A friend offered to take me here for dinner while I was in town. While I'd heard the name in passing before, I'd never had a chance to stop in -- and now I know I'll be back to explore their broadly varied menu.
As we had other evening plans, we dined a bit on the early side, meaning half-price wine from the bar. I'm not sure what the house Pinot Noir was -- I'm reasonably sure it was from California -- but it was a smooth choice, and complemented my garlic chicken pasta nicely.
The service was great -- friendly staff, and they clearly were watching out for each other. Our drink orders were taken by a different server almost the moment we sat so we could benefit from the happy-hour discount, without waiting for our regular server.
Our only mistake was ordering the vegetarian egg roll with tamarind sauce as an appetizer -- not because it was bad, but because it was so filling for two people. Neither of us were able to eat more than about half of our pasta entrees -- a shame, as both were extremely tasty.
If you are local, there does appear to be some sort of "regular" membership program. It would have given us some form of discount on a bottle of wine had we not gone in for the by-the-glass pricing, but instead, our server gave a small discount off the check. Worth looking into, if you're of a mind.
Never again.....
We went there for lunch today. When we walked in it smelled like dirty dish towel...that should've been CLUE #1.  So instead, we sat outside on their very nice patio.  After looking at the menu for a bit and asking our waitress for her suggestions we ordered:  chopped salad shared {$5.95 with an entree order}, 1/2 rack of ribs-came with coleslaw and a side, for  me a Cajun chicken sandwich with green beans [I forgot to say no butter b/c they were swimming in it}.
It took, no lie, 30 mins to get our food. Â We did ask for rolls and got those right away. When it looked like it was going to take longer than expected we asked for the salad to be brought out first so we could munch on that. Â Another 15 mins goes by. Food finally comes out. Still no salad :(. Ask for the salad, it finally appears.
My chicken was like a hockey puck very similar to a chicken jerky, it was so overcooked and dry and SMALL [it must've been like a 3 or 4 oz portion] the bun was at least twice it's size. Â And they use the shredded lettuce on the sandwich, like the kind you use on tacos. Â Friends half slab of ribs was sooooo SMALL too, she actually looked at me and said 'thank God we ordered the salad". Black beans and rice were so HUGE they were almost a meal in themselves. They were very bland. Â Chopped salad was so over-chopped that every time you tried to get it on your fork it like fell off. Â
Then we waited another 10 mins to find our waitress so we could get the check. Finally the manager came over, asked how our food was, and we asked for the check. He left promptly and then he was gone. Â Our waitress had to come back out with the check..... so NO buddy it wasn't good and I see where it comes from!
Took almost an hour and a half for lunch...mostly with us waiting around.
J. Marks was a great place for a cheapish dinner. It's similar to a T.G.I. Fridays but a step above. Good food and big portions. Nice for a casual dinner with friends. I ordered the chopped salad for an appetizer and penne vodka and added chicken to it for dinner.
The chopped salad was large and very tasty. And the penne was huge and had great flavor. And a henrix gin martini to wash it down. Delicious.
This place is overrated. overpriced. Service was slow for 4 of us for lunch @ 330 on a Monday afternoon. Our waiter was too disorganized, so a second waiter took over. My
french fries were cold & my fish & chips were just barely hot.my other 3 friends were just satisfied w/ their food, but nothing to write home about. The waiter apologized.
saying they were short of help. Knowing someone who works here this place  spends too much time putzing & poking (Oh my god theres a wrinkle in my cloth napkin).
While appearance is important, they go over board here. This is NOT a 5 star restaurant where the waiters are afraid to have a hair out of place, or that they make break a nail, or have their makeup on- hey guys we came for lunch not a fashion show.
get a life. I've seen too many good waiters in my life just being normal, instead of puttin on a act. We don't need anyone hovering over us, we came to eat.
People (or @ least I do) come to a restaurant to eat & expect good service @ reasonable prices, good food, generous portions. Stop all the fricken drama & start providing better service. You are not the only restaurant in Ft Lauderdale.
I use to eat @ your 1st place in Pompano Beach & was much much better all the way around. The problem when you open 2 places. I thought it was just me, my friends say the same. your food is just average, not great. get your act together
Much better @ J Alexanders & houstons.I bought lunch today $95, waste of money.
I met up with 5 others for dinner here at 8:30 on a Saturday night. Â One of the guys in our group chose this restaurant as it was more or less centrally located for most everyone who was coming out with us, and since it's close to Wilton Manors it was a relatively short distance from a few places we'd planned to go later in the evening.
I read some of the reviews that were posted last year here on Yelp and was a bit concerned, especially since some Yelpers who's opinions I trust gave it a fair to low rating back then. Â This restaurant must have improved and turned things around since that time, as it was full the entire time we were here, and our experience with both the service and the food were very good.
