The Ginocchio — Restaurant in Marshall

This place is priced like a nice steakhouse but doesn't deliver on the promise:

My Medium-Rare steak was delivered Rare/blue rare, though my wife's steak was cooked correctly.

We ordered a sidecar (classic cocktail) off-menu and were disappointed that the bartender a) had to look it up, b) didn't make it correctly.

There was a 20% gratuity automatically applied...I'm sorry, but do I not deserve a say in how much I choose to tip?

The service was fine, but more in-line with what I'd expect at a Chili's than a nice steakhouse...server didn't know the menu particularly well, couldn't answer several basic questions, etc., and forgot to bring bread rolls we requested.

We dined in the main dining area, and for a nice steakhouse I'm accustomed to some manner of upscale feel, but we were put in a diner-style booth that was crammed right up next to our neighbors. No dress code enforcement I could see (t-shirts, shorts, hats on in building, etc.).

Front desk host spent most of the evening sitting and playing on his phone in full view of patrons.

Final Verdict: Spend half as much getting the same food and service somewhere else. This restaurant preys upon the assumption that high price = excellence, and that's decidedly not the case, here. With a lack of competition in the area for this price point, they are abusing this assumption in the populace, and playing to people's cognitive dissonance over the entire affair, i.e. "I paid a lot, so it must be worth a lot. Therefore, any complaints I have must be a ME problem, not a THEM problem." Uh, no. As someone who eats at actual nice restaurants commonly, sorry, not sorry...don't take my money if you aren't going to deliver the value...and DON'T grubbily squeeze me for an undeserved 20% gratuity. The value proposition is just completely off, here. It's not a matter of affordability...I regularly spend considerably more on a night out...it's that this time my money wasn't WELL spent that I have...

We tried Ginocchio after hearing about it from friends. It was a disappointing experience. My overall impression is that how they present themselves through their menu is not what we experienced. The prices and description of items set our expectations fairly high, but food quality and preparation was not at the same level. I don't mind paying $16 for asparagus, but expected more than 4 stalks, and something more complex than just...fried. When I read "fried artichoke" at a high-dollar creole inspired restaurant, I expect whole artichokes. That's not what they served, but rather what I would call artichoke croquettes. Crab cake described as jumbo lump, but it was all minced. I can't quite describe the sauce on the shrimp appetizer, but it wasn't what was listed and wasn't good. The bar menu of drinks was good and well prepared. I spent the same amount ($130 before tip for two) here as I did at the Grove in Tyler, and there is no comparison between the two places with regard to the quality of food and care with which food is prepared. My sense is that Ginocchio's needs to revise either their menu or their ingredients and...

I was in town to help work on a property and had studied up on the area, and this place stood out for it's history; adjacent to the Marshall Depot where train passengers would arrive and needing a place to stay or dine, this 'The Ginocchio' Restaurant/Hotel became the first stop people would see upon arriving in town via train. Since the property didn't rely on having to advertise itself it might be difficult to know it's there unless you knew where to search, and it survived in a time period that could use word of mouth to know where to look. The Marshall Depot is now a museum and serves as a reminder of the traffic that went through this spot, and it is fortunate that the owner was willing to restore the establishment, and helping to preserve this important history. I arrived at a time it was closed (they are open on the weekends on Saturday from 4pm till 11 and do not do the 11-2 morning hours like every other day throughout the week,) though will certainly check it out when I'm...