The Marque Erased
Missing the Marque: Members-only club with top chefs suddenly shutters
The last few weeks have been tough for luxurious nightlife destinations. Following the recent closure of Hughes Hangar on Washington Ave and the imminent closure of Midtown steakhouse Mr. Peeples on March 28 comes news of another unexpected shuttering. The Marque, the members-only club in CityCentre, ended its almost five year run after service on Saturday.
Per a request from CultureMap, a representative provided the following statement:
After five great years, The Marque Houston is announcing it is closing its doors.
The Marque has enjoyed bringing luxury hospitality to its members and businesses in the community and will truly miss those relationships.
We would like to thank all of our members and vendors we have worked with over the years, as we could not have made The Marque a success without their continued support.
The club politely declined to provide any additional information about the reasons for the closure, but the sudden decision has to come as a surprise to members. Last summer, The Marque made a big push to upgrade its culinary offerings by bringing in Mark Cox (Mark's American Cuisine) as a consultant and Cox's protégé Eric Aldis as executive chef. It even opened a section of its dining room and bar to non-members.
Despite losing one of his jobs, don't expect Aldis to cede his unofficial title of Houston's busiest chef anytime soon. He remains both the recently appointed executive chef of River Oaks paleo restaurant Corner Table and is in the process of opening Midtown BBQ in the former home of Bourbon on Bagby. After a well-received pop-up Saturday afternoon, Midtown BBQ is on track for a mid-April opening.
Perhaps the most unfortunate aspect of The Marque closing is that it leaves Houston with one fewer place to smoke cigars indoors. The concept may not have a future in CityCentre, but surely it's viable somewhere.