When we first arrived, we met at the bar as we were waiting for our magic buzzer thing to go off and let us know our table was ready. Â I grabbed a beer from the bar and even though we were a group of 6, we were able to find a few high tables to stand at while we waited. Â We were seated within about 5 minutes.
Our server and his assistants were great, especially considering that nearly every table and the bar were filled with patrons; the different courses also came at a decent pace. As Marqus mentions, the rolls they serve with butter when they take the drink orders are excellent. Â Everything I tried on this night was very good: For an appetizer we shared an order of Jamaican Grilled Wings, and for my entree I had the Seared Ahi Tuna Salad. Â Everyone seemed happy with their meals, the desserts that a few of the people at our table ordered looked incredible (the dessert portions are large!) and our server was fine. We were looked after and he was well informed when we had questions while placing our orders, but he wasn't what I'd consider overly attentive.
For my entree and 2 Blue Moon drafts, a cappuccino and the automatic 18% gratuity (not sure if that's always included, or if it was due to the size of our party), my bill came to about $35. Â Not bad considering the quality of the food and the restaurant itself.
First time here at urging of friends. Â NOT impressed. Ambience and space, not bad looking but has a generic fancy chain restaurant feel. Service was just ok. But most importantly food we had left much to be desired. Â
Had the ribs which were nice and tender, but had to scrape off the supermarket level barbecue sauce. Fries were just ok, bread, which they are proud of, was sweetish, and cottony fluffy... Not my idea of good bread. Next.. The Caesar salad. I love Caesar salad... But  hey J. Marks, listen up, this ain't no way a Caesar salad. My friend had the salmon, which they assured him could be done medium rare....came out way overcooked .  Next, sides are short on green veggies . Only generic green beans and broccoli. C'mon now!
On the positive, Â my friends liked their steaks for the price. Don't think I will be back.
I was there the last night, the service was good, I ordered the Tuna burger and sweet potato fries, the burger tasted good but after the second bit I started to feel a little funny, not thinking much of it I eat the bun and by the time we were in the car on the way home I realized I was having what I thought to be an allergic reaction. I ended up having to go to the hospital about I was having trouble breathing, at this point I was bright red, hot and itchy. The Doctor at the hospital told me I had fish poisoning. Long story short I spoke with the manager the next day he was aware of the poisoned fish and paid my hospital bills. Lucky for Jmarks I have good insurance, but nevertheless I ended up in the hospital because their fish supplier didnt handle the tuna properly or the restaurant didnt. Would not go back.
Review Source:Boy was I wrong!
First off, Daniel is the best server Ive had in a very long time. He made our dinner so enjoyable it was an absolute pleasure being there!
And guess what!? For 3 people our bill was $50. Thats with 2 draft beers, fish and chips, burger and chicken salad sandwich! The sandwich was so big I have enough for 2 meals. The food was all really good! And they gave us 2 rounds of their delicious bread.
Daniel, with blonde spikey hair and a big smile, you rock. You deserve a raise.
At first I was afraid, I was petrified.
My friend suggested we went to J Mark's for dinner, Â because of their tuna burger. I'm usually not a fan of chain restaurants, and Americana cuisine doesn't get me particularly excited. However, it's very rare to find a decent fish burger, let alone tuna, so I agreed to go.
Their Ahi Tuna Burger and their Carrot Cake make a faithful customer out of me. I order the burger with french fries, which are thin and crispy, and I have those with a side of ranch dressing. Â :-) Â Yum!
I've been to J Mark's twice. One thing I like about this place is, everyone can eat something, no matter their taste in food. So when you're with a group of people, this is a great thing, since their menu is quite large and varied. The first time I went, I went with 2 more people, and last time, I went by myself.
The first time, the tuna burger was ordered Medium, and was perfect, but service was not so great. The second time, the tuna burger was really Well Done, which I didn't love, but the service I received from the server was wonderful and personable.
I didn't like that, when I came in the second time, there was no host, and a bunch of waitresses around, yet neither acknowledged me. I basically had to wave to get someone to sit me, and  I know it was an hour to closing time, but that should not happen, in all honesty. This was only the 2nd time, though. Hopefully management reads reviews here. (?)
What changed my mind about giving it a 3-star review, was the fact that my server the 2nd time, Ben, was not only friendly, but did this: he recommended the absolutely AMAZING carrot cake for dessert (with cream cheese frosting and walnuts), which I LOVED but sadly couldn't eat in its entirety, for which I asked for a foam container. When he came back, the container had a big slice of their (also recommended) Red Velvet Cake for me to try at home. THAT'S making a client feel like they want you to come back. And by the way, the Red Velvet was also INSANELY delicious -- moist and with a perfect cream-chessy frosting.
