After reading the reviw below, I had to make note of our experience. I have travelled to many places and have had some fantastic dinner experiences in Manhattan, Barcelona, Seattle, Chicago, Hawaii, and Miami. When we walked into Marx, it had a vibe that reminded us of a trendy Manhattan or Miami restaurant. The atmoshere was energetic, the lights were dimmed and the music was appropriate for an enjoyable, upper scale dinner. We shared a dinner special that combined butter salmon and scallops. It was so large, it was enough for two! We both agree, it was THE BEST dinner we had ever had!!! The fish was fresh. It was seasoned with a variety of fresh herbs and the sauces that accompanied the dish were WONDERFUL!! It was fantastic and we can't wait to visit again!!
Review Source:Possibly the best restaurant in Stillwater. From the time we walked in the service was excellent, with a great band playing! They had several specials going on and our server was quick on it, could remember everything and refilled out drinks throughout the night. The surf & turf was wonderfully delicious! I could finish it all but truly enjoyed it!
Review Source:It was a late lunch, and there were people sitting and eating in the place so I took this as a good sign. Â I've had some really great meals in Stillwater, so I tried my luck with a place I hadn't been yet. There are three major aspects to a dining experience; ambiance, service and the food. Marx failed on all three, to a degree that has shocked me into having to write a review on this site. So let's go down the list.
The decor dazzles in a way that only a color-blind, manic schizoid choose. Of the dozen or so tables there was not more than a pair that matched in size shape or height. White Christmas lights, loosely wrapped in thin white fabric zig-zag over the main dining area. Bright orange Chihuly-esque lamps hang in a row, mirroring the arc of the crescent shaped bar. There are neon lights embedded in the surface of the bar that pulse in an oozing modulation while shifting through the shades of a simple rainbow. The walls are overcrowded with an array of massive, "modern art," so loud the obvious intent behind the scheme is to drown out or blind what the employees of Marx Fusion Bistro will subjugate upon the accidental customer.
Upon seating, a drink list/ book was provided and water offered. The water arrived with menus and the server left. A few minutes later, the server reappeared (having avoided the one other occupied table in that section) and daily specials were read off. The order was taken at that time, yet the point-of-sale computer was overlooked for several more minutes after that. Some odd-sized chunks of bread surrounding a ceramic cup of oil, complete with a floater of a garlic clove and a single blade of rosemary arrived with side plates next. The bottle of balsamic was remembered soon after. At this point, I was growing nervous... so I took the initiative and flagged down the server since the menus were now gone and it was clear now I was not going to be offered the option to get a glass of wine. Some time later, the sole course arrived neatly arranged on a plate that had obviously been left to die under a heat lamp for a long time. When the silverware was dropped off, I was able to use the napkin to slide my plate over 7 or 8 inches so that it was now in front of me. Later, once I had had enough, I was asked if I would like a to-go container to which I declined, one came anyway. On a final note here, my server's attitude and demeanor as well as physical appearance were all quite pleasant, but a few years experience at a Denny's plus a bit of training from whomever is in charge of the front of house would greatly improve one's ability to the tasks of one's job in the correct order.
And then, there was the food. Starting with the menu, there were three sections; Salads, Pizza's, and Pasta. I was struggling to see the "fusion" aspect of American Bistro idea of Modern/ Food Network Italian. Some of the cocktails have a fusion like quirkiness to the flavor combinations, that's the bartender. My dining companion ordered the beet/ bacon/ blue cheese salad. I had just had a salad for my previous meal, and I wasn't too jazzed about the pizza/ pasta dichotomy, but upon hearing the fish heavy specials such as a Fruits de Mer, some Scallop concoction, and a Asian themed Mahi Mahi, my interest was piqued. So, I opted for that last one, to witch my server replied, "That one's my favorite." Armed with an $11 glass of Chardonnay, I sipped slowly in anticipation. Â I was only told twice that my food would be out shortly. Then the big moment came. Off-center of the round, two little fillets overlapped each other, moored upon a mass of garlic mashed potatoes, under a hat of Asian slaw, and sauced with a thick translucent brown and speckled goo. Creeping around the rest of the plate was a series of vegetable piles; the first a stack of a half-dozen green beans, next a dollop of something orange, a single floret of broccoli, finally a fan of five snow peas. There was a lot going on on this plate that looked as if it was still listening to G&R while teasing the bangs of its mullet. And, it's well done. Not a little over - it's cat food. My server never asked for a temp, which I didn't think much of because who in their right mind would cook Mahi past medium rare for even the most squeamish diner? The sauce, basically a thinned out hoisin with a little ginger and sesame seeds. The garlic mash just okay. The veggies; raw but with some darkness at the tips of the floret, and no seasoning - blanched for a whole five seconds and finished via heat lamp, delicious! Not. Asian slaw was really just coleslaw with sesame oil instead of mayo with the addition of a hint of ginger and a sprig of cilantro for a garnish.
