Mark's American Cuisine in Houston, TX and Wagyu beef...Opinions?

[RamziD]

Has anyone ever been there and what was your experience like? I made reservations for my wife's 30th birthday on Monday. I made the reservation based off a friend's recommendation who warned me that it's a bit pricey. Which brings me to my next question... any opinions on Wagyu beef? It's $25 (freakin!) dollars an ounce. No way I'm going to pay $200 for an 8 oz. steak, unless someone talks me into it lol.

 

[Tabascocat]

Me and the wife took her mom there for Mother's Day(albeit a few days later). I always wanted to try it out because the owner worked at Brennan's(my fav place as a kid) and Tony's(Anthonys). The ambiance was nice, felt real cozy. I appreciate fine and different food but truffles and foie gras are not my style but there are some excellent choices on the menu. I had a bisque(lobster but might have been crab) that I would rate at the top followed by a pear salad. For dinner, I had the lamb shank, can never pass that up. I was pleased with the food and it isn't too expensive. For sure, get the lavender creme brulee, it was awesome! The menu changes every month from what I hear but it doesn't sway too much from the originals.

Don't pay for the wagyu, you will only notice a minimal difference(especially if cooked greater than MR) in the beef unless you are a steak snob
I didn't even know this place had it to be honest, think maybe some ribs or in a tartare or something but not as a steak.

Now, this is where they get you.........the wine! Most restaurants stay within a region or two for wine but not this place......it is like a world map. It was kind of weird considering their food is continental with hints of French and Spanish. If you want your check to stay relatively reasonable, drink iced tea. Even the glasses cost the same as a bottle in a cheap restaurant. My specialty is French and Italian wines and when I saw they had a 2007 Carpazo for over $100, I knew not to indulge. This same bottle maxes out at 70ish in a normal place.

I would guess the PPA would be around $85 or so with wine, $40 without. You can spend a fortune or a moderate amount while not enjoying some spirits, it is up to you

 

[RamziD]

Me and the wife took her mom there for Mother's Day(albeit a few days later). I always wanted to try it out because the owner worked at Brennan's(my fav place as a kid) and Tony's(Anthonys). The ambiance was nice, felt real cozy. I appreciate fine and different food but truffles and foie gras are not my style but there are some excellent choices on the menu. I had a bisque(lobster but might have been crab) that I would rate at the top followed by a pear salad. For dinner, I had the lamb shank, can never pass that up. I was pleased with the food and it isn't too expensive. For sure, get the lavender creme brulee, it was awesome! The menu changes every month from what I hear but it doesn't sway too much from the originals.

Don't pay for the wagyu, you will only notice a minimal difference(especially if cooked greater than MR) in the beef unless you are a steak snob
I didn't even know this place had it to be honest, think maybe some ribs or in a tartare or something but not as a steak.

Now, this is where they get you.........the wine! Most restaurants stay within a region or two for wine but not this place......it is like a world map. It was kind of weird considering their food is continental with hints of French and Spanish. If you want your check to stay relatively reasonable, drink iced tea. Even the glasses cost the same as a bottle in a cheap restaurant. My specialty is French and Italian wines and when I saw they had a 2007 Carpazo for over $100, I knew not to indulge. This same bottle maxes out at 70ish in a normal place.

I would guess the PPA would be around $85 or so with wine, $40 without. You can spend a fortune or a moderate amount while not enjoying some spirits, it is up to you

We love creme brulee, so we will definitely be trying that. Also, neither of us are that big on wine... we're ok with water or iced tea Looking forward to trying this place out. So far, NOLA has been our favorite dining experience, so hopefully it's as good or better. Thanks for the tips!

 

[Nova]

Haven't been to the restaurant as I am a dallas native, but some words on Waygu beef and why you shouldn't pay that much for it.

Nowadays, Wagyu seems to be the big craze that Kobe beef seemed to be a few years ago because I suppose most people think of them as being synonymous.

Well, a lot of people learned that the Kobe beef they were paying for was not actually the same sacred beef found in Japan, because none of that had been imported to this country, at least before 2009.

One thing to be iffy about is that "Wagyu" could literally mean any pedigree of certain cattle from Japan, and not just the good stuff-- like Kobe beef [which would have to come from the Tajima strain of Wagyu cattle, as well as feeding and massaging techniques to produce cuts of meat with a lot of fat that would be prime for marbling].

The actual Wagyu cattle that were brought over a few years back have intentionally been bred with our Angus cattle for numerous reasons ranging from cost to familiarity for consumers. Therefore you're still not even getting actual Wagyu a large, LARGE majority of the time. And on top of that, the diluted product may not have even had the Kobe-Tajima lineage either. Although I believe the practices of raising the cattle are similar, it's still not the genuine article.

I'm sure there are some who have continued to breed purebreds, but who could actually tell since most of us haven't been to Japan and had the meat.

All said, the Wagyu probably isn't worth it. But hey, who knows. Maybe that place is one of the only suppliers of the purebred cattle that were shipped over.

I guess the point I'm trying to get across... just be leery.

 

[ologan]

Better yet.......eat mor chikn!

 

[RamziD]

Thanks for the tips. I'll stay away from the overpriced Wagyu. A 10 oz. strip medium rare is good enough for me. Also,looks like the menu changes daily, so it's going to be a surprise what we get