Now, for the bill -- fanfare!
1 Deep Sea Tuna Burger @ $13.99
1 Ginger Ale (Schweppes small bottle) @ $2.99
1 Carrot Cake Slice @ $6.99
+ Tax @ $1.44
________________________________________
= $25.41 plus tip
I really, really wanna give it 5 stars. If they get the rest of the staff to be more attentive and if my burger is cooked Medium next time I go, I very gladly will give it the 5 stars!
I'm new in town (just moved here from San Diego, CA), and came upon this restaurant. What a pleasant experience from beginning to end!
The service was excellent. The atmosphere delightful.
And the food was great! They first bring delicious dinner rolls to the table. They tasted like the rolls my grandmother made from scratch with this wonderful yeasty flavor. They literally melt in your mouth. They were so good I couldn't stop myself from eating three of them.
We ordered a shrimp cocktail to share. It comes with the usual cocktail sauce, which was great, but it also came with a pineapple mango salsa that was outstanding! I ordered the crab cake, which was tasty, and used some of the salsa on that as well as with the shrimp. These were all winners!
I also ordered a salmon salad. It was attractively served and included a variety of fruit, including strawberries and grilled pineapple with a nice strip of salmon. I'll be ordered this dish again!
This is a wonderful restaurant that I look forward to visiting many times in the future.
My wife and I used to go there ...religiously !!! I think the reason why we kept going back is the same as everyone else...the customer service by the managers was excellent..the moment that they got greedy and opened up a second J MARKS...well, clones are not as good as the real thing ! I rest my case !
Review Source:I've been to J. Mark's for the 2-5pm Menu twice in the last two weeks. After bringing home some leftover Walnut Shrimp to my wife, she made us go back a few days later. This is a quality restaurant that is also affordable. The Walnut Shrimp that spurred the quick return visit was one of the best Asian-inspired dishes I've had. Crunchy and nutty shrimp is tossed in a sweet-and-sour sauce and served over a bed of julienne vegetables and white rice. A generous portion and a superb value at $8.99.
The rolls are soft baseball-sized fluffs with a hint of honey. The Fish and Chips were excellent also. J. Mark's is an elegant restaurant. The server we had the second time was much more polished than the first, who may have been new.
The 5-star rating is appropriate for J. Mark's as they have gone out of their way to bring quality and differentiated value to the public. If you want to splurge on a steak you can, and, if you want a quick economic bite in the middle of the day, you can, too.
One of the best menus I've seen in a long time. Â Lots of variety and interesting dishes. Â The food turned out to be very good. Â I had the Caribbean Pork and my partner had the Orange Chicken and we kept switching plates because both dishes were so good. Â The service though was a different story. Â Our server brought us the check while we were only halfway through our meal. Â It was a Saturday night but nowhere close to closing time and there were tables available. Â We would have stayed and had an after dinner drink to complete the evening but felt she wanted us out of there.
Review Source:They start out with these hot honey wheat rolls they are really good. Went for lunch prices are average salad are big mainly lettuce kind of watery. I would pass on the salads and stick to a sandwich. Had a grilled teriyaki chicken sandwich was good $11.99. Pass on the Cesar salad bunch of lettuce and pricey when you add chicken 15.50.
Review Source:It turned out to be a long, hot and tiring day at work on a holiday weekend Saturday, which was the perfect excuse not to cook dinner, and go out and try a restaurant that was new to us! Â (I love these kinds of excuses...!) Â So, driving up and down Federal for a bit (debating if we should eat here, or there, or Mexican, or Asian, or American), we moseyed our way to J. Mark's, as it had been a place we'd wanted to try since moving to Ft. Lauderdale. Â (We weren't sure if this was a "cousin" restaurant of J. Alexander's; but, found out later that there was no connection except for the "J" in their respective monikers.) Â I briefly gleaned from one reviewer that this was a "poor man's version" of J. Alexander's. Â That comparison, I suppose, is understandable (to a degree). Â Here's my take:
First off, the place was packed! Â J. Mark's has a (very) nicely appointed exterior that sets itself well from an above-average cluster of stores and restaurants immediately next door. Â (I refrain from calling it a "strip-mall" -- although, I suppose it is -- simply because it's architecturally well-done, landscaped well, and relatively upscale in appearance.) Â Anyway, J. Mark's has a very inviting look to it. Â Enter the double front doors and the appeal continues: Â Contemporary rustic, bright and airy, warm in atmosphere, very "American" in aesthetics. Â Staff is groomed, yet informal, wearing blue jeans, collared shirts and aprons. Â (J. Alexander's, on the other hand, is very contemporary and "clubbish" in its setting: Â darkly lit, fine contemporary finishes, quasi-uptight staff in sophisticated all-blacks. Â Definitely on the formal side with a dressier clientele; thus, the ultimately higher check!)
