Marker 32 — Restaurant in Jacksonville

The atmosphere was unexpected for fine dining. It was loud like Applebee's. Everyone sitting around were literally yelling over their tables to be heard in their table discussion. We could hear conversations ranging from topics regarding jobs, husbands, ex-husbands and kids. Table size is small, like coffee cafe size. Bar seating stayed full with people rotating seats to fit their party number. Hostess greeting was very friendly. The waiter was very attentive. The food was good for most of the tastings. You get a bread basket with 2 types of bread - the rosemary flavored is the best. We had the MK32 Broiled Oysters - delicious - recommend. Fried Green Tomatoes - delicious - recommend (my husband never likes green tomatoes - he even thought they were good). The main entree menu only has maybe 8 selections along with evening special. My table selected Salmon ( the waiter suggested a medium cook per the chef) the second selection was Lamb Chops medium-well (no suggested per the chef). Food was a little slow coming so the appetite was were really ready when it came. The Salmon was really good and moist - recommend. The Lamb Chops were tough and dry. They looked overcook - the meat was the same color all over - dark - no medium nothing. Cutting the Lamb Chop was a chore just to slice 2 bite size pieces. It was so difficult that pulling the knife from the Lamb Chop there was hesitancy because we thought the meat would fumble off the plate because it need a struggle pull (that would have been embarassing). Well the Manager makes the round to our table to inquire about our meal. So he was told about the Lamb Chop, he politely asked "how can he make it better, then proceed to tell us what they were out of". So after deciding to try the Bistro steak he suggested, he responds with he will lap around the room a couple of times, come back to see if we still felt the same way about the Lamb Chop, then he left the table. Our thought, we just told you how we felt about the Lamb Chops with the first 2 bites. Why did he think we needed extra bites of tough and dry to discern if we like or didn't like? Well within seconds of the Manager walking away, the waiter walked up. We again repeated our concerns about the Lamb Chops and decided to return the Lamb Chops, in turn order the Seared Sea Scallops instead. The waiter was seen discussing the matter with the Manager - it didn't appear to be pleasant looking at body language. By the time the Scallops showed up my husband had finished his meal and his plate had been removed. The scallops were good (only ate 1 1/2 of the 5). The Manager never stopped by our table to see if the Scallops were good OR not. In fact, when he passed our table he looked the other way (Which I thought was indicative of his earlier concern of "making it right"). By this time.....just ready to go it's 8:30pm (6pm reservation - timely). Oh I forgot to let you know about the drinks. Beer was fine. Cocktails are a full glass of ice. So much ice - I took 3/4 of the ice from the cocktail glass and filled the water glass. On the second drink I asked the waiter to ask the bartender/mixologist to lessen the amount(1/2) of ice. Second drink came ..... there was not a noticeable difference in the amount of ice. Again I removed the ice to the water glass. The drink was Madi Mai Ti.

To sum it up. The Oysters and tomatoes were great. Salmon and Scallops were tasty. The drinks full of ice. Management kind of shady.

I would give it another try. Because management doesn't always remain the same. Next time I would order my cocktail no ice with a glass of ice...

NICE FOR THE PRICE, BUT FORGETTABLE…

We decided to come here for our anniversary, as we had both been here previously, but neither of us could remember much about it. Now I remember why.

We had a reservation, and we showed up right on time. The hostess was friendly, and we were immediately seated. The bus boy poured our water quickly, and the server showed up a few minutes later.

Our server was very friendly and helpful.

He brought us two champagne flutes of free champagne, which was nice, and also the champagne was pleasant.

I ordered an old-fashioned, which was good, but probably not as good as what I could have made at home.

For starters, my wife had the mixed green salad, and I had the meatballs with Italian bread.

The complementary bread was also good, and we both enjoyed it.

We both liked the mixed green salad, which had some golden raisins, and was a little bit sweet. The meatballs were good, but not really anything different than I would have gotten at any other restaurant.

I had the grouper with the Hoppin’ John mix. The grouper was nicely seasoned and well prepared, with a tomato compote and the Hoppin John mix. I really enjoyed it, and I would definitely recommend this dish.

My wife had the fried shrimp with the Truffle Parmesan Arugula Fries. I thought that the fried shrimp was good, although my wife felt that they lacked seasoning. We both felt that the shrimp were no different than what I might have purchased at any restaurant chain. The truffle fries were stale, greasy, and overdone. Neither of us liked the truffle fries.

We decided to skip dessert, but the server was nice and brought us a couple of praline-pecan dessert bites, which were enjoyable.

The total came to $108.58 and we left a $20 tip. We both felt that the price matched the food and service, and we were glad that the meal was not more expensive than it was. Otherwise, we would probably have felt like it was not worth it.

I think it’s a nice place for a date night, or maybe a place to take someone new in town, but the fare, to me, seemed predictable and uninspired. The grouper was very good though!

The bottom line? This is a nice place, but nothing special. The brutal truth? This place is...

Our experience was deeply disappointing. We arrived just before 5 PM (their opening time) and found a few other families also waiting outside. It was a cold and windy evening, yet despite the team inside being fully aware of us waiting—including our family with two toddlers and others with elderly guests—they adhered to a strict policy of not opening the doors even a moment early. While I understand the need for rules and operational standards, the complete lack of common sense and hospitality in this situation was baffling.

When the doors finally opened after 5 PM, there were no apologies or acknowledgment of the inconvenience caused to the waiting guests. Once inside, the service was polite but far from attentive. For instance, my wife was offered a wine sample to help her choose, but no one returned to follow up, leaving her without guidance.

The worst part, however, was the mishandling of our son’s order. The rest of us received our meals, but my son’s was forgotten entirely. He had to wait an additional 15–20 minutes, which was incredibly frustrating for both him and us as parents. To make matters worse, a server attempted to cover up the mistake with a blatantly false reassurance that his food was “about to come,” which only heightened the anxiety and frustration.

The manager did attempt to make amends by offering a complimentary praline split into four pieces and a glass of wine, but by then, the evening had already been ruined. What we wanted wasn’t compensation—it was acknowledgment of the poor handling of the situation, both at the door and during our meal. Leaving five families out in the cold without any consideration was unacceptable, especially for a place that should pride itself on hospitality.

The food was decent, but the lack of nearby alternatives seems to make this place popular with regulars, which may explain the complacency and lack of focus on guest experience. Unfortunately, what should have been a special occasion for our family turned into a disappointing and...