal. She had the torchon, which was also very good. Next up was my boudin blanc, which I enjoyed. She went with the duck breast, which was phenomenal. Next was the filet dish for me, and the lamb trio for her. At this point we were both pretty full since we ate a big late lunch (should have known better but couldn’t say no on my birthday). We ended with the cheese courses. We both enjoyed our choices, but I couldn’t tell you what they were. We both opted for desert, however I was disappointed to see it was not included in the dinner. I went with the chocolate cake and she opted for the earl grey tea panna cotta. Both were pretty good, however they put the birthday message on the wrong plate. They also ended with some complimentary chocolates/​truffles, which were all good. There was a passion fruit, a regular chocolate, and one other one I couldn’t remember. All in all it was very good, it just fell a little short of being a 5. Definitely worth checking out and I’m glad I went. It was nice being able to customize your own tasting menu.

Cyndy’s Bottom Line: Excellent service, a pre theater menu, and several tasting menus.
We dined at Marcel’s because we were attending the Mariinsky ballet at the Kennedy Center. We were delighted to find out that they offered car service to and from the Kennedy Center. What a great service for guests. Marcel’s offer a pre theater menu as well.
The pre theater three course menu is offered from 5:00 to 6:30pm. This will ensure that you will enjoy your dinner and make it to your performance.
i ordered the mushroom soup, American snapper and the chocolate dessert. Everything was delicious and the service was excellent.
We look forward to our next visit to enjoy the regular tasting menu. Marcel’s also offers caviar service too.

My boyfriend took me here for an early valentines dinner. Ambience was classy and noise level was not awkwardly quiet.
We both chose the 7 course meal. I do like how we were able to choose each course without any restrictions. While I do like trying everything on the menu I think the downside to choosing myself is that it takes away from the experience. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the chef chose each course so that they could compliment each other.
First course:
Wild Mushroom Soup — The soup was fantastic. It was savory and rich but at the same time the texture was very light and airy. I wish I had more…
The Magic Box — This was a little disappointing. There was just nothing really special about it. It basically was just a little bit of everything placed on a plate.
Second course:
Smoke salmon tartare — This was good but not spectacular. I think I prefer non-​smoked tartare. But if you’re a huge smoked salmon fan, it wasn’t bad.
Scallop with caviar buerre blanc — Right away you can tell the scallop was cooked perfectly once you cut in to it. The sauce was delicious and the yummy potato crisps on top give a nice texture.
Third course:
Blue bay mussel gratin — This dish was amazing… I could have eaten all 7 courses of this. The tomato fondue on the bottom gave a nice balance of acidity to the mussels, oyster and cockle.
Foie gras torchon — I’m not the biggest fan of foie gras to begin with. But this one was not bad. It was nutty and not overly rich.
Fourth course:
Marcel’s classic boudin blanc — Definitely not like any other sausage. It’s very soft and melts in your mouth. A must try.
Duck breast — It was good but not the best that I’ve ever had.
Fifth course:
Squab with artichoke shiitake squab confit risotto — Next to the gratin, this was another favorite dish. I loved the squab and risotto. Rich and comforting.
Veal cheeks with sweet breads and polenta — A good combination. This was a nice rich and savory dish. I don’t usually like braised meats but this was great and not overly salty. This dish also gave me a different perspective on sweet breads. I loved how it was cooked for this dish.
Sixth course:
Filet mignon with cauliflower purée & Bison strip loin — These were the last two dishes before dessert. I wish we didn’t finish with these two. They were disappointing compared to the previous dishes. I wasn’t a fan of the red wine reduction on the filet mignon.
Seventh course:
Almond cake — I liked this dish but definitely was over shadowed by the other dessert we got…
Earl grey crème brûlée — I could not wait to write about this dish. I LOVED it. I’ve had other earl grey desserts and always loved the combination. I don’t like to eat dessert but I could’ve licked my plate clean.
Overall Marcel’s food was decent. For the price you definitely get your money’s worth. However only a few of the dishes really stood out to me. The service was fantastic. Our waiter was friendly and perfect. The majority of the restaurant was an older crowd but he didn’t treat us any different because we were younger. I do hope that Marcel’s updates their heating system. I think because it was so cold the food didn’t come out super hot and it became cold quickly at the table. It was 10 degrees outside and their restaurant could not stay warm. My toes were numb and the cold definitely affected our dining experience. We decided to not stay for drinks because I thought I’d freeze to death. Don’t go on a cold day.