Ordered a nice bottle of red wine (14 Hands, $30 -- a good price for this wine). Â To start, our very personable waiter (Matt) kindly gave us a walk-through of the evening's specials. Â As per my usual proclivity, I started with the fried calamari appetizer ($10.99). Â The large plate of calamari was served with three different types of dipping sauces: Â marinara; walnut pesto; garlic aioli. Â The calamari itself was good: Â a far cry from my all-time favorite calamari dish at the now-defunct Stella's in Atlanta, GA, with about half the large serving being very well-cooked, and the other half being on the over-cooked side. Â The marinara sauce was very typical and boring; the garlic aioli was very good; the walnut pesto sauce knocked it out of the ballpark, making the overall dish (for me) very, very good, despite some overcooked pieces. Â Being that I hadn't eaten lunch prior to dinner, my eyes were definitely larger than my stomach: Â I foolishly ordered the BLT salad ($10.99), AND the ahi tuna burger ($13.99)! Â (Our waiter, Matt, forewarned me of the salad being meal-sized; but, alas, I neglected to take his advice. Â I asked for both salad and entree to arrive at the same time. Â Little did I know....) Â The BLT salad arrived. Â It was HUGE!!! Â (A full, split-down-the-middle, head of romaine lettuce, loaded -- NOT just a sprinkling! -- with wonderful blue cheese, ladened with fresh bacon crumbles, an enormous helping of marinated chunks of tomatoes, all drizzled with bacon oil and vinaigrette. Â Again, this was more than a meal in itself for any civilized human being!) Â A second later, the ahi burger arrived. Â OMG, it, too, was humongous! Â (A twice-as-large-than-wide-open-mouth-sized burger! Â The ground ahi patty was enormous! Â Tomato slices, enormous! Â Avocado slices, massive! Â All teetering on a bun that bottomed-out with thinly shredded iceberg lettuce and raw red onion.) Â In addition -- Yikes! -- was a double-handful of wonderfully thin Idaho potato fries. Â In the end, I had a whole half-head of salad and fixin's to take home, and simply had to finish the burger without the bun. Â (I barely was able to hold down the fries. Â Egads!) Â All this said, the ahi patty itself -- as wonderful as it was in and of itself -- did lack seasoning (salt and pepper, for my taste), and I didn't taste any of the wasabi or ginger that I was told was mixed into the patty. Â The BLT salad was more than its description!
In conclusion: Â I almost had to be rolled out the door because I over-ordered. Â You absolutely cannot -- as far as my dining experiences go -- beat the prices for the amount of food you get. Â And, too, the service here is absolutely top-notched! Â It was really disarmingly wonderful to see a staff actually working together as a team! Â Everyone pitched-in here, helped out there, came by to ensure things were fine. Â Amazing! Â Special kudos to our knowledgeable waiter, Matt, who made the entire evening a real pleasure! Â For me, the food here gets 4- to 4-1/2 stars; service easily gets 5+ stars! Â We definitely plan on being regulars here! Â (And by the throngs that were still arriving upon our departure, no doubt, J. Marks is doing something right to keep 'em coming...!!)
Wow! Â This was my first time dinning at J. Mark's. Â Walking in the door you are greeted by a smiling hostess and promptly seated. Â Matt was our server. Â He was very friendly, professional, and very knowledgable about the menu and the evening specials. Â We started off with a bottle of 14 Hands Cabernet, fried calamari with three sauces, which the walnut basil garlic sauce is to die for. Â For the entree I had he NY strip with sweet potato fries. Â The steak was seasoned perfectly and cooked exactly how I ordered it (rare to medium rare). Â Matt was very attentive and made us feel special. Â I highly recommend J. Mark's over the other J. Restaurant. The whole staff works as a seamless team and it makes your dining experience one to remember. Â Kudos to J. Mark's and to Matt!
Review Source:What is this? I haven't written a review on one of my favorites J Mark's yet? My possible oversight might have been to keep it a secret so that it wouldn't become popular, but because of word of mouth, the very best rolls ever, the bargain prices for real, honestly aged meats, it has already become one of the popular of restaurants and with good reason.
I started going to the original J Mark's in Pompano delighting in several items:
1. The rolls they serve are the best rolls, fluffy, soft, lightly honey sweetened that I have ever found anywhere.
2. Their meats! Their Prime Rib, New York Strip or Rib-Eye are honestly cold aged 28 days and the care of the aging process is amply evident in the taste, overall flavor and texture of those meats. You can pay a lot more for quality aged meats elsewhere, but you'll get little bang for your extra bucks. I might add that they also serve a very good 48 hour marinated Hawaiian Rib Eye, some great baby backs and a Caribbean Port Tenderloin which are also well worth a try.
