dinner review of marsol
Submitted by edluv on Tue, 11/27/2007 - 20:41.
we've been eagerly anticipating the opening marsol and its new orleans & southern cuisine. i've seen the signs, and have waited and waited. we even went there twice before they were opening, just hoping that it would be open (and i had smelled the food & seen the smoke from their test runs of the kitchen). so, tonight, we decided to stop in for a meal because i had heard they were open, even though their grand opening isn't until december 7 (they get their liquor license on december 5).
as you enter, you'll notice that this is a huge restaurant. really, the main seating area probably will accommodate 150, they have a small seating area for about 20 near the bar, and a private room that i would estimate will sit 40-50 more. the decor is nice, and it'll be pretty cool when they have live music (the waiter said they will on weekends after their grand opening).
to start, we ordered the sampler appetizer plate. it comes with cajun fried shrimp, southern fried wings, and cajun rolls. the plate came with a sweet chili sauce and a cocktail sauce, and our waiter also brought out a "buffalo" sauce as well. i thought the shrimp tasted good, and they were pretty large prawns. the southern wings were full on chicken wings, not just the little bits you normally get with a wings order. they were average. the winner of the plate were the cajun rolls, which were like egg rolls. they were filled with cabbage and a ground, spicy sausage. they were very well complimented by the sweet chili sauce. i'd say 4 or more people should order this appetizer, because it comes with a lot and we actually didn't eat it all because we realized we were filling up before the main course.
for our main course, we thought we'd go out on a limb and see what sort of special dishes this place had to offer. i ordered the alligator, which came with cole slaw and steak fries. heather ordered the crawfish etouffe.
here's where the meal came off its wheels a bit. not bad, but just not great. i would say our mains were mediocre. to me, the alligator, which was lightly breaded and fried, had a consistency and taste similar to pork. but, some of the pieces were also sort of fishy tasting, which wasn't good. most didn't, but some did, and those ones left me reaching for something to clear the palate. heather didn't care much for the etouffe. it's a little unclear on what she expected from the dish, but it's not what she got (i would say it's what i thought from the description). i tasted and liked it, which is good because i'll be eating the leftovers. anyhow, heather didn't care much for it, but she was also filling up from our appetizer dish.
for dessert, we split their whiskey bread pudding. the waiter raved about "how if you weren't a drinker you might need a designated driver." hmm, not so much. don't get me wrong. i actually thought it was quite tasty. and, i liked the raisins and pecans in it. i just wouldn't say i could really taste the whiskey, let alone think that i'd need a d.d. after.
overall, i was surprised at how little spice the food had. i figured that new orleans cuisine would be plenty spicy, but this wasn't really the case. some had decent spice (the etouffe & the cajun rolls) but i just expected more i guess. in my opinion the food was mediocre. it's definitely worth another try, and the menu has a lot of options so i will have no problem finding something to eat. probably a little less exotic than alligator. i'm pretty sure i'll take a group in after they have their grand opening and the bar is open. also, they're going to offer an express lunch (11-2p) for about $10 which sounded worth checking out (although it's not offered yet).
*cross posted @ my blog & yelp (why aren't you yelping?)
That sucks you had a bad experience. Every time I've been there (bout a half dozen times) I've had a great experience. Maybe it just depends on what waiter you get. I don't know.
one more thought
...they could have offered us an appetizer. It was just strange - it was almost as if they forgot about us. Yes good food does take time, but we were served within 10 minutes of ordering at Palomino's and as I said it was excellent - and not that much more price-wise.
A Tower resident
Marsol
I really wanted to give this restaurant a try because it is a part of the neighborhood. The waiter (floor supervisor) sat us at a table. It was an early Tuesday evening and no one else was there. We thought great - we should have great service. Well he was attentive and told us about the live music on Fri/Sat and Sunday jazz. But he didn't tell us that there was no shrimp in the kitchen when we ordered it. It took about 1/2 hour to find out "It was on the truck". So my boyfriend went for the blackened catfish. Another half hour went by and then we were told that the dirty rice I had ordered "didn't look right to the chef" and wanted me to choose something else from the menu. Sorry, but this is just not a good way to run a business I said. It had been an hour and 15 minutes since we arrived and all we had was bread and water. We were hungry! There are a lot of restaurants in the area, and we left for a fine dinner at Palamino's. I would like to give Marsol's another try, but am quite gun shy, especially after reading some experiences similar to ours. Too bad, because it seems like a beautiful remodel and the bar was impressive (no one there either). Maybe they should think about only being open on their busier nights...
What an awesome turn around
I recently went to Marsol Restaurant and we had an outstanding dinning experience. The wait staff was great and the food was fantastic. We shared a apitizer, the cajun rolls, and you are right they had great flavor and seasoned to satisfy your taste buds. I ordered the stuffed pork chop and it was stuffed with a cornbread dressing and shrimp. It was cooked to prefection, very juicy and also was seasoned well. My friend orded the jambalaya. She said it was very tasty and had a nice kick to it. The live entertainment was very nice and the restaurant overall for me is one of the best in Fresno. They offer a different type of food that you can't find everywhere in town and the price are very reasonable. If you want to have a great dinning experience, I would recommend Marsol.
Maybe complaining wasn't the right word. But if I was at a table for an hour I would make an inquiry to the manager of what was going on. Having your customers waiting long for their food is bad business practice. And I've had plenty of bad days at was at my job, if I let it effect my performance I would be reprimanded at the least. Excuses shouldn't be made, but still be civil about how you approach things.
