Like all great restaurateurs, Mark Maguire makes the difficult job of running a popular restaurant look effortless. He's able to do this because he's done every job in the place at one time or another in his busy 20-year career. After launching over 25 restaurants for other companies, Maguire felt qualified to use what he'd learned about customer service, gourmet food and relaxed ambience to open one of his own.

Maguire's was his vision of a relaxed, inviting restaurant with an interesting menu-not fussy or snobbish, but created for people who simply enjoy food in all its variety. He had the concept in the back of his mind as he worked for other restaurants, noticing carefully what worked and what didn't, always believing there was a niche for the kind of food he imagined.

One of Maguire's most rewarding career connections was his long relationship with Walt Disney World. Disney is known, of course, for service, and working for them Maguire learned much about the attention to customer comfort that marks his establishments. His tenure with the company earned him international recognition in the hospitality industry.

His first opportunity with Disney came when he launched their Pleasure Island facility in Florida, Disney executives, noting his success, next tapped Maguire to lead a team for the grand opening of EuroDisney outside Paris.

After the Grand Opening, he remained in Paris as Operations Manager for Festival Disney, where he coordinated efforts to maintain the exacting Disney standards of hospitality and guest service.

In 1994, Carlson Restaurants Worldwide hired Maguire to help launch their first Specialty concept, The Front Row Sports Grille, at the Ballpark In Arlington. "Opening a 22,000 square foot facility with a full game midway for kids and adults, over 70 television monitors, pool tables, darts, a gift /memorabilia shop and a 425-seat restaurant can be quite interesting," he says of the project.

After 2 years with Carlson, Maguire joined Unique Restaurant Concepts as Managing Partner for Max's Grille, a 250-seat chef-driven restaurant located in the Disney community of Celebration, Florida.

Finally he was ready to take the plunge, and in 1999 he opened Maguire's in Dallas to rave reviews. This was closely followed by the launch of M Grill and Tap, a more casual venue.

Maguire takes seriously his role as a leader in the Dallas restaurant community. He serves as President-elect of the Greater Dallas Restaurant Association, is a director for the Texas Restaurant Association, and sits on the board of Phil Romano's Hunger Busters Foundation, which feeds the homeless.

Born in Lyon, France, Cherif Brahmi has built an illustrious career in his adopted home in Dallas. Before becoming a partner at Maguire's, Brahmi was Chef du Cuisine at Mi Piaci, and he has donned the top toque at such notable Dallas kitchens as Cafe Pacific, Old Warsaw, Lombardi's and Via Real.

Classically trained in his homeland of France, Chef Brahmi moved to America in the 70s after traveling extensively in Europe. He is comfortable working in an array of ethnic cuisines, and regardless of the type of food, he demands fresh ingredients.

Asked what he considers the most important element of fine cuisine he remarks, "Maguire's features signature dishes from around the country and the world, but whether the background of the dish is French, Italian, Cajun or home-style, freshness is essential to a great dining experience".

For Maguire's, Chef Brahmi has created an imaginative, yet moderately priced menu designed to draw adventurous diners without intimidating those with more traditional tastes. The Chef's signature dish, classic lasagna, stands alone as a great tasting entrée-a huge square of layered pasta is filled with a thick bolognese and luscious ricotta and mozzarella cheese.

From Asia he's brought a quick grilled maple-ginger salmon with basmati rice and wok-seared vegetables. "At Maguire's, I enjoy more than anything bringing dishes that might seem exotic at first and seeing them become favorites," says Brahmi. "I love having customers who have spent their lives here in Dallas come in and ask for a dish that originated in Bangkok or Lyon."