When it comes to the folks at Marx, it is a tasteless (visual and culinary) philosophy of function follows form.
I was here with a friend Saurday Nov 10 2012 Â server might have been drunk .I was lunch we were the 1st people in the place. The waitress brought our soup the bread after we were done :O( then mixed you our food I am not sure I even got what I orders . Food was fair .:O( soup was salty .
Review Source:I was a little shocked by this place. The food was OK, the service was terrible. I didn't expect that walking in though.
So we were here a week or so ago for lunch during a weekday. Our lunch was a little later in the afternoon so the place was pretty much empty besides a couple other patrons. You'd think this would mean excellent, speedy service, but no, that was not the case. I think we were there for well over an hour when what we really meant to do was just grab something quick to eat, but something we could still enjoy.
Mostly I just remember the waiting and waiting. I had the pizza and there just wasn't anything to write home about. It tasted fine, but there was nothing I could point to and say 'Wow, that's really exceptional'.
It's too bad, cause it looks like it should be a fun place to go, but ultimately, it was just a boring, bland, generic 'fusion' restaurant.
The place is nice looking, but the food was just horrible. Â The pasta was watery and undercooked, with sauce and ingredients that were not fresh, not properly seasoned and not properly cooked. Â The pizza was also not great- the crust was gluey in the middle, burnt on the edges. Â The sauce was sweet and thin, and the cheese was clearly low quality. Â There was no seasoning at all, just plain, low grade, not fresh yuck.
Review Source:The chef at Marx must think that adding any and all flavors to a plate constitutes "fusion" no matter how bizarre the flavor combinations nor how much they compete with one another. Â I was underwhelmed with the Blackened scallops I ordered. The blackening was much to strong and had to be scraped off to make most of them edible. Â The soba noodles were okay, but the garnish/side vegetables had curry seasoning that tasted TERRIBLE in contrast to the asian/teriyaki sauce (ironically those same curried vegetables were included in my husband's meal further convincing us there is no rhyme or reason how any of these "fusion" dishes are created). Â The only thing worth eating were the walleye dumplings. Perhaps happy hour with appetizers are the way to go and spend your dinner $$ elsewhere.
Review Source:I've been to Marx before for wine, but hadn't had a meal until this last trip. Â My three is closer to a 3.5 than a 3. Â
The food was good. Â One of the specials was a fish duo that was done really well. Â The fish was cooked just right for me, flaky and juicy without having to rely on the sauce to keep its texture. Â The sauce itself was really nice, not too heavy and pretty good flavor. Â I tend to prefer foods with powerful flavors and I could have dealt with a little more punch with the flavor, but that's a personal preference. Â My companions enjoyed their food as well.
The service was perfunctory. Â I would give this place a higher score if the service had been...well, it wasn't unfriendly or bad...it just felt like our server had somewhere else he really needed to be and wasn't super stoked on having a group show up. Â But I suspect this is not a regular occurrence.
All in all, a solid 3.5.
This is a great downtown Stillwater restaurant. I highly recommend it. It's small and quaint with a modern twist. I loved all the local art on the walls - good conversation starters. The serving staff were friendly and articulate. The food was marvelous and succulent. The only thing that could have helped the atmosphere more is by turning up the music to be above a whisper setting.
Review Source:Been there three times in the past two years or so, every time it's delicious but it does seem like each time it gets a little less amazing. Can't quite pinpoint what it is, maybe the service? Despite that, still a very solid place to go. Drinks have always been great, and the atmosphere is so cool. It gets quite noisy, so if that is an issue than I don't recommend a busy weekend night.
The meal itself has always been really awesome. The walleye dumplings are solid! And I can never resist the curly endive and beet salad, it's so tasty. I've had their ahi special once and it was heaven on a plate. If I remember correctly, I had the tenderloin last time and it was done to perfection at medium-rare.