Yes, they also have other pasta, seafood and poultry dishes, all very tasteful, but in my humble opinion it is their meats which especially makes J. Mark's, setting it apart and above most other places, particularly in price. Hence, I generally avoid the other offerings since I found those items, such as the crab cakes to be somewhat Three Star quality mediocre at best.
At both locations, the décor is fresh with everything about these locations exuding in care and cleanliness. The service is also top notch, polite and above all professional in every way.
 As for drinks, the specials and signatures are another standout, definitely the work not of mere bartender, but that of a true mixologist.
 I'm a real fan of both the Federal and the Pompano locations, definitely four star plus but because of the reasonableness in price, and even if it isn't a 954, Capital, Morton or Ruth Chris or actually that good, I'm going Five Star.
I have driven by this location about fifty times and I finally had an opportunity to drop in. It was a rainy Saturday night about 8pm and I was lucky to find a parking space in their lot adjacent to the restaurant. We were greeted with a twenty minute wait which I thought was reasonable and took a lopsided seat on a padded bench which wrapped around a wall and walk way that went up to the bar on another level.
We were graciously seated and it appeared that we were going to have a wonderful time. Matt, our waiter, was friendly and seemed to know the menu. Michelle ordered an ice tea and I opted for plain old water. A basket holding a couple of delicious, freshly baked rolls and butter was presented, but the drinks did not appear for several more minutes. Since this was our first visit we asked Matt a few questions and finally made our choices. Matt stressed that the steaks were super and they made their own hamburger combo using beef, onions, bacon and worchestershire sauce which made the hamburger look well done no matter how it was cooked and that all the food is prepared fresh daily.
I ordered the Blue Peppercorn Burger and for a side I took the Cajun Fries. Michelle ordered Roasted Chicken with a baked potato. Â The food was delivered promptly and looked great. I wanted a water refill along with some ketchup and mustard but Matt was busy trying to take orders from a table next to ours where ten or twelve men were seated, ordering multiple bar drinks and asking for individual checks.
After waiting several minutes for the condiments I just started eating. Michelle flagged down another server, and then a third in an effort to get the condiments. I had eaten half the hamburger before the tablespoonful of each arrived. I wasn't impressed with the hamburger and the fries were over-the-top salty. Michelle said her chicken had a funny taste, like some weird spice but she ate about half.
Matt refilled the glasses a couple of times and apologized for his lack of attention indicating that he was a bit overwhelmed with the large party next to us. I asked about Carrot Cake for dessert and mentioned that I really loved it at J. Alexanders, just down the street. He said his was even better! Well, it wasn't!
Once we left Michelle was complaining about having an upset stomach which continued for the next 36 hours. Maybe the funny tasting spice wasn't a spice at all; maybe the chicken wasn't as fresh as Matt said?
I think I could have had a better experience somewhere else for the same money. Michelle's funny tasting chicken was $14.99. My hamburger and cajun fries was $11.99. Add $6.99 for an overly generous slice of so-so carrot cake, soft drinks and tip totals out to $46.00.
I haven't crossed J.Marks off my list, yet. I would like to go back again and try something else.
I'm being completely honest here, J. Marks is really a J. Alexander's knock-off, which is in actuality is really a Houton's knock off. Â So basically if you have any desire to go to J. Marks or J. Alexanders just go for the real thing at Houstons.
The service is pretty good at J. Marks and the Ft. Lauderdale location is usually very busy. The one in Pompano, which is equally as busy, is not even close to being at nice as this location. I've been to both, and I can say the food is also better at the Fort Lauderdale location.
This place is located near Wilton Manors and is a very commonly known "gay" friendly restaurant. Not that it should sway you in any way, but it should be known because I could see some people feeling out of place here if they brought their family and young children, especially on a Saturday night. The service was really good and the food was above average, but because there are striking similarities to both J. Alexanders and Houstons, it's hard to pick this place over them.
I have been back recently and been somewhat disappointed.Specifically, i had the roast chicken mentioned in my original review.I t has gone imn price from 12.00 to 14.99 which is not the issue.The chicken i originally raved about was seared to perfection and bursting with flavor.Now the chicken is tasteless, and seems not seared but just cooked.A friend recently comment on exactly the same thing in that it was tasteless and swimming in a pool of sauce.This tells me the chicken was cooked ahead of time, reheated in the oven and a scoop of "Mediterranean" sauce dumped on top.I suspect some consultant dude showed them how to make it for less money, prep time etc....AND IT SHOWS!Two star demerit until further review.
Review Source:I won't write a long review here ... looks like most of the other reviewers hit the nail on the head. Â
In short, the food was decent (just decent), our waitress was useless (so freakin slow reading the specials and way too slow on service.)
