Madison Street Grill - New

The old Bistro Marbuzet space has been renovated and turned into Madison Street Grill. It's still owned by the same restaurant group that owned it under Marbuzet.

I'm headed here tonight for dinner. Has anyone else been here? If so, how is it?

I've just arrived back from Madison Street Grill, formerly known as Bistro Marbuzet. The restaurant is very...blah. Granted, they've only been open since Tuesday as this incarnation.

Madison Street has the same owners, and the room looks practically identical but it has been outfitted with brighter lighting as well as some Plasma screen TVs. The restaurant is being billed as "family" as well, but the price points don't really match that billing...entrees from $10 - $25.

Also, the menu is a hodge-podge of everything: pasta, pizza, steak, chops, ribs, and seafood. I had bowtie pasta, which I'm regretting having ordered because it seems as though their emphasis is on steak. My friend had their skirt steak with whipped sweet potatoes, and the potatoes were delicious and the steak looked good as well. But, I just feel like there are millions of these kinds of restaurants in and around the Chicagoland area.

The owners, Jack Jones and his brother Mike, who also own Jack's on Halsted and a few others were very gracious and welcoming. Each of them visited every table and chatted for a few moments. They are certainly trying to make this concept work in the Forest Park area. Jack was in the kitchen cooking and one of the chef's had overcooked a steak and I heard him say to start fresh until he got it right. Hopefully with that kind of determination they will succeed in this new guise.

Madison Street Grill
7600 W. Madison St.
Forest Park

KatyK,

I appreciate this report. I've watched with (morbid) interest the slow sinking of Marbuzet. It started out with a lot of promise, and I went there maybe three times when it first opened a few years ago, and thought it was above average, then we went last summer and I was a little surprised to see how far it had sunk. The food was solidly mediocre (for instance, if you're going to advertise yourself as a bistro, you should be able to pull off a platter of snails; Marbuzet could not) and the place was falling apart (busted stuff in the bathrooms was simply hefty-bagged and tagged "not working," and there were signs of age everywhere...perhaps understandable if they were planning to relaunch with a new look). It sounds like they're getting their new routine together, and it's promising that Jones is so hands-on. I guess we'll see...but I'm going to give it at least a few months before I consider going again.

David