More like 4.5. Pricepoint is high but they do have a well cultured, well knowledged staff. Spent second anniversary and the selection is unbelievable. Authentic French Belgian food for sure.

amazing experience here. we stayed at the fairmont dc in the foggy bottom district, so this place came highly recommended and was also very walkable. the experience was nothing short of spectacular: 7 amazing courses with wine pairings as well as a complimentary bottle of champagne from the fairmont staff to compensate for a reservation snag (um, that works). overall, the food is very value priced for the range of ingredients used as well as the portion size. we were absolutely stuffed and ridiculously happy with everything! gorgeous clean atmosphere and impeccable service. a special and magical affair to remember. would definitely return and gladly recommend to anyone celebrating a special occasion.

Omg love this place 8^th time comming here. Food is awsome. service is awsome…
I love french food given that I’m from new orleans and this place always seems to make me happy

Top to bottom, this is one of the best meals I’ve ever had.
Everything about this meal was just what I want from a tasting menu. Fantastic service, elegant plating, delicious food, and menu freedom.
One of the things I was most impressed about was the way we could choose our food. My girlfriend and I both chose the 6-​course menu. The thing is, you aren’t locked down to any prix fixe choices or categories. If you want one dish from each category, you got it. If you want Wild Mushroom soup 6 times, no problem.
I went with one plate from three categories, two, from one, and a dessert. The dishes were served from least rich to most rich throughout the meal which was a great way of doing it. The server was also great at explaining everything and was fun all night. He really helped make it an experience.
We were started off with a lobster risotto ball amuse bouche and some potato bread with three different kinds of butter — apricot, regular, and herb. Hell of a start. The lobster risotto was soooo flavorful and we soaked up the sauce it was over with the bread.
My first course was a pan seared scallop with baby spinach over a buerre blanc.
⁵⁄₅ — This was the best scallop I’ve ever eaten. It was a great consistency and cooked perfectly. The buerre blanc was again mopped up with bread. This is a trend.
Second course ended up being my absolute favorite, the Alaskan Halibut with pearl onions and Applewood smoked bacon.
⁵⁄₅ — If I could rate it higher I would. I didn’t realize halibut was a fish that could stand up to a red wine sauce so well. It was super meaty for a fish, filling, and it tasted incredible.
Third course was the duck breast with baby bok choy and honey cap mushrooms.
3.5÷5 — This was my least favorite dish of the night. It just didn’t do a lot for me and the duck was prettyyyy rare.
SPECIAL SHOUTOUT to the foie gras and crimini mushroom ravioli with butternut squash. I only had one bite of you but you were DELICIOUS.
Fourth course I enjoyed the filet mignon cooked medium rare with cauliflower and a cranberry cabernet sauce.
⁴⁄₅ — The steak was cooked really, really well and the cranberry cab sauce went nice with the steak but man, there’s a lot of flavor in this dish.
My fifth course was the most fun for me, Colorado Elk with sweet potato purée, port reduction and molé powder.
4.5÷5 — Holy rich. This dish wasn’t like any meat I’ve ever had. The meat and sauce were just in your face with flavor. The sweet potato purée helped to cut the richness a little bit though. Overall a great dish.
We rounded off our meals with dessert and wine that the server brought us to celebrate our anniversary! I had the crème brulee which was a great capper to a great meal.
If you’re looking for a dinner for a special occasion or for a tasting menu with some substance to it, Marcel’s is definitely your place. I have no doubt we will be back here at some point in the future.

The food was definitely a four, but the cost brought it down to a 3.
I’d heard mixed things about Marcel’s in terms of the service for younger people and its position relative to other tasting menus. My company kindly offered to pay for a nice dinner out, however, so my husband and I decided to take the opportunity to try a restaurant we might not otherwise.
We had a reservation at 6:30 on a Friday. The restaurant was basically empty when we showed up and it never got full the entire time we were there. The tables were nicely spaces so that you weren’t sitting on your neighbor’s coat and you could dine in piece.
One thing I appreciate about Marcel’s is the flexibility with their courses. It basically allows you to pick the things that you want to try while avoiding the things you can’t eat. My husband doesn’t eat seafood so we skipped that course, but likes fois gras so doubled up on that while I’m not a huge fan of fois gras so I skipped it.
I’m not going to write out about everything that I ate, but the best way to describe the food was that it was well prepared, but uninteresting. The only thing that I’ll probably remember out the meal from a food perspective was the cheese plate that I got at the end because it was an interesting combination of flavors. it was the chevre with jam. Also the butternut squash amuse bouche. That was quite good.
In terms of the service, it was definitely hit or miss. The server was very respectful of our dining restrictions, which was appreciated. However, at the same time, he did not describe the menu in a prompt manner and he kept promising to bring us a menu and then didn’t. When we asked about desserts at the beginning in order to decide whether to save a course, he said there’s a chocolate cake, there’s some gelato and sorbet. He made no effort and when we looked at the menu, it was more interesting than that, but we still didn’t order any dessert.
Finally, when we were ready to go, I felt full because my appetite’s been less lately, but my husband was still hungry afterwards. You should not pay more than $ 300 for two people for dinner and walk out hungry. We ended up going and getting cookies from Captain cookies for dessert to round out the meal.

