MARK WEBER
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF CULINARY OPERATIONS AND CORPORATE CHEF, MARCUS HOTELS & RESORTS
If you’ve enjoyed a meal at Mason Street Grill in the past 18 years, you can thank Mark Weber. The classically trained chef has been with Marcus Hotels & Resorts since 2005, when he joined The Pfister Hotel as director of food and beverage. In 2007, he launched Mason Street Grill on the hotel’s first floor, which has since become a cornerstone of Milwaukee’s fine dining scene, serving delicious steakhouse fare.
What was your vision for Mason Street Grill when you opened?
Milwaukee was full of steakhouses at the time, and we knew we didn’t want to build just another steakhouse. We wanted to feel more like a neighborhood place, where you could come anytime and just enjoy a burger at the bar, but at the same time, we have high-end, fullservice dining. Steve Marcus, the Marcus board chair at the time, would say, “Make sure we’re serving real food for real people.” The emphasis has been simplicity, but always with the highest-quality food and service.
You’ve worked at some of the world’s finest restaurants. How did you bring that experience to Mason Street?
I worked at a Michelin-star restaurant in France where I saw the powerful combination of high-quality ingredients and skilled chefs who really understand their region. It was a tremendous learning experience. I’ve incorporated that respect for ingredients and technique into what we do at Mason Street Grill. It’s really about understanding how great food can be and challenging yourself to hit that benchmark of quality. If you pay close attention to even the simplest of ingredients, like we do here, the results are delicious.
What are your favorite dishes at Mason Street Grill?
Recently, we’ve been doing delicious classics. And the reason they’re classics is because they’re awesome! We have a beef Wellington that took us a month to perfect. Our tournedos Rossini is great, too: high-quality tenderloin, seared foie gras and Madeira sauce made the way it should be, from scratch. ◆