I will preface my thoughts and comments re The Palms and Marks by owning up to the fact I’m definitely NOT a foodie; I’ve only been to The Palms 2-3 or maybe four times; all my visits were pre-Irma while we found Marks way back in the day, long before it moved to the parking lot.
Re the Palms, i was not too impressed, but primarily because we have experienced the automobile exhaust fumes on a couple of our visits. Again, pre-Irma and according to Todd, changes and improvements may have alleviated this problem. I thought the food was fine but nothing to get totally excited over. The management, Greg and all, were very nice and the service was fine. We did have issues with finding parking but I think it was the time we were there. Later, beyond the evening rush hour, - no problem.
I’ve also enjoyed Marks on many occasions, and again, no foodie here, but they have the best mussels et frites, good enough to draw us back time and time again, and their reasonable pricing doesn’t hurt either. The service can be a little iffy, particularly when they get slammed with their local take-out clientele as they often do. Parking has never been a problem there for us.
It might be safe to say, both places have their strengths and weaknesses but in the end, it boils down to personal choice. Many who prefer one over the other do so because of the food but also because of the personal friendships and alliances they’ve formed. Me? The mussels definitely dictate my personal preference.
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