Mark’s Bar & Grill from the corner of Galeana and Lazaro Cardenas

On Thursday April 13th, Eron and celebrated our anniversary with dinner at Mark’s Bar & Grill in Bucerias, Nayarit, Mexico. This restaurant has been in business for a number years and is considered to be one of the standard-bearers for fine dining in Bucerias. Mark’s is located on the “main tourist drag”; Lazaro Cardenas. So, it is very easy to find. Besides, EVERY local cabbie can get you there. On approach, Mark’s is a single story structure situated on a corner with an inviting feel to it.

On entry, you are greeted by a hostess at the door where you will be offered seating in either the spacious (by Bucerias standards) main room or on the open-air patio for al fresco dining. We choose the patio; as we walked through the main room, we noted it was warm, inviting, and very tastefully decorated. The patio was enclosed on two sides with cleverly built masonry walls which provided privacy from passersby yet allowed the movement of air. The third side opened into the main room and the last was mostly a wall separating the patio from the kitchen area. Overall, we both thought the decor was well-executed; a “pan-tropical” theme with hints of Mediterranean influence.

The service from our waiter, Reuben; was friendly, polite, and attentive. In fact, all the staff were quite professional. Mark’s offers a good list of various wines and specialty cocktails. However, curiously for a “bar & grill”, they did not offer a liquor or whisky menu. Eron and I ordered their “Caipirinha” (a Brazilian Cachaça-based cocktail). They certainly receive high marks for a generous pour. Unfortunately, their version of the cocktail lacked the subtlety of flavour we have come to expect with well-executed versions of this mixed drink.

For the appetizer, we ordered the “Tempura Tuna Rolls”. It was presented well with an attractive plating and a garnish of fresh greens. At this point, we also learned something new in Spanish from a waiter. The Mexican term for chopsticks is “palillos Chino”; literally, Chinese toothpicks. The tuna rolls were certainly a departure from what would be considered traditional. These were not Maki rolls in that they were not rolled around sushi rice. Neither were they Nigiri. The tuna was formed into a “column”, rolled in a sheet of seaweed, dipped in tempura, deep-fried, and then sliced and served similar to Maki rolls. The taste and consistency of the tuna was good; indicative of fresh, quality fish. However, the shoyu they served with the dish was “flat” tasting and had saltiness as it’s only characteristic. Their wasabi and pickled ginger were of the quality I expect from most any place serving sushi. We did not particularly miss the sushi rice in the roll as this made room for more tuna. The tempura on the exterior of the roll would have made a nice replacement for the carbohydrate in this dish. But alas, there wasn’t enough of it and it was too unevenly coated on the rolls to provide anything more than the barest hint of a tempura-crunch. The verdict; quite edible with good tuna but not very memorable.

For the entree, Eron had the “Lobster Ravioli” and I ordered the “Macadamia Nut Crusted Red Snapper”. Eron’s ravioli appeared to be fresh and made in-house. Although there were only four pieces, they were quite substantial enough to satisfy her. The pasta was definitely al dente (almost too much) and enclosed a decent portion of langosta (the local-sourced “lobster”; actually a variety of crayfish). “Coral Sauce” was used to accompany the pasta. We suspect it is a tomato-based cream sauce with chipotle for a little smokey heat. Eron found the sauce-serving to be scrimpy and somewhat bland. The verdict; this dish had good “lobster” flavour, the sauce was too little and too bland, and the pasta on the verge of being under-done.

My “Macadamia Nut Crusted Red Snapper” was also a mixed-bag. The portion-size for the Red Snapper was quite generous; unfortunately due to it’s shape, some of it was over-done and the centre was  slightly under-cooked. The macadamia nut crust was, in a word, disappointing. Most of the nuts were ground into a coarse meal-like consistency instead of simply crushed to preserve that uniquely macadamia nut-crunch. To understand true mastery of making dishes with a macadamia nut crust, you have to try the versions presented at Mama’s Fish-House  in Paia, Maui, Hawaii. The wilted spinach was tasty but the fruit salsa, although a good accompaniment, was mostly mango and there was not enough of it. The fish was served on top of a skimming of “Thai Curry Sauce”. It was reddish, it had some sort of curry in it, and it had heat that hit me on the tip of my tongue and around the inside of the opening my mouth. However, that was it; it had absolutely none of the subtle flavors found in abundance in good curries and as to what makes it “Thai”; I’m still not quite sure. The verdict; not the best (or even close to) fish, macadamia nut-crusted, or curry dish I’ve had… it did look quite pretty and appetizing when it was saved though.

The two dishes where served “nouveau cuisine” style. In other words, some food, lots of plate. Neither were served with any other accompaniments. However, fresh bread was offered.

For dessert, Eron ordered “Key Lime Pie” and I had the “Creme Brûlée” with an expresso coffee. The key lime pie was very, “limey”; with a shock of lime flavour that hits your palate  a stays for the first few bites. The Oreo-chocolate crust was nice and chewy with still a hint of crunchiness. A definite thumbs up from Eron.

My Creme Brûlée was made n the classic style and was served with a whole fresh strawberry and a drizzle of strawberry sauce on the plate. There were no real surprises here; a good thing. It was a well-made Creme Brûlée with that satisfying caramelized sugar crunch and the vanilla-custard flavour. The strawberry was fresh, ripe, and tasty. The only downside was that the consistency of the custard had an almost curdled mouth-feel to it; it didn’t affect the flavour but it might be a little off-putting to some. Due to this, I would try a different dessert the next time around. The expresso coffee was rich and flavourful; with a couple of packets of azucar stirred in, it made for a decent facsimile of a Cafe Cubano.

It may seem like this review has been rather harsh and “picky”. However, at their price-point, Mark’s has no excuse. They have positioned themselves at the upper end of the price-spectrum for dining-options in this town. Whilst I do very much appreciate the ambiance of an establishment, and the professionalism of it’s staff; it is the food that ultimately makes it or breaks it for my opinion of a restaurant.

My final thoughts on Mark’s Bar & Grill are that if you are looking for “special occasion” restaurant with a very inviting ambiance, that is very clean and well-kept, and employs a very friendly and professional front-of-the-house staff; this is a good choice. However, bear in mind, while the food is “decent” it does not quite match the excellence-in-details displayed in the other aspects of this establishment.

Main entrance

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