Overall, a really great place in such a sweet little place on the river.
I have lived in Stillwater for years and until last week had never eaten at Marx. Â I am definately going to go back.
Since we have five kids we like going places where we can get away from other people's kids! (OPK) Â This is our new refuge in Stillwater. Â It's trendy and fresh and there are no OPK to make a fuss or say Mommy so many times that my head feels like it will snap off from thinking they're calling me.
We had met another couple here for a special celebration dinner. Â We started with drinks, which included a watermelon martini with a huge slice of vodka soaked watermelon on it. Â YUMMMMM. Â
We shared some apps. Â We ordered the duck confit and the flatbread. Â I am not a huge fan of duck in general, but this is the best duck I have ever tasted! Â The flatbread was a good as expected--warm and crunchy and savory.
My "date" ordered one of the specials-Seafood Jumbalaya. Â It was packed with mussels, scallops, calamari, fish and prawns. Â It was spicy and really tasty.
I ordered the Pecan Crusted Chicken. Â They used the dark meat which made the chicken flavorful and moist. Â The presentation was beautiful. Â Almost too pretty to eat. Â But I managed. **grin**
Shhhhh. I will be hiding here on date night. Â But don't tell the kids. Â Mine or OPK.
The man & I decided to have dinner @ Marx for the first time before a surprise birthday party we were attending there. Â We arrived @ 7:00pm on a Friday evening. Â We were told the wait was 30 minutes so we settled up to the bar for some wine. Â The wine list was small, but of good variety. Â I ordered a blend after sampling 2 suggestions from the bartender. Â My boyfriend ordered what I would call a Man's Martini... :) Â Rye whiskey, anise, bitters, & something else that slips my mind. Â He loved it. Â It came w/ a martini shaker served straight up. Â By the end of the night, he had ordered another. Â The bartender was welcoming & attentive & I appreciate good service & entertainment @ the bar, but this bartender was a little overly involved in our conversation, chiming in @ every pause. Â It got to be a little much. Â We were seated w/ in 10 minutes - always a great surprise when the wait is much less than anticipated. Â We sat @ a high top table near the door, allowing us to be secluded, but people watch as well.
For dinner, we tried the tuna tartare, goat cheese salad, & bacon penne pasta. Â The best pasta I have had in a long time. Â All the food was amazing. Â After dinner, we met up w/ our group & were seated in the back of the restaurant @ a long table. Â Service was attentive & paced accordingly to our group of 10. Â
Ambiance is quaint & warm, a little crowded, but still functional.
As Cortney S says: next time, wine & apps on the patio. Â :)
I love Saturday date nights. And Marx provided the perfect spot for a little vino and dinner on a Saturday night.
The ambiance in the bar is intimate but not too secluded - aka you can still people watch while you munch on bruschetta and drink a glass of wine. Their tapas are fantastic.
Dinner was more just ok - good but not over the top.
Next time: wine and apps on the patio. Since it's on the river, I'm sure it'll be divine.
My wife and I had dinner here just last week, in from out of town. It was a Tuesday night so it wasn't packed when we arrived, but by the time we left, the place was jam packed. They don't take reservations so keep that in mind if you're going on a Friday or Saturday night (or anytime in the summer). Our server was very knowledgeable and explained the menu very well. To be honest, this place barely gets away with calling itself "fusion" food...there really isn't much fusion going on here, just a lot of simple, well prepared (and cooked) dishes.
My wife had the beef tenderloin and I had the shrimp linguine, both were quite good and my wife's Mohito was so good I almost got one for myself...almost. The location of this place is perfect, right in the middle of the strip. Portion-wise you get more than enough which is the way I like it. The bathrooms are kind of unique....the washroom part of the bathrooms is a communal area in between the two doors.
If you're really into wine you have to check this place out, everyone in the area raves about the wine selection. I've been to a few of Stillwater's culinary offerings and this is one of the better ones.
Enjoyed another fantastic night at Marx's! Â Chef/Owner Mark was entertaining as always whether it be through his culinary expertise or his outgoing personality. Â My cousins and I were right at home - Thanks Kris, GM and others who added to an exceptional evening of cocktails and fun in Stillh2o.
