Bistro a Go-Go

By Joseph S. Amster

Mark’s Restaurant’s new bistro menu features new offerings and some old favorites.

Mark’s Restaurant

861 N. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles
(310) 652-5252
www.marksrestaurant.com

Every once in a while, you need to redecorate—the old look gets stale and your senses need fresh input to bring them back to life. The same goes for a restaurant’s menu, but it can be a risky venture—although customers may appreciate new dishes, some also crave their favorites. Local favorite Mark’s Restaurant has struck a balance with their new bistro menu—keeping the most-requested items while allowing chef Wayne Elias to stretch his creative talents.

Appetizers begin the update, with selections including Chinese-style ribs, “Estelle’s” chicken soup with orzo, miso-glazed filet of beef and sesame calamari. The miso beef utilizes Asian influences from Japanese to Vietnamese. The Japanese yakitori-style miso-glazed filet develops a sweet taste, enhanced by the Vietnamese-style presentation atop lettuce leaves and a variety of sprouts. Eat them all together for a sweet, savory, crunchy and cooling taste combination. New salad, pasta and pizza selections include a tuna sashimi avocado salad that I’m going to return to taste, a traditional pizza Margherita and New York mascarpone and sweet pea ravioli.

Moving on to the bistro specialties, there are playful items like barbecue sliders made with Kobe beef and a grilled cheese sandwich with onion chutney, green apples, and watercress. The sliders are whimsical and delightful, served on a heavenly soft bun with homemade ginger ketchup that’ll demand your attention for its originality. Speaking of burgers, the fresh Kobe cheeseburger is one of the best and most original I’ve ever had. Served on a homemade focaccia bun, the thick patty came with Brie cheese, tomato, smoky bacon and sautéed spinach and onions. There are no condiments on the burger—none were needed to enhance the complex taste of this heaven on a bun, which also come with Mark’s must-have garlic fries. Also good was Mark’s Wednesday night lobster bake (it started as the summer lobster bake, then became winter and Wayne says it’s being extended into the spring—let’s just call it the eternal lobster bake). At $23.95, it’s the best value on the menu. The lobster is first boiled with wine and herbs and then baked for a finish that concentrates the flavor while not overcooking the crustacean—mine was perfect. Each lobster comes with soup or salad, and I highly recommend the New England clam chowder. I’ve never had clam chowder like this: it was light yet substantial, the clams were soft and it had a sweetness from finely chopped tomatoes, a hint of sherry and a scattering of fresh thyme. Other new entrées include cedar plank salmon, pan-seared scallops and a crispy and juicy pretzel crusted chicken breast served with a orange-mustard glaze. Specialties run between $10-$14, with main selections going for $14-34.

Save room for Mark’s indulgent desserts. The hot chocolate cookie is a must, but this evening, we sampled the black and white cheesecake. Beginning with a layer of light cheesecake followed by a layer of fluffy chocolate mousse and topped with chocolate ganache, these three layers of sin were lower lip-biting good.

- Matheu Brooks contributed to this review.