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BarSmart User Reviews
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On: Yesterday 08:45 PM
USER REVIEW
Its been 8 months since Firehouse Lounge and Embury closed their doors...and I think I'm finally ready to come out of mourning.
The loss of my favorite neighborhood cocktail joint and its eclectic, slutty upstairs neighbor (that b*!@h was always bangin') hit pretty hard and I needed some time to grieve, but all things must come to an end and as spring approached it was time. Determined to rip off the funeral shroud I re-visited the scene of the crime.
The boys that own Bar Marco, the restaurant and wine bar that now occupies the old No. 7 Engine House building in the Strip I'm sure inadvertently cringe every time the name Embury is spoken like they are the cast of Harry Potter and someone has just uttered Lord Voldemort's name. The specter of Embury looms over them, an unwanted ghost who's annoyed at the inhabitants of its former home and the feeling is mutual. A number of reviewers on Yelp and Urbanspoon mention Embury's name and, seemingly aware of the battle ahead, one of the owners mentioned Embury himself during an interview in the City Paper.
For those who haven't quite finished the grieving process and aren't ready to let go of the speakeasy vibe of Embury, its too soon for a visit to Bar Marco. But, if you are ready to get rid of your widow's weeds, you may just find a tiny bit of solace crossing the threshold of old No. 7 once again.
The Space
There is no formal sign for Bar Marco, the name is painted on one of two large square windows that fill the space once occupied by Old No. 7's fire engine, on the other window are painted Bar Marco's hours "OPEN Wed – Sun, 5PM - 2AM."
At present the space is split into two distinct areas: the bar/restaurant area downstairs, and a gallery/private event space upstairs. The overall atmosphere of Bar Marco is akin to a rough-hewn European café that's been around for ages and has been updated with the clean minimalist lines of modern fixtures, giving the space a needed lightness to counteract the depth of the building's historic elements.
The downstairs has a single grey and white marble-topped bar with a base of rough-hewn wood located directly across from the wine bottle-lined windows. It is fitted with metal barstools a simple metal kick rail and a few purse hooks. They keep their garnishes and the bulk of their tools within easy reach in the middle of the bar top in an array of glasses and bowls surrounding or on a square raised work surface of (I believe) wood. Behind the bar there is a grey and white marble countertop occupied by a number of the more frequently used spirits, with floating open cabinets above with a range of available wines and spirits on display. The bar and rear countertop are bridged by a retractable ledge where working glassware is kept within easy reach. Below the rear counter there is some open cabinet storage for additional glassware as well as a few glass door refrigerators that store some chilled wines, sangria, beer and I believe some syrups. A mirror separates the floating cabinets from the counter below and is met by a wall of opaque glass, which serves as both a dry erase board offering up suggestions and menu features and as a dividing wall. There is additional liquor storage in a set of floating open cabinets located higher on the wall just past the opaque divider, well out of reach of patrons.
On the other side of the dividing wall and around the corner lies the single restroom for Bar Marco. It's a lackluster space occupied by a single toilet, a pedal stool sink and mirror with black and white tiling on the lower half of the wall and the upper half of the walls have been painted a blue-grey color. If you miss the turn to the bathroom, you'll find yourself wandering down a dark hallway toward the back of the house, at the end of which you either go left or right to the basement or kitchen respectively. There is a piece of artwork hanging at the end of this hallway, it appeared to be a square piece of painted copper ceiling tile but I didn't actually venture down to look at it.
There are roughly 6 or 7 tables of varying sizes and shapes fashioned from metal and wood and adorned with simple glass votive holders containing tea lights that occupy the main floor at Bar Marco. Additional barstool seating is available at the grey and white marble counter along the window as well and there is a small grey and white marble ledge in the hallway near the bar that could serve as extra seating in a pinch though I don't think they've had many nights that have neared that volume quite yet. Accenting this space, along the left wall and closest to the counter seating there is open shelving with assorted clear glass containers filled with various types of pasta and empty wine bottles. There is also a wood ledge running the length of that wall lined with empty wine bottles and a decent-sized square window at the end of the bar asymmetrically trimmed in wood that has a plexiglass window box they've started to fill with wine corks.