I had to get up and go to the main desk just to get our check so we could pay and leave.
If you're going here for lunch, you'll have to rush. Â Go to J. Alexanders. Â They have better and much faster lunch service. Â
The only saving grace here is that the wait staff and bar staff are usual very friendly, they get out of the way when customers walk by (part of their training I assume) and most of them smile and say hello. Â
If they could just work some on the speed of the service I'd give em 4 stars.
Wow I'm surprised at the poor ratings of J. Mark's, I had a great time there! I have wanted to try this restaurant forever, especially since I pass by everyday on my way home from work. I was not disappointed. The service was great; the hostess was very accommodating in seating us quickly even though there was a very long wait. Our waitress was very attentive and our wine glasses were never empty! Â
I had the Parmesan spinach dip and the spinach salad that had hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon, sliced strawberries, goat cheese and some red onion. Although it came with hot bacon dressing we opted for the balsamic vinaigrette. MMMMmmm it was very tasty and the portion was generous.
One of the best features is definitely the outdoor patio, and its netted to keep the bugs away which is a huge plus! However, the indoor seating is really nice as well, the booths are comfy and the lighting is perfect for date night. Loved the atmosphere! I will be going back again very soon!
The only thing I found to be good about this place is the bread. Â
Food:
the bread was really good.  The Ahi Tuna Appetizer was not terribly fresh and the accompanyments were not tasty.  The Fettucini entree  was doused in alfredo sauce and served with flavorless grilled chicken. Edible, but far from tasty.  Also, my lemonade was highly tart.  I had to dilute it with water before I could drink it.
Service:
The host was attractive but unfriendly. Â The waitress was a space cadet; although, she made no egregious errors.
Atmosphere:
Looks like a corporate chain hotel resturaunt. Â It's fine, but nothing to write home about.
Prices:
Watch yourself. Â You can end up spending a lot of money here, and it's not worth it.
Verdict:
If you must go, then go; however, J Alexander's or Houston's are similar and better choices. Â I would avoid J Marks.
I've eaten here more than twice so I guess I must like it. The bread is very warm and seems fresh. The service is very good, but a little strange. I've had waiters say strange things to me. One said something really odd after carding me when ordering a drink. (Can't remember what exactly.) Waiters shouldn't make comments after reading your personal information. Just leave it alone.
The atmosphere is nice but has a little bit of an "early bird" feel. It seems that there's usually a short wait on a weekend night but they move it along pretty fast. Â My husband really enjoys the pastas here which usually means they aren't very good. He likes limp noodles and way too much sauce. And while their Alfredo is no where near "authentic" it was spicy and not terrible. I keep it simple when I come here a nice chicken sandwich or a burger are great for a quick meal. I wouldn't take a date here or try to impress anyone with this fine dining selection. You get what you pay for. It's cheap, it's quick and it's only a few steps up from a Chili's but those are decent sized steps and I live close by so I'll probably be back. Portions are large and drinks are strong.
This place actually surprised me. Â We were looking for an early dinner prior to watching "Hair" the musical at the Broward Center for Performing Arts and this place was a great location, not being downtown but not so far away either.
The inside is real nice and big, as well as an outside area for those who prefer that. Â It was slow, as waiters and waitresses were standing around when we walked in but I can see that being a Wednesday afternoon. Â The reason why I mention that is because the waitress was very attentive to us, but who knows how great the service is when it is busy.
I came right before Happy Hour ended so I jumped on their half off well drinks (no Long Islands tho). Â Pops had the Blue Moon beer and I must say, one of the better wheat beers I have ever had. Â Very good.
Started with the Calamari . . . I would say it is better than average, especially since the last place I went it SUCKED. Â They offer 3 different dips including this green dip that looked like cut up parsley and something else that was absolutely wonderful. Â I almost told them to bring some out for my entree lol. Â They brought out enough for 2.
The prime rib was also above average . . . as it was very moist and very tasty.  It also came with a loaded baked potato, but I was disappointed that  a veggie did not come with it.  $23.99 and only 1 side and no salad.
Skipped dessert as the options weren't anything amazing . . . so Calamari, 2 prime rib dinners, drinks ran about 90 bucks after tip . . . not too bad and the place had a nice ambience to it. Â
Don't think it really stood out as a place I would become a frequent visitor of with all the restaurants I need to try on Yelp, but I have no problems returning.
What a huge mistake coming in here for lunch. From the outside the place looks nice and we were in a hurry so I was not able to check reviews, help me I so know better. My good buddy Sal G., sure got it right. This place is beyond horrible.
It took what seemed forever for our waitress to come over, so bad we almost walked out. Then she had such an attitude problem. We looked over the menu and asked for water. They had what looked like some decent lunch specials. Hubby ordered a cheeseburger and I chose five cheese pasta.
