Mark’s Prime: Enhancing a Legacy

With new ownership, Mark's Prime boasts subtle enhancements while maintaining its classic flavor.

BY CARLTON REESE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN JERNIGAN

When Mark’s Prime changed ownership hands recently, there may have been a fear among local patrons that Ocala’s most elegant steakhouse was going to be transformed into something unrecognizable, a departure from that which built its unique reputation as a restaurant anchor of the downtown scene for over the past 20 years.

“You don’t reinvent the wheel when the car is running well,” said new general manager Michael Mink. That means maintaining the Mark’s Prime commitment to serving the best prime steaks in the area and simply adding to the enjoyment of the fine dining experience.

“The way we view it, we’re stewards of an important part of Ocala’s downtown restaurant landscape,” said Don Gulling, part of an ownership group of locals that

"They're not just here for the meal, they're here for the experience."

consists of his wife Michelle, Nate and Abbey Stockman, Navroz and Azim Saju, and Deb Cone. “Our mission is to keep this place an elite luxury steakhouse and continuing its legacy of the past. One reason I’m involved is because I love this place – I love the people here and I love the food here.”

The quality of the beef – Mark’s Prime always has and always will use only prime cuts of beef – and the expert preparation by Chef Randal and his team will maintain its highend modus operandi, but subtle changes are improving the overall dining experience.

“The way you cook food and the way you present these dishes really matters to guests because they’re not here just for the meal, they’re here for the experience,” Gulling said. “The flavor’s still fantastic, the ingredients are still similar, but the presentation is at a much