The space is illuminated by a stunning chandelier of swirling chrome tipped with bud-shaped light bulbs, with three conical pendants wrapped in dark glass threads hanging over the bar. An art deco style sconce with brushed silver base and tall Lucite tubes of light of varying height provides supplemental illumination though it does seem somewhat at odds with the rest of the space. There are cream-colored rehabbed subway tiles covering the lower portion of the exterior walls (and framing the alcove on the far right wall closest to the door) with a complimentary cream-colored paint on the upper portion from chair rail to ceiling which serves as a backdrop for the abstract artwork that hangs throughout. The hallway wall leading back to the kitchen/basement is painted the same blue-grey as the bathroom on all but its edge, which is painted an orange-red consistent with the wall color leading up to the gallery. [I believe this to be the case, my notes actually are silent on what the wall color is leading up to the gallery – clearly I was a bit distracted that evening.] The copper tile ceiling is painted a muted grey, as is the exposed ductwork that runs along the left side of the ceiling. The floors on this level are concrete, I believe they've been stained a light brown and sealed. All of the wood, including the cabinets, trim and the base of the bar have been stained a dark brown.
The gallery upstairs can be reached via the well-worn staircase directly across from the door - a staircase those who frequented the Firehouse Lounge will remember all too well. Another of the elements left over from Old No. 7's previous day's as Firehouse Lounge, an old non-working fireplace, greets you just in front of you to your left as you cross the threshold into the gallery space. If you are unfamiliar with the space, the fireplace marks (for all intents-and-purposes) the back of the upstairs space. Moving forward from the fireplace, you will see an echo of a long bar on the right; this bar used to service the bulk of the Firehouse patrons though I believe the owners of Bar Marco have plans to ultimately remove it. The floor is wood and is completely bare to allow for maximum flexibility for various private events and special periodic performances by such groups as Chatham Baroque. The walls have been whitewashed with the same paint as the downstairs walls and finished with dark brown trim to better feature both artwork and art installations. There are two large front windows that stretch from nearly floor to ceiling overlooking Penn Avenue separated by a central window that has been covered over by an art installation. The ceilings upstairs are painted in a dark brown and appear to be an ornate copper tile.
There is limited outdoor seating at present, with only a few tables situated outside, though they are good about moving tables around for patrons should room allow. I've seen them move tables outside from inside and vice versa weather permitting. There is an outdoor patio planned for the area to the left of the building where the gravel lot is in the near future if funding is acquired. A Kickstarter project is in the works to help finance it though it has not launched yet (you can check out the video preview here: http://vimeo.com/37631640) and you can hop on over to Bar Marco's Facebook page to see pictures of the planned patio.
The Drinks
Their cocktail menu is sizeable, offering a mix of some classics, classics with a twist, and some originals. They do not, or have at least not as of yet started working with the more exotic ingredients such as barrel-aged gins or infused liquors though I do believe they make their syrups in house. I would not say they have a cocktail program per se, but they seem to appreciate a good cocktail and are open to playing with them. The cocktails range in price from 6 to 12 dollars though most are in the 8 to 10 range.
The cocktails on the menu vary in quality, some of them have a well-balanced flavor profile with flavors that play off each other nicely, while others have a flavor profile that seems a bit off-kilter, the flavors fighting each other for your taste buds' attention. They are handcraft cocktails so they are, by their nature, for the most part strong drinks. [You've been warned, kids.] My favorite cocktail on the menu is the Sazerac, which at Bar Marco is made with cognac instead of the usual rye that has been the standard for most of the cocktail's existence (since around 1869 when cognac became difficult and expensive to obtain.) A Sazerac (whether cognac or rye-based) isn't for everyone, but it is a quintessential cocktail and one I think everyone should experience at least once.
They offer wine by the glass or by the bottle and have a reasonable selection at a variety of price points including sherry and port. What they seem to offer the least of is beer, with just 6 on the menu ranging in price from 3 to 5 dollars. I can't drink beer (I'm a celiac) and I haven't yet sampled from their wine list but, I do know that one of the owners has an appreciation of wines and sherries (I believe he may have nearly shrieked like a little girl when presented with a quite comprehensive book on sherry); I believe he favors small and organic vineyards and he seems quite knowledgeable. It seems at least worth a visit if you are an avid wine drinker as there are likely some wines at Bar Marco you won't be able to try anywhere else in Pittsburgh.
[They do have a food menu at Bar Marco, served until 2AM, however I've not really tried anything from it. From what info I've managed to mine from the interwebs, it's seems as though there are things they do quite well and items that could use some improvement. That being said, it does seem that at least some of the menu items that patrons have cited as "problem" dishes have been improved or completely reworked.]
The Staff
The staff and management of an establishment can make or break it and when a place is as small as Bar Marco is that is especially true. You expect a bit more attention, that's one of the reasons I love to support small businesses – the small businesses love you back.
There was an apparently noticeable delay in the issuance of this review. And it was in part because on my first few visits the kinks weren't completely worked out of the staff system. I could see that the owners were present and seemingly passionate so I decided to hold off and see how things came together as Bar Marco's storyline progressed. The staff, while always friendly and attentive, is now a great deal more knowledgeable on what the ingredients used in menu items are and they've expanded their staff as their business has picked up. There doesn't seem to be much of an ability to go off-menu cocktail-wise however. This may be a constraint of what is behind the bar, a weakness on the part of the young bartender, or a bit of both. They are willing to experiment and follow directions though, so if you have a recipe in mind or want to get crafty you are likely to find a willing playmate behind the bar.
