Mark's Restaurant

Eat here, but bring a wad of dough. We dined with another couple here tonight who were visiting from San Antonio. Mark's is their favorite Houston restaurant. Dinner was delicious. We shared everything, so we could all taste the menu items that sounded so appealing. We started with a lobster dish served over two types of noodles, with one large scallop in the center and two dipping sauces. Very tasty and colorful, and it seemed like it was a whole small lobster. I found the two different noodles rather odd, and would have preferred the one thicker pasta only. We then sampled the duck and venison ravioli with fois gras in a fabulous sauce. Next we ordered three salads: an heirloom tomato salad with very fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese and arugula; a saffron-laced pear salad with warm goat cheese, arugula, and candied pecans; and a winter salad with roasted beets, yellow tomatoes, barrata, and arugula. The salads were very attractively presented and tasted good, but when you call a salad a "pear salad", it should have more than a few tiny slivers of pear. For our entrees, we shared the breast of Muscovy duck, with blackberries and wild rice pilaf, and grilled shrimp with crab meat with a light, flavorful sauce. The assorted breads that accompanied dinner were excellent, with at least five different types. We had room for one dessert, which was a warm raspberry crumble tart, served with a tiny scoop of pistachio ice cream and a cookie. Quite a divine way to end the meal. While Mark's is rather pricey, the portions are adequate but won't provide tomorrow's lunch. To save a little money, you can purchase $100 in gift cards for $79.99 at Costco, but let's face it, this is a splurge meal. The atmosphere and service were top notch, so eat here and enjoy!