Marseille — Restaurant in New York

Absolutely irritated and utterly annoyed by how this restaurant treated my reservation that I booked thru their website which was dispatched to open table. I chose a 11PM reservation because my friend and I were going to see Moulin Rouge around the corner which let out approximately at 10:45PM. The restaurant had 11PM reservations available, and allowed me to book it thru open table. At about 7PM I receive a text from open table stating my table is ready at Marseille. I realize that’s not right; I message thru open table asking for clarification from the restaurant about the reservation. I receive no message back, but at about 10PM in the last part of my show I receive a phone call and voicemail from someone at the restaurant stating the last seating they have is 10:45PM and if I could not make that, they hoped to see me on another night. Well we ended up making it by 10:50PM to be sat, and needless to say I should have followed my instincts based off the mishandling of our reservation and essentially the attempt at shooing us away beforehand.

This is a lovely restaurant, the ambiance is nice and the seating is comfortable. Our server was adequate, but definitely had the attitude that she really did not wish to be there. We ordered cocktails immediately and were ready to order quickly, trying to expedite the experience; and the soup and salad arrived quickly. Our steak and frites came out before we had finished our starters. Did it feel as if we were being rushed? Absolutely it did. The steak an alleged a 12oz NY, was absolutely the saddest looking steak I’ve ever laid eyes on, to their credit it was cooked to perfection, but it was nearly inedible as most of it was gristle/fat. Promptly at 11:30 the song “Closing Time” by Semisonic was played in what I can only assume is their attempt at sarcastic humor; it felt cheap— even sleazy when you are spending that type of money for dinner. Our server checked back on us and asked if we were okay, I didn’t mention the poor quality of the steak because it felt beyond awkward at that point.

We asked to see a dessert menu and our server begrudgingly obliged us and another round of drinks. We ordered a crème brûlée which when it arrived 25 minutes later was absolutely the highlight of the meal. After dessert we sat there, and waited a significant amount of time waiting to cash out. How had I been rushed this entire time starting at 7PM by the establishment, and then at the very end they seemed like they could care less to get us out of there? So I got up from my booth, and tracked down our server who was having a labor dispute with her manager in the corner, and had her process my payment as I listened to them bicker back and forth and then returned back to my table, signed my tab, and left feeling so poorly about my decision to have dinner here.

Overall the place looks lovely, however the experience lacked the hospitality and also the quality that you would expect. Also don’t allow reservations to be made in the last hour if you want to have everyone...

Hubby and I were in NY visiting our best friends and catching a few shows. They suggested Marseille for dinner as it was walking distance to the theater.

I have never been satisfied with any French restaurant I've ever eaten at...until now! I'm glad it was suggested and I only agreed because our friends highly recommended it.

The atmosphere is that of unpretentiously elegant fine dining. The floor staff reflected this tone as well and were friendly and accommodating. The menu was limited yet had offerings for every palate with prices that were moderate for such an establishment, they weren't overly expensive as others I've seen.

Our server was Sara. She was a joy and couldn't have been any nicer, catering to our every need with a smile, a kind word and appropriate humor. She even promised to get us on our way in time for our show, which she did. Sara was assisted by two gentlemen who's names I failed to catch. They also contributed to the over excellence of service.

I don't know French, so all of the following food descriptions will be the English equivalent.

I had the Short Rib which was fork tender and delicious, sitting atop a bed of fine egg noodles and fresh sauteed spinach. I substituted spinach for the carrots that it normally comes with. For dessert I had a wonderful warm pecan bread pudding with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. The meal was magnificent!

Hubby started with the onion soup, which I got to finish, the perk of having a spouse who's a light eater. It was delicious with full bodied broth, tons of onions, a nice size crouton, all covered with a thick crust of melted cheese. It was very good. He got the steak with bearnaise sauce and French fries. He said the sauce was good enough to drink! The steak was a generous size, very flavorful and very tender. I got to try it as well, so can verify this. I didn't try the fries, but heard the long thin strips of fried potato were quite good...they were French fries!

Our friends had oysters on the half shell, salmon, polenta, a pork chop and creme brulee. All of which were reportedly delicious. I didn't sample these offerings but they looked delectable.

All in all, a remarkable dining experience that changed my opinion of French restaurants. Finally, one that I can say was not just good but outstanding. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip to NY. I wish we had a location in Palm...

We went on a Saturday afternoon around the Happy Hour of oysters time without reservation but the receptionist accommodated us, table for 2, even though later - for dinner - the restaurant was fully booked. That was much appreciated. I’d been in this restaurant in 2019 and had some oysters and nibbles which had been very nice, so decided to come back. We had as a starter the baguette with butter and olive oil. Afterwards a dozen of oysters (1,50 each). To drink a bottle of an Italian white wine named Dama (around $48/$52). I kept going with the oysters, had half a dozen myself, to finish the wine and the other person had an onion soup, in a very much French style as expected. What makes me give 4 and not 5 stars is due to near to the end of the meal the waitress approached our table to ask if we wanted some more wine and when I asked for the wine list to choose another wine. We wanted to decide whether we’d order it by the glass or just another bottle as we usually do. In a subtle way, it felt like she kinda refused to bring the list, ignoring I’d asked for it, saying ‘so, the ones by the glass we have are these these and that’. I wanted to see the list and have time to choose, perhaps a wine that could go well with a desert. I understand the good intention of giving recommendation but at the same time there’s a way of recommending and at the same time bringing the menu so the guest can choose what’s best for them. In the end, we got one of the wines by the glass she’d mentioned but price wise it wasn’t worth it as each glass was around $16/18. We had baguette and butter, 18 oysters, a bottle of wine + two glasses, an onion soup, duck liver’s mousse with toast - the bill was $160 (service not included). Service a bit slow, especially when it comes to topping up our wines which are kept very away from us, so we had to keep asking. But overall, a...