Our water finally arrived ten minutes after we ordered it, they were not busy at all. No excuse. Â We saw servers walking around and what looked like might have been an arrogant jerk of a manager or owner with much attitude.
Our food arrived maybe twenty minutes after we ordered, not to bad but here it is in a nutshell. Hubby's cheeseburger was awful, way overcooked, the quality of the meat was very poor. My pasta dish looked like it was made the previous day then nooked. Hard, all the cheese was gone from overheating into a hard crispy finish. I ate one bite and would not touch anymore.
When we finally got our servers attention because she never refilled our water nor came to check on us. We simply asked for the check so we could get the hell out of there. She saw my plate and knowing it was more than obvious did not even ask how I liked it or what was wrong? Major fail of a place.
We paid our check, not sure why and as we were leaving we saw the arrogant manager/owner acting like he was of higher power. Not a word, not a smile, nothing, fricken jerk who portrayed such an egotistical persona.
Save your hard earned cash, go elsewhere, this place may be pretty but between service, food and manager/owner they royally suck. So thanks to yelp for allowing me to voice my opinion, stick this up your ass!
I'm surprised by the mediocre rating here. I had a great experience at J. Mark's. We came straight from the airport with our host who's been frequenting this restaurant since it opened. We sat outside on the lovely patio and our server was fun and friendly. Drinks came out quickly and were pretty good.
The food was delicious. Â My two friends both got burgers and I got the mahi mahi (on special) which came with a fresh salsa and some pesto. The fish was perfectly cooked and the sauce was delicious. I also got some sweet potato fries which were delicious too (but I love sweet potato fries so I'm biased).
Definitely a great way to start my vacation and I'm sure I would go to J. Mark's regularly if I lived nearby.
15 words or less: Â Houston's and J. Alexander, don't you guys worry. Average food and service.
15 words or more: Â This is a nearby lunch place for me. It is, as most know, a copy of Houston's and J. Alexander. Neither has to worry much.
I have been here several times. The food is decent but nothing to really write home about. Wait, I am writing. Anyway, the warm bread is of course nice. And the menu has nice options. But again, it is not memorable. I have had the tuna burger and the roast chicken. I would pass on the tuna burger for the future. The chicken was juicy but covered in sauce. The chicken probably didn't need the sauce, particularly so much of it.
The service is average. We asked the hostess for black napkins. They had them (a big deal to me) but she decided to seat another table when coming back with the napkins and gave them to that table. Â Then she returned to us, ten minutes later, and only brought one black napkin for the three of us. Â
I'll go back but if I had my druthers, well you get it.
Servers were friendly. Ambience was nice - I loved the patio on the side of the building that was covered. It's definitely the best place to eat when the weather is nice. The inside looks more like a diner.
The burgers are safe to eat here - but surprisingly they don't come with much else despite it costing over $10. Actually it was $12. Other food looks generic - not necessarily bad but not great either. The bread basket is just full of fattening white rolls - soft, plump, and frankly fattening. I don't know if anyone remembers Grandy's or even Ryan's - but if you do, the rolls served the same purpose - to be addictive for the sole purpose of filling you up and get you full easily when they don't contribute anything much to your health (or actually they would prove to be a detriment to your health after eating so much of these).
And the butter really was margarine - although they claim it was whipped with something special in it. But after I requested just for a regular butter, I can verify that it was margarine. They lose a full point just on that alone.
I should note however, I was surprised that a glass of wine costs the same as a mojito. In that case, I'd recommend people to go for mixed drinks rather than wines here.
Overall, I wouldn't return unless if I'm with people that's looking for something "safe" to eat. The non-adventurous types.
Not impressed with this place, though I think it would be a good place for families with kids.
Service - 3 stars. We were seated quickly. Waitress was very nice and spoke very....slowly....kind of odd, but not a negative, because at least she was taking her time with us and not making us feel rushed.
Ambiance - 3-ish stars. Family type restaurant. They had a patio area too for days when the weather was nice (though there isn't much to look at). The patio's shades were down when we visited. Lots of booths, and noisy, but not annoyingly so.
Prices - 3 stars - Less expensive than some other dinner places in the area...entrees ranged around $12-20 rather than the $15-25 I had seen in many other places.
Food - 2 stars. I had the hickory ribs and sweet potato fries. It was just OK. The ribs were tender, though not delectable-tasting. Others with me had pasta, which looked very dull. The burger menu looked pretty good. There is definitely lots to choose from on the menu.
My food was just very unmemorable. But then, it could be just the SF Bay Area foodie in me.
I was expecting this place to be a total chain-type place with microwaved frozen food and such.