A memorable experience… From the front door to desert. We celebrated my much better ½’s birthday there. The service was unquestionably one of the best I have experienced… We chose the 5 course meal and a reasonably priced bottle of wine from their extensive collection. Each corse built on the previous serving in intensity and flavor… To cap it off at the end of the night our Über ride did not show, but Marcel’s house driver delivered us home for a modest tip. I can not wait to come back.

I made a reservation for right when they opened at 5 pm and was pretty much the only one in the restaurant when I arrived. It quickly filled up with other people. Since I was eating alone and not part of their pre-​theater deal, they seated me in the bar.
Décor: classy, white and grey and not too brightly lit. Romantic atmosphere for a date.
Service: professional and classy. Fernando was my server and did a nice job.
Food: I ordered the seven course meal. The mussels were delicious. I was confused by the shrimp dish. Dover sole is phenomenal. Pan seared foie gras is the best so far, melt in your mouth luxury. Chicken pheasant with sauce also is tasty. Bison was chewy and fairly basic. Humboldt cheese was decent but I may have picked something else instead. The dessert of four little items was freely offered. Tasting plate was great.
All in all, the meal was delicious and the service was good. It’s a 3.9 star place for its price range $$$$.
After I finished this review, the head chef stopped by table and gave me some recommendations on places to go, so I am bumping this review to a five star. I appreciated that.

This is Washington’s best fine dining experience without question. Effort goes into the elegant meals served here and no forcing you into a tasting menu, you have a choice. The service is impeccable, no one else in DC can do it this well! You will get an incredible meal here not a fancy easy to make pasta dish that you will get at another place for the same money. The courses are stunning, delicious and elegant; not skimpy or pretentious. The som is amazing too and wine selection run the full gambit. Don’t miss Marcel’s

This was one of the greatest dining experiences I’ve ever had (granted, I’m a sucker for multiple course meals). You can order a four, five, six, or seven course dinner so the menu can be a bit overwhelming. But don’t worry, almost everything on the menu is served to perfection.
AMBIANCE:
The restaurant is very elegant, decorated with a light neutral color scheme. It was nice to dine in a smaller, more intimate setting. There is ample room between tables, allowing for great dining conversation. The lighting was also great, despite curtains that were kept closed during the entire dinner.
FOOD:
I found that the better courses were toward the bottom of the menu (I tried two dishes from the «first course» selection and nothing really stood out. Some notable favorites were the ahi tuna and smoked salmon listed under «third course». Let me tell you — Robert Wiedmaier and his team really know how to cook their fish. Both were extremely soft and paired with the perfect sauces. As for entrees, I would either recommend the duck or the filet mignon if either are on the daily menu (the menu I previewed online was different then the menu I had today).
SERVICE:
A+ service. The ratio of waiter to customer was perfect. The staff was constantly checking up on me and my boyfriend — replacing our utensils after each course, refilling our glasses before they dipped below the halfway mark, etc.

I visited this place last winter and I was very suprised to experience what I have. We came in to the place to be nicely greeted by the host, he took our jackets and took us to the table. I was wearing a button down shirt and had a few flips on my sleeve. The host approached me and brought his hand to my sleeve and brought it down. How rude ! The only reason I didn’t leave was because it was not my dinner and I didn’t want to make a scene out of it. If they didn’t like what I was wearing don’t take us to the table but to do what they did. Anyways, the waitress came in to take the order, and may I say they overdo it so much that it’s cheesy and unprofessional talking so slowly as if we couldn’t comprehend what she was saying.
However, the truth to the matter they didn’t comprehend what we were saying. We asked for their recommendation with specific preferences most importantly nothing being spicy. They brought a dish that was in fact spicy, and even when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, it had a hair in it so we requested them to return it. In all fairness, the food overall was not horrible (if I rated only the food id give it 3.5 stars).
We requested the check, any respectable place would formally apologize with something for doing such mistakes, I mean hair in such a «fancy» place. However, no «free dessert» and not a single thing knocked out off the bill, you’ve got a long way to learn the «etiquette» service that you claim so much of. We headed back to our coats and as we received them, they gave us brochures and magzines about their «top of the line» restaurant and Chiefs.
And the plates !! I almost forgot, they said MARCEL’S now that’s CHEESY!