Review Source:I went to the Marx last night with my boyfriend. We had a server who was knowledgable about the menu and wines. They have great salads. We had a very good duck confit crostini to start. Also, shared a really good mahi mahi that was on special. For the price and quality of food, I highly recommend the Marx!
Review Source:I have only been to Marx Wine bar for Appetizers and wine in the bar, but I they still have a decent selection. The deserts are pretty tasty, but things are priced pretty high. The service was a little slow, but I went on a Saturday night and they were really busy.
I recommend giving it a try at least once and see what you think for yourself!
This is my favorite restaurant in the Twin Cities. Â I just celebrated a milestone birthday here this past weekend. Â I had the beef tenderloin, which was done to perfection. Â However, I've never had anything bad on the menu. Â I can also vouch for the scallops. Â The wine selection is also exceptional. Â We had a perfect bottle of pinot noir for $42. Â The wines by the glass are always fresh, never oxidized, which is impressive considering just how many options they offer by the glass. Â If you love pairing great food with great wine, you have to try this place.
Review Source:Marx is officially the dining gem of Stillwater. Understated and elegant, this small restaurant is tucked into a prime space on Main Street. The lighting is romantic, the menu is robust and ingredients are primarily local, sustainable, often organic. We had an amazing dinner for two (2 bottles of wine, appetizers, entrees, dessert for $120. The service was second-to-none, and the expertise of all who worked there was a treat to experience. When my boyfriend and I reflect on great date spots, this is always the first on our list....
Review Source:I live in Stillwater and visit Marx a couple times every year.
The best thing on the menu--an item that often appears but isn't always offered--is the frutti di mare pasta in a bowl. It's a huge serving of spaghetti with marinara and assorted seafood: mussels, shrimp, scallops, fish, whatever's in season.
Some of the pastas are delicious but too heavy for my tastes. Again, the menu varies but if you see pasta with pistachios or pasta with vodka sauce, I suggest splitting with a friend. They taste good but the richness gets overwhelming.
I've had a couple of excellent small steaks at Marx. I like to stick with the simpler ones like a sirloin with red wine sauce.
Noise levels can be obnoxious. My cousin was visiting from the Napa Valley and I wanted to bring him to Marx for good cuisine. The food didn't disappoint, but my indelible memory of that meal was a loud, inebriated woman at an adjacent table (copious amounts of cleavage hanging out, lipstick smeared, verbal boundaries obliterated.) I'm not sure what the management is supposed to do when one party dominates the whole restaurant, but whatever it is, the Marx staff didn't do it.
That said, usually the service is friendly and not stuffy.
Marx can get crazy busy on weekends, so I try to eat there midweek.
pleasantly surprised. Our party of 5 was seated immediately at 7:30 on a Wednesday night. The Potato & Yam Samosas were a hit, the Walleye Dumplings were pretty good, you could tell it was walleye. The warm goat cheese salad was tasty, the goat cheese was good quality but i would have liked it if the dressing and roasted tomatoes were warm as well. My dish of Seared Scallops was AWESOME. the scallops were perfectly cooked and i got 7 LARGE SCALLOPS i couldn't even finish them all. (usually i get stuck with 3 meager ones)
The best dish was a special Sword fish over squash gnocchi with alfredo sauce. the worst dish was my dad's chipotle chicken, chicken was dry and there was hardly a chipotle flavor. Great service, little spendy, we were all satisfied and there were plenty of new flavors.
On our first night in Stillwater, we got there later in the evening and starving. Â The owner's of the B&B we were staying at recommended this place. Â The decor is very interesting and colorful. Â Â We ordered an appetizer, the samosas. Â These are the only thing I would order again. Â I had the beet salad and well .... had a hard time finding the beets. Â Also it was suppose to be with curly endive but it seemed to be more a mix spring greens. Â There was also bacon on it. Â Way too much bacon. Â (Yes I said too much bacon.) Â To the point that was all I could taste in every bit. Â P had the linguine with shrimp. Â The shrimp was cooked perfectly too bad it was swimming in the sauce which over powered the cooking of the shrimp. Â The pasta dish seemed more like soup. Â I don't think I would go back unless it was for the samosas.
Review Source:Marx was, in my opinion, just alright. Â I really enjoyed my drink and appetizers. Â The elderflower martini = great, plus they give you the shaker, meaning you get about 2.5 elterflower martinis. Â Dinner, which consisted of steaks for both of us, was just OK.
