Tableside Review--Marcel Restaurant

I personally had never heard of Marcel Cerdan, which is weird since I have such a love of French culture.  But if his fighting was any indication of the quality of food that this restaurant was affectionately named, then he must have been giving TKO's.  Upon entering this establishment, I felt something in my gut.  That, "This is gonna be some good eating" feeling.  And boy was I correct.  The dark, rich, look of an old-timey, Tony Soprano steakhouse enveloped the place, while the smell of genuine leather and dimly lit reflections of dark liquors boxed the bar in.  Now, I was there with my business partner for a casual lunch, which was still great, but this is a place for all the lovers in the house!  The ambiance begs for the whispers of "I love you," and the French music makes you constantly remind yourself that you're in Atlanta, not Paris.  Matter of fact, I'm still hearing one of Eartha Kitt's classics, "C'est si Bon," ringing in my ears. 

We began our culinary excursion with le pain frit, or fried bread.  Anything fried is good.  Especially when it's bread--ever heard of donuts?  Duh.  So, that's that.  Next, some of the freshest, plumpest, most refreshing oysters I have had in my life.  No grit, no aftertaste, just perfect.  The lobster chowder with the simple salad.  I didn't know if I should swim in the chowder or eat it.  It was that good.  There was just enough cream for it to be creamy, but not too heavy.  And lumps of crab, making it worthy of its name.  The salad was truly simple: crisp lettuce and divine dressing.  Can't get any simpler than that.

On to the meat.  Literally.  My BP opted for the burger, and I chose L'entrêcote.  You can't go wrong with either one.  I actually would live on both for about 3 weeks, just alternating between the two.  L'entrêcote was accompanied by les frites (fries), which I could live on forever.  Ever had food you want to eat until you get sick?  That's these fries.  And the steak was cooked to a perfect medium temp, flavorful and tender.  Now, the burger: let's just say this should be on somebody's "Best Of" list.  The meat is sweet and tender, the bread a perfect blend of crispy on the edges and soft in the center...I will stop there because I'm making myself hungry all over again.  It comes with pan fried potatoes--I won't go into detail; by now you know they were awesome. 

Well, I never asked for it, but because our server, Andrea, knew it was my BP's birthday, she brought this hunk of awesomeness that made me break my sweets fast. Pear Tarte Tatin, with a chocolate "Happy Birthday" bar.  Unsolicited.   She just brought it.  Along with celebratory glasses of champagne.  And more incredible service on a platter at every turn.  Which reminds me, the service was unmatched.  Syndey, the manager, I'm pretty sure still knows my name, along with the rest of the wait staff there.  One more thing about Andrea: she makes great conversation, but she makes an even better Old Fashioned.  I don't do dark liquor, but I'll do hers. She's only there for lunch, so be sure to go see her for a quick one before 2.

We left with Sydney waving us off and inviting us back soon.  So, we went off for another meeting around the way, tried to grab a quick drink at another watering hole, and opted to take her up on her offer to come back soon.   So we did!  We went back, two hours later.  And, in classic Sydney style, she welcomed us with open arms.  "Hi Michelle!  Hi Donald!"  Um, did she see us walking back in, and do a quick look-see in the computer?  Nope.  She's just that good.  So, we had escargot, which was served in a decadent butter that I literally would drink out of a glass, and were exceptionally reasonable for the amount and size of them.  And two glasses of an incredible Pinot Noir.  Because we had just stuffed ourselves silly barely two hours before, and we each individually had business meetings next, we didn't venture further down the dinner menu.  But in the famous words of The Terminator, "I'll be back!"  Visit them online at marcelatl.com.  Then, visit them in person in the Westside Provisions district.  And, be sure to bring your wallet, especially for dinner.  You're gonna need it, but you won't regret the spend.  Talk soon!