For letter M of Alphabet Dining, Alex and I traveled down by the Cal Train Station to the hip Marlowe in Soma.
Starters
Duo of Ahi Tuna
To start, we ordered the Duo of Ahi Tuna, which consisted of carpaccio and conserva, English cucumber remoulade, apples, olive, and anise hyssop. This dish was fresh and scrumptious, with crisp apple slices in fry-like strands. It was a beauty to look at and delicious to taste.
Warm Deviled Egg
Alex ordered the Warm Deviled Egg, with aged provolone, pickled jalapeno and bacon.
Baked Oysters
Our next dish was Baked Oysters, New England Chowder in a shell. I had never before tried baked oysters, and as an oyster fan was very excited to do so!
The baked oyster was absolutely divine. It was crispy on the outside, and oyster-soft on the inside. If I had to say anything, I would go a little lighter on the seasoning so as to retain more oyster flavor.
Entree
Marlowe Burger
For our main, we ordered the Marlowe Burger, with caramelized onions, cheddar, bacon, horseradish aioli and fries.
The burger was very, very good. We loved the sweet bun and bacon. Note: as you can see, this burger is no joke. You can split it and still leave full!
Dessert
TCHO Chocolate Cream Pie
For dessert, we enjoyed the TCHO Chocolate Cream Pie, with graham cracker & chocolate cookie crust, cocoa nib, and sea salt. I have a sweet tooth, especially for chocolate, but this dessert is extremely rich! To be fair, our waitress definitely did warn us about this. If you are already pretty full at this stage, I would probably opt for something lighter, such as the Vanilla Bean Affogato.
Overall Experience
Marlowe’s service was impressive. Our water glasses were always full, we were seated promptly at our reservation time, and the waitresses and hostess were friendly.
I appreciated their interesting menu, with TCHO chocolate, pork belly, and baked oysters which I had never tried before. The presentation was delightful, making even a simple tuna starter a work of art.
NB: Marlowe is popular, so be sure to make a reservation before visiting!