We came in a little after 6 and expected a wait, but were seated within a few moments. Â The restaurant was, well, unreasonably noisy. But it was Friday night, so I wasn't expecting silence or anything
At over $100 for two, I expected a bit more but still left full and satisfied.
I didn't expect much and didn't get it. Â We ordered an elderflower and pear martini and a bacardi "o" mojito both of which tasted great and we didn't feel cheated by the $10 price except for the fact that we could've had better drinks for the same price from Bradstreet in Minneapolis. Â Appetizers were the best part of the meal. Â We had the walleye dumplings which tasted great, but weren't amazing. Â We also had the teriyaki king crab and banana wasabi mash which was really amazing mix of flavors and we quickly polished it off. Â For entrees I got the surf and turf, which ended up being a large ribeye steak with an absurd amount of mushroom sauce over it completely overpowering any flavor the meat may have had. Â The surf was shrimp tempura with a sort of coconut curry taste to them. Â They were so much better than the steak however I only got 3 medium sized shrimp. Â I would've given up half the steak size for only 1 or 2 more shrimp. Â My date got the * Grilled Angus Beef Sirloin with Guinness beer glaze, bacon, roasted shallots & home fried onion rings which tasted better than my steak as the sauce was not as overpowering. Â Both steaks were ordered medium rare and were easily medium to medium well. Â Overall I'd recommend staying away from the steaks, but get some appetizers and drinks from this place. Â Oh the decor is a little too bright and the place is really loud and a good chunk of the tables are practically on top of each other. Â I'd recommend it for a group of 4 friends, but not as a romantic dinner. Â It was a little weird that there was no music as well.
Review Source:This was one of many stops as we did a progressive dinner around Stillwater and I am glad we stopped here. Â The food was tasteful, probably the main downfall was that one of the dishes (Tuna tartar) was chaotic. Â Too many flavors and the key ingredient seemed to get lost. Â I had the moz salad and thought it was seasoned just right and very fresh. As a non-seafood lover I might have had a hard time ordering if we had wanted to eat a full meal here. Every 'special' had a seafood element - a drawback for me.
Review Source:Been there a couple of times, to mixed reviews. Â Once, for lunch my friend and I went all out with entrees and wine, and had a wonderful dining experience. Â
Recently, went there with my husband and ordered a bottle of wine, sitting at the bar. Â The server consulted a book to describe the wine to me, and when we ordered it gave us the world's worst bottle service ever. Â May as well have pulled out the cork with his teeth. Â He was also completely ignorant to the fact that we were on a date and enjoying each others company, as he decided to blare his commentary upon us all afternoon. Â But he gets away with that at his other job at a chain-restaurant, so I understand. Â
I think that if I'm out to enjoy a bottle of wine at a bona-fide wine bar, respect your customer enough to hire knowledgeable staff. Â The food was pretty good this time as well, but the service left my skin crawling.
We visited Marx during a recent trip to visit my brother-in-law and his wife. Â It is located in the very cute town of Stillwater, just on the Mississippi River.
First things first: I *loved* our server. Â LOVED. Â I was being picky about which wine I wanted and she happily brought me 3-4 samples before I made a choice.
Second, the atmosphere was very quaint and homey. Â I was actually accosted at the door by a drunken patron who raved about the food. Â He must have recognized me as a first-time visitor (the brown skin may have been a clue). Â In spite of the hilarious welcome, our visit was a delight.
Third, the food was fairly good. Â It was a bit rich for my taste, but that may be a regional difference. Â Here's what we ordered:
- My sister-in-law and I both ordered the homemade pappardelle. Â The pasta was outstanding -- chewy, delicate, and perfectly flavored. Â The sauce was another story; that was overly rich and heavy. Â It actually separated when reheated the next day and the lovely noodles were left swimming in a pool of oil. Â That was a disappointment.
- My brother-in-law ordered the penne with italian hot sausage. Â I almost ordered that too and was disappointed to see that it was topped with a heavy layer of mozzarella. Â Ugh. Â But he was excited about the cheese and happily ate it up. Â He was definitely a happy camper.
- My husband ordered the beef sirloin. Â The plating was beautiful: a pile of mashed potatoes topped with meat topped with onion rings. Â Ok, that might sound weird, but it was actually pretty. Â It was simple, but good.
All in all, a good meal. Â I am already plotting to get my brother-in-law and wife a gift certificate for Christmas!
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