While overall the staff is friendly and attentive I have noticed that the staff does suffer from a pretty common pitfall in the industry.
When you are at work, your focus – so long as there are patrons in your establishment – should always be on those patrons.
Obviously the staff needs to be able to communicate with each other about work-related matters, but if it's not work-related and there are customers in your establishment then you should be building relationships with those customers.
Or at the very least keeping yourself available should the customer want that opportunity.
I'm not saying its always an issue at Bar Marco, but I have noticed that, on occasion (particularly more recently) they have focused a bit more on each other and lost a bit of that focus on their customers on occasion.
The Experience
I'm going to go all child-of-the-80's on you here (as well as excessively girlie) and quote the movie Clueless because I really do think it's appropriate here. Aesthetically and in other ways, Bar Marco is a "full on Monet," it's pleasing to the eye if you don't look at the details. But I'm a details girl...
While Bar Marco does have a rough-hewn appearance that is, in my opinion, part of its charm, that doesn't permit an establishment to leave elements unfinished. The boys of Bar Marco have left unfinished a few minor and a few glaringly obvious items that not only can't be passed off as part of the rough-hewn charm but make the place look a bit sloppy and low-class. The least offensive of these is the unfinished drywall edge where the air duct enters the wall above the bar. (I know, right now you think I'm crazy for noticing let alone taking issue with it but bear with me.) Another arguably minor issue is an SSA security panel on the left wall at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the gallery that has been left unfinished. There very well may be reasons for leaving this panel exposed versus covering it from view but to leave it in its "roughed in" state rather than what you'd see in a finished building is inappropriate, particularly since its in a very visible and well-traveled corridor. There is also a decent-sized hole in the left wall near the shelves and countertop seating, something that seemingly should have been addressed in some way prior to opening. BUT, I saved the best (or worst) for last. The bathroom is quite possibly the best display of their neglect (or was it just their ADHD?), which is extremely unfortunate as that is the single room that a patron is in with nothing to distract them. It is in the bathroom that I noticed that, in the process of ripping up the old flooring to expose the concrete below, they had inadvertently damaged some of the trim tile that runs along the bottom and that there is a noticeable gap between the concrete floors and where the tile begins. They also chose to paint the walls the blue-grey color (incidentally, I had a colorblind ex who chose to paint his bedroom this same color and I will probably forever hate it because of that but that's beside the point) of the accent wall and hallway leading to the kitchen and basement, presumably because it would easily cover the book pages that had been glued to the walls back when Embury was there. However, for some inexplicable reason they left a rectangular area unpainted so that patrons can see the book pages that are under that lovely blue grey paint job. As if that wasn't enough, there also happens to be a circular hole in this exposed portion with some sort of paper stuffed into it. I could also cite what appear to be paint drippings on the tile from years gone by which could likely be removed or at least attempt to be removed but when glaringly obvious details are blatantly ignored, why sweat the small stuff?
Now, its entirely possible that these issues were merely left untended for the soft opening due to cash flow issues and were meant to be fixed at a later date. I certainly hope that was the case here, and that the majority of the above will be remedied. More people than you'd realize are as freakishly observant as I am about these details and are as equally bothered by them.
Then there is the matter of Bar Marco's ridiculously uncomfortable chairs and barstools. While they fit with the aesthetic of the place, metal has virtually no give and is nearly akin to sitting on a concrete floor. The chairs are so uncomfortable that they have been mentioned by reviewers on Yelp and Urbanspoon, I was even told one of their regulars has taken to bringing her own cushion. It's less of a problem when it's cooler out, after all you can use your jacket as a makeshift cushion. But why should you have to go to such lengths? And with summer on the way there will be even less between patrons and these perilous-to-the-posterior perches.
The Rating
I waivered between a 7 and an 8 for a number of reasons but ultimately decided to rate Bar Marco an 8 in light of the fact that the owners have made strides to improve their business over the last month and a half and are a constant presence at Bar Marco.
They are young and spirited, they do care a lot (despite the neglect shown to the aforementioned details) and they are striving to improve.
They listen to patrons when feedback is given, adjust menu offerings based on customer response, and they are cultivating a mixed-use space upstairs that seems to address the gaps in Pittsburgh's current evening offerings.
When I find myself wavering between two numbers with owners that really do care, I'm always going to go with the higher number.
I'm going to hope that they continue to strive for improvement and don't, like so many do, get too comfortable now that it seems their business is picking up.