I hadn’t been here in years, but after a recent trip, I will definitely make it a priority to go back. The food and service are truly top notch.
Marcel’s is also really the perfect place to go before a show at the Kennedy Center because of the free car service they offer.
In sum, I really couldn’t have been more impressed with the place. It’s pricey, but well worth it.

Innovation, flexibility, and care are the watchwords at this fine dining restaurant. The chef was finalizing the menu as the restaurant opened its doors that evening — guests were in for an experience. The restaurant itself has a light airy feel. I loved the effervescent bubble chandeliers and the marigold drapery that separated the different rooms. There is also a secluded table that has hosted many special occasions. I faced the elevated kitchen and was able to enjoy a bit of theater with my meal.
Innovation
The menu was creative and featured different flavor combinations. I could have returned the very next evening for an entirely different experience. I selected the five-​course offering and started with two large, firm prawns that sat atop thinly sliced zucchini and summer squash, with diced tomatoes. The shrimp-​stuffed tomato, a classic Belgian French preparation, was part of this light and tasty dish.
Next up was the lightly fried soft shell crab on green tomato slices. The soft shell crab had a crispy exterior and a surprisingly creamy interior. With sweet corn kernels and spicy jalapeño rings, the savory dish was a wonderful combination of flavors and temperatures. It was my favorite dish of the evening.
For the third course, I feasted on pork cheek topped with fried oyster and fennel, which sat on potato, turnip and polenta purée with a ring of smoked tomato. I loved the overall combination, in particular, the melt-​in-​your-​mouth oysters where the contents oozed goodness and the creamy purée. The licorice-​flavored fennel added a complementary flavor.
The heaviest course was the 4oz duck breast, seared at a high temperature in grapeseed oil and slow rendered. Served medium rare, sliced, and in its natural juices, the duck had Asian overtones from both the baby bok choy and the sliced, tart kumquat.
Finally, for dessert, I had chocolate flan with large chocolate tuiles, crunchy bits, and mango sorbet and sauce.
Overall, the meal was splendid. Every course was thoughtfully and creatively prepared. Even the complementary green onion amuse-​bouche with crème fraîche and poached shrimp and proffered bread service were delightful. The latter, potato rolls with a sprinkle of salt, were oven-​fresh and served with mustard, sweet, and black olive butters.
Flexibility
There was a number of different options: ordering à la carte, from the pre-​theater menu, or selecting four– to seven-​course meals, including cheese and dessert. Within each course, guests have the option of selecting from one of several meals allowing for maximum choice. In addition, guests at the table could select differing number of courses which is not the norm with tasting menus.
Care
I left the meal in the hands of the capable restaurant staff, as was suggested, and they orchestrated a divine experience. In addition, they provided complimentary transportation to the Kennedy Center, to round out a perfect evening out.

First time going here was yesterday, I’ve lived in Washington DC for a couple years, I had never heard of Marcel.
Before I walked in I read some reviews on Unilocal and was a little taken back. I read some complaints about the service, the portions and the price. Well after I had an amazing dinner I realized not everyone should be allowed to have a Unilocal account. Especially those who don’t know anything about fine dinning.
Marcel’s delivered on all levels, service was impeccable, the food was 10 stars not 5, and the price was what I expected for such an amazing experience. I would easily pay an extra 20 $ a person to get the best dinner you can get in DC. If I went to bourbon steak I would pay as much but for a steak and mash potatoes. What Marcel offers is a world class chef with dishes to back it up. I will 100% go back and recommend it to people who know good food!

What an experience. Came here for my birthday dinner– left very very happy with the restaurant, the service and the dessert!
Great concept allowing you to choose so many options from the menu– do try the salad in course 1– it was really tasty and fresh– the poached pear was delicious! Then I had the mussels that were tasty! Broth was to die for. The chocolate dessert was so so decadent and a perfect finish with the sweet/​tart icecream!
I’ll be back!

One of the best best best fine fine experience in DC and we enjoy every second of it.
Cheer

Amuse bouche with shrimp: 3
Four soups in one: 3.5
Scallop with caviar: 3
Icelandic cod: 2
Mussel gratin: 2.75
Foie gras with banana bread: 3.5
Braised short rib in tortellini: 2.5
Boudin blanc: 3
Steak: 3
Overall food was okay. The service was attentive and quick. The wait time between meals was adequate as well. Maybe it was an off day for the food.