Although the building doesn't have much character and is box-like... the place wasn't all that bad. Â I had a half chicken with garlic mashed potatoes, shared clam chowder and tried some shrimp with angelhair pasta, tomato, basil, and olive oil that a friend had.
Not half bad! Â Friendly staff, good people watching at the bar. Â A-ok.
Patient #1: J. Marks
I am breaking client confidentiality with my client J. Marks to explain why I think J. Marks has issues, read on if you are interested.
If Cheesecake Factory (Daddy) were to spread its cheesecake on (Whitney) Houston's Restaurant (Mommy), their child would be J. Marks.
However, growing up little J. Marks was neglected by daddy's big ego and mommy's denial of her fading star, thus little J. Mark grew into a restaurant with a few let's say......issues.
Fast forward to Dec 9, 2010, it was a cold, rainy day in S. Florida (yes S. Florida) and adult J. Marks was looking for business, so he put on his finest clothing and winked (opened its doors) to my mom and I.
We walk in for a late lunch and are both dressed let's say not to the nines. J. Marks' hostess gave us 'are you lost look'. We sit inside and the waiter approaches with a nasty smug look as if we were untouchables in the Indian caste system and he at the top of the caste system.
Just as J. Marks was neglected, we had felt the same exact way. The neglect J. Marks faced as a child must have been really bad. Besides the mandatory visits for food and drinks, he visited us twice. The table next to me had received their water before my mom and I even though they arrived 20 minutes after us. Let's just say service is an issue at J. Marks.
However, one could tell J. Marks had a mommy who tried to make up for some mistakes in life by raining little J. Marks with presents galore, so in the end he was not completely messed up in the head.
The food was very good. The complimentary bread was warm and soft. The Ahi Tuna was very tasty and the Prime Rib Sliders had me stealing my mom's portion since we shared everything. Lastly, their Oriental Salad was very good, but oddly enough definitely shared resemblances to daddy's salads, which are very good as well.
Aesthetically, it was very pleasant inside, but shared many similarities with its mommy, Houston's, except it is much more well lit. Unlike (Whitney) Houston's, it has stayed away from the coke.
FINAL EVALUATION: it is solid, but has customer service issues and resembles too much of what I hate about mainstream chains. J Marks needs to get over neglect issues and develop an identity for itself.
I think J. Mark's may be my new favorite place! I'd been there once before and had the Seared Ahi Tuna salad for lunch, which was the best I'd had yet (the Cajun crust is soooo good! It takes the salad to whole other level!), & thought I should give it a try for dinner.
Although the hostesses at the front seemed to not know what they were doing, once we were seated our waitress was amazing. Very courteous, with fabulous suggestions. I'm so happy she recommended we try their special Maryland crab cakes because they were by far the best I've ever had. In fact, I tend not to like crab cakes but these were irresistible. I also rarely eat red meat because generally I don't like it, but their Filet Mignon (12 ounces at only $27!) was sooo delicious! Butterflied & grilled to perfection it puts to shame all those overpriced restaurants serving the subpar steaks for more.
I will be back again & again, I'm sure. I can't wait to try other things on their extensive & varied menu (unlike J. Alexander's). J. Mark's has totally exceeded my expectations!
I had been to the J. Mark's further north some time ago. Â I was not a fan. Â I was hoping that this new location would be different. Â Unfortunately, my meal started with very slow and bad service. Â It was 15 minutes before we saw our server. Â I am by no means someone that needs a server to treat me as though I am their only patron, but I would at least like to always have a full glass of water or tea and to receive what I ask for; this was not the case. Â We decided to split the meal to make it easier for our server.
16oz Prime Rib (medium rare)
Baked Potato with butter and sour
Asparagus
Some time after placing our order, we received our rolls. Â The looked great, but that is where the greatness stopped. Â They were mushy and served with margarine. Â I can deal with the margarine, a lot of people like it more than butter for some reason, but the condition of the rolls was just unforgivable. Â They tasted like balls of raw dough. Â I then decided to just wait on the entree; 45 minutes later we received the meal. Â
I looked at the prime rib and was somewhat surprised to see that the coloring of the meat had changed. Â It no longer had that color of a fresh cut, but the color of a piece of meat that had been cut and left under a heat lamp for some long amount of time. Â Adding insult to injury was the fact that the cut of meat was at least 1/3 fat with large portions of gristle. Â The flavor was nothing spectacular and the meat just didn't have that melt-in-your-mouth texture that I would expect from a prime rib. Â
While the baked potato was neither good nor bad -- just average -- the asparagus had far too much garlic and oil added to it. Â When I order asparagus, I want to taste asparagus; not and overabundance of oil and garlic. Â Factor in the cramped feel of the interior of this restaurant and I feel no need to return. Â For a similar or cheaper price, you can get a much better meal with much better service at J. Alexander's.
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