I'd never complain at a restaurant if I haven't gotten the food yet. I'd be afraid someone on staff might be having a bad day and do something to my food if they heard I was crying about something. I don't mean Marsol in particular--I mean any restaurant, from a 5-star to McDonald's. I understand people being cautious in that respect. And yes, I have seen the movie "Waiting..." and no, it's not why I hold this opinion.
It always baffles me when someone waits over an hour for their food but doesn't complain to the manager who will go out of their way to make sure their customers are happy. I've been to Marsol's a few times and each time I've had wonderful service and even more wonderful food. The place is beautiful inside and the staff bend over backwards to make sure you are happy. I recommend it to anyone who is tired of the same old thing in Fresno.
Marsol Bliss...
those are some pretty mixed reviews up there...
Marsol is a new venture and any new venture takes awhile to work out the kinks...small consolation if your birthday dinner is a bust but still a fact.
in the purely selfish interest of having a fabulous local restaurant serving tasty out-of-the-ordinary food around the corner from me, i would like to humbly suggest that we all give it another try or two.
four of my friends and i had lunch there last sunday.
first of all...we were looking for a champagne brunch when we made the reservation...they could have let us go somewhere else BUT Marsol pointed out that while they don't do champagne brunch (yet)...they DO have champagne and they would have a complimentary bottle -with our name on it- waiting for us.
they did and what followed was one of the best not-technically-a-champagne-brunch champagne brunches we've ever had.
this is the kind of restaurant we would dine at in san francisco where folks are used to paying decent money for really good non-chain food.
for an hour and a half or so we had a little glimpse of what fresno could be if we decide to throw our support behind interesting and adventurous local restaurants of this caliber.
the place is beautiful but comfortable...not stuffy.
the service was friendly, fun and attentive....but then so are we...you get what you give!
we each ordered something different...no one complained.
i started with the vegetable soup -yummy yum yum- and i'm not a soup fan generally. the dinner salad was a meal or two in and of itself. i had the jambalaya -oh geez, that beat the hell out of carne asada tacos...i LOVE carne asada tacos. this isn't your hot and spicy bayou cajun food -anyone can throw on some hot sauce...it's subtle flavorful classy spanish moss in the trees by the plantation cajun food.
it was not only delicious but beautifully presented...i do appreciate presentation...it's not everything but it's a lot. Marsol has that down.
being completely happily stuffed and a wee bit tipsy (don't get crazy -we walked there) we passed on desert...oh, but wait...derrel our friendly waitperson thought we needed that cobbler and so brought a complimentary sample of the peach AND berry (with butterscotch sauce) just so we knew what we were missing. i'm not ashamed to admit that, had we been alone in the place, i would have picked the plate up and licked it clean...better than grandma used to make!
to sum up...they're local...they're trying very hard to give us something different...though we had the most positive experience, they're maybe not perfect yet....with a lot of encouragement and a little forgiveness they will be. support Marsol and help them improve our quality of life.
help them help you...fresno.
Not a good experience
I took my husband to Marsol for his birthday because he loves alligator, and I knew it was on their menu. We were very dissappointed to learn from the waiter when we ordered that the restaurant was all out of alligator. My husband ordered the gumbo instead, and I ordered the grilled chicken salad. We waited an hour and forty-five minutes for cold gumbo and a salad; food that should have been prepared already; at least the gumbo; and how long does it take to put together spinach, tomatoes and grilled chicken. We will not be recommending Marsol to anyone.
We just got back from Marsol (Tuesday night Feb 12)and I gotta say that that was one of the best dinners I've had in a long time (and so did my three guests). As a chef and former restauranteur I think the entire staff was very welcoming and friendly - and very professional. I would hire any one of them in a minute. The next time I go I will definately take a look at the kitchen to see where all that magic takes place. For those used to the slam-dunk eateries in Fresno, I would agree that the service seemed slow because perfection takes time. It's good to know that my dinner is not coming off the "rack". I am going to tell everyone I know - who loves good food - that they need to have dinner here. And I can't wait for them to have a wine list.
mmmm good
we went there On Friday night the 25 of January and we had a good time and the food was delicious. And the live Jazz band was very good while you were sitting there eat and listen to the music. I will encourage everyone to go there and have a southern meal. The price is very reasonable.
slow ride
i read your review, and would agree with the time issue. i don't think i worked it into mine, but yeah, since we were there before the grand opening, it was dead empty. and although we didn't have to worry about them not having food, it still took forever to get the parts of the meal.
and for those that think maybe people are being harsh, it's not like i expected them to be fast food fast. or even chain restaurant fast. i know good food can take time, but this was just slow, especially because they weren't busy.
i still think i'll go back again, and give them another try.
Marsol
Ed, at your suggestion I did YELP on Marsol. Unfortunatly, with not a kind review and only one star. I also sent an email to Helen since she did try to console us while we were there.
This resturant has great possibilities and if and when the service improves I would like to consider returning.
cool
thanks...
might have to go hang wit da lions, bro, and have me some of that crock-ee-dile...
-hope dey don't start serving zeeba.
(or worse, -frozen zeeba.)
location
dang, i forgot that. on yelp, you enter the address w/the review, so i guess i forgot to mention it here.
3075 n Maroa Ave
Fresno, Ca 93704.
(866)684-2524 - toll free
(559)224-2073
for those that have been in fresno for a long spell, it's where nicola's was. for those that are a little shorter, it's last incarnation was club dance. for those really new, it's on maroa, just south of shields (right at the y in the road where maroa & wishon split).
Um, Ed?
where is this place?
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