Marché — Restaurant in Eugene

Visited Marche with my wife and it was delicious! I called to make a reservation, since we were told it can get busy for dinner and Happy Hour. We were sat in a quiet cozy corner when we arrived. The waiter was kind and patient. I was hoping to order from the Happy Hour menu, but was told that it was only available at the bar. That was a bit of a bummer, because I really wanted to order from there, but my wife wanted to sit where we were and order from the full menu. Our waiter kindly asked us if we wanted to move to the bar, and that it would be no problem at all, but I chose to stay so that my wife would be more comfortable. I think that's my only complaint, that it's required to sit at the bar to be able to order from HH. Aside from that, everything else was great.

I ordered the oysters, which I had been craving, and they did not disappoint. They were fresh and delicious, I'll definitely go back for more. I also ordered the Bourride (rockfish, manila clams, mussels, aïoli & rich white broth, grilled baguette). It was realllly good. The flavors mixed so well together. Definitely good if you're wanting a cozy seafood plate, that's light on the palate. If you want something more bold in flavor, and suitable for the season, you should try what my wife ordered; Coq Au Riesling (chicken hindquarter braised in wine, with mushrooms, onions, lardons & salt-roasted potatoes). It was very good and probably one of my favorite chicken dishes I've had in a while. I even mentioned to my wife that I'd like to try to make that at home, which I doubt will come out of the same.

For dessert, we ordered the Chocolate (dark chocolate torte, chocolate crémeux, chocolate-hazelnut mousse, passionfruit curd & chocolate ice cream). This was also very yummy. Probably one of the top 5 desserts I've had in quite some time. I originally thought it might be TOO MUCH chocolate, but all the flavors combined well together to give it the right amount of sweetness and texture. The passion fruit curd helped cut down the extremely rich chocolate flavors to put it all together very nicely. I'd go back just for the dessert. I ordered a latte with it, and to be honest, it was just okay. It wasn't terrible, but I expected a better latte from a French restaurant.

Overall, we had a great meal and would love to go back. I'm looking forward to see what the other delicious options they offer in different seasons!

Yes, I recommend...

A lovely dining experience. Classy (by Eugene standards), but approachable (because it is Eugene, after all). THE LIGHTING. THE MOOD MUSIC. This atmosphere is worthy of a romantic reunion ... or a dramatic divorce. Usually though, it is spent on cheerful local patrons like me and my family for a fancy local evening out.

The Food is quality and delicious; best burger in town, even though they're not a burger place. The Drinks: delightful, elegant. They seem to sparkle. And the service is friendly and knowledgeable. Great for dates or small celebrations.

One thing: (a tiny thing) The last 2 times I have dined there, my group has been greeted by the hostess with "How can I help you?"

I just... don't like that as a greeting. It makes me wonder if I've done something wrong -- like entered their business during closed hours, or crashed a private event, or like I am bleeding and didn't know -- that I should explain myself and my group's presence here. How can you help me? Where do I begin!!!

HOWEVER, to enter a restaurant in the middle of open business hours I think it's pretty clear what I'm up to. But maybe it's not! Maybe I'm here to eat and drink... or maybe I'm here for an oil change? Maybe I came to get my suit tailored? Would you or your manager be available to talk about my good friend, our lord and savior Jesus Christ?

How many possible different types of inquiries are guests soliciting from this restaurant that they need to greet coming folks with such an open-ended question?! I thought Marche was simply a restaurant, but perhaps they are offering a whole array of services I didn't know about -- a secret menu, if you will!

If there is a secret menu, I want to know about it. (I've been to In-N-Out, I know how it works!) In any case, it was a weird greeting and did not feel welcoming. Once we explained to the hostess that we were only there for the usual eating-and-drinking service, she seemed to find that reasonable and led us to a table in the restaurant where people do that kind of thing. Then she and her greeting lingered as a topic of conversation for a few minutes before we carried on with our wonderful evening.

I will absolutely be returning to Marche for another lovely dining experience. But next time I'm asked how I can be helped, I will say I'm there for...

I really love Marche, especially their happy hour, but I have had some issues in the past year that make it impossible to give above two stars. I was taking my friend out to dinner to say thank you for watching our house when we were away on holiday, and it could not have been a worse experience. To begin, my friend arrives 15 minutes early, and so, is seated in the bar. We have reservations, and upon arrival, let the hostess know who we are, and that our friend will be joining us (not knowing that he is at the bar). She seats us, and never lets our friend know that we have arrived. We wait half an hour before I decide it is time to call him, at which point I find out he has been there the entire time, and no one thought they should inform him we had arrived. After this, everyone orders their food, and I order their burger (rare), which is typically one of the best items on the menu. They bring the food, and my burger is raw on one side, and well done on the other. Furthermore, the bun is so burnt that is black and inedible. The person checking the line should have NEVER let this go out (and in my opinion, probably should have been fired). I send my burger back, and then get to watch everyone at my table eat, while I wait for them to cook every other order that is up, before getting to my order. My burger finally arrives, properly done this time, but with no apology or acknowledgement that they messed up. Everyone at the table was then able to watch me eat, having finished their meals long ago. No money was taken off the check, and no apology was given. To make things worse, I sent an email to the restaurant to let them know what had happened, and how unhappy I was with the meal, and they never even had the common courtesy to...