Four of us had dinner on a Saturday night.
Our table wasn’t ready so we decided to start with a cocktail in the bar. My dirty martini was perfect. However, I wouldn’t do that again. Although everything about the bar is inviting– the décor, the layout, and the lighting, it was not relaxing with the waiters cutting through the entire time of our drinks. I literally felt a breeze as they hurried by me repeatedly. Also, my friend asked for a menu and it seems he forgot to bring it and they forgot his twist in his martini. And those comments, my friends, are the only negative things I’ve got to say. From then on, the meal was a gastronomic delight. Do not read further if you are hungry.
After we were seated they asked if there were any allergies. They brought out the «bread» which was 8 potato rolls and three kinds of butter– truffle, paprika and sweet. I ate my two wonderful soft buns despite not being a person who usually uses precious stomach room on bread right before a six course meal. Next was a treat of panacotta ramp with crème fresche.
My first course was the scallop– one perfectly seared absolutely delicious scallop with the perfect amount of sauce and caviar on top. Since there were 3 other people at the table, I did not lick the plate. Next was the European sea bass. It was thick and perfectly done. It was served with a savory risotto and a refreshing pineapple relish that complimented each other. Next was the fluke which was also good. The duck breast that followed was served medium rare, as it should be. Lived it! The serving was 5 nice sized pieces. The next course was bison. Again yummy! Perfectly done as well. Two of us got the bison and two got the filet. Although the bison was delicious, the filet was incredible and voted best course. I finished with the chocolate flan. They served more treats after that.

We came for Valentine’s day dinner. There was already a set tasting menu that evening.
We had made reservations for 9pm, but we were not seated for another 30 minutes. While we sat at the bar waiting, the host offered us complimentary drinks. But it took awhile to be made, and as it was being made, we were pulled to our seats and we never got our drinks. :(
We sat at a little corner table the furthest away from the windows of the restaurant. It was very dark in that corner that I could not really see my food clearly. I remember the sauces/​breads were really good. I really loved the unique plates the appetizers were served in. Made me really reconsider the dinnerware I have at home.
We were quite disappointed with the main course which was a veal? dish and salmon? dish. The veal was too salty and the salmon was dry. It was quite unmemorable. What made up for it was the desserts. The petite fours, chocolate cake, white chocolate mousse was amazing. Marcel did a fine job with the desserts.
The interior was not as elegant as I expected. Tables were cramped together, and lighting could improved. There is one spot in the restaurant that has a circular table for bigger parties in a raised platform with more lighting that really stood out.
Finally, the bathrooms are located next to the bars at the front of the restaurant. I thought it was quite dirty. Paper towels were on the floor, the toilet paper roll was all over the place. I know it was a busy night, but for a fine establishment, I was expecting a better maintained bathroom.
For over $ 150 per person, I’ve definitely had better experiences.

New Years dinner with bae. It was a very elegant experience. Service is amazing, they treat you like royalty. I don’t know much about French cuisine but I’m adventurous and our five course meal was insanely delicious.
I definitely recommend guys bringing someone they want to impress because it’s a very romantic setting.

I came here for dinner with a few friends on a Friday night, and amazed with the menu. Their dinner menu is anywhere from 4 — 7 courses and you can pick the dishes from any section/​mix and match type thing. It really is an experience there, and the food design is impeccable. By the end of the dinner, I wanted to just lay down and pass out. The dish that I would say is a must try is their FOIE GRAS SOUP. I died. No reason to even go into detail, but it is a must try restaurant. Check it out, you will be impressed. ENJOY!
PS: Boys… wear a suit jacket. You need to be classy now. :)

My wonderful boyfriend took me to Marcel’s for my birthday dinner and I loved the experience and food!
We ordered from the tasting menu and got 5 courses each (it was definitely delicious and very filling!) I love that you can repeat certain courses as part of your 5 courses and that you can also get 2 dishes from any one course as part of your selection. It’s a great deal!
For my five courses, I ordered:
–Grilled octopus
–Seared ahi tuna
–Blue bay mussel and little neck clams
–Bison strip loin and bison short rib (tasted very gamey and delicious!)
–Dessert — a berry sorbet on top of very fresh bread.
We also ordered a bottle of wine — the Pegas red wine. We were sold on the name of the wine alone: P
The service was great overall — our waiter was very nice and helpful with explaining what the different types of tasting dishes were comprised of. My only complaint is that they told my boyfriend not to hang his (very nice) coat on his chair, when clearly other patrons in the restaurant were doing so. That’s really my only qualm — everything else about the experience was wonderful! And they also gave me a signed menu for my birthday! Overall, I had a wonderful birthday dinner at Marcel’s!