Marlowe – SoMa
300 Townsend St
San Francisco , CA
(415) 974.5599
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VdV Rating: 2.5
Food: Ca/american
PRO: Great burger!!
CON: A little too cramped, kind of spacey (although pleasant) service
Alrighty then. ‘A New American brasserie’, you say. I’m not sure exactly what that means, and after eating here last night still not sure WTF it means. Small, semi-intimate yet bustling, with casual, fresh food? That’s what I think. And what I think goes! You’re on my turf now, bitches! My Way Or The Highway, and all that.
So we missed out ever eating at the old South, so wanted to make sure we got in to Marlowe pretty early on. This is a tough ‘hood to make it in! Marlowe is tiny, people. A little cramped but with a nice ambiance.
We worked our way through quite a few dishes off the small menu. The cool thing was, for such a relatively small menu (4 ‘snacks’, 5 appys, 6 mains) there was a lot of good-looking stuff.
We started with a special, Ahi Tuna Tartare ($11), with Watercress and Mustard Seed. It was served in 4 nice sized chunks, very fresh and drizzled with some EVOO and laced with spicy watercress. The addition of the mustard seed was creative and added a nice subtle bite. Our guest, a chef who shall remain anonymous to protect his…wait, what does he have to protect? Well, whatever. I don;t want to put words in his mouth, let’s just say. Except for this – he thought there was too much difference in temperature in some of the filling. Some cool, some warm. He’s prolly right, I just inhaled the little bastard all in one bite and was happy..
Next we had a couple Baked Oysters ($3 ea) with New England Chowder In Shell. Hey, Chowda! So, when you include baked oysters, how can ya go wrong? These were pretty good, made for a nice bite with light breading, fresh oysters and a creaminess that I liked.
The Crispy Brussel Sprout Chips ($6) with Meyer Lemon & Sea Salt, although I had heard raves about, were kinda so-so. Maybe no matter how you try to serve brussel sprouts, I’m just a hater. I wouldn’t have them again, but if I was ever theratened to be force-fed brussel sprouts I would request they be prepared like these.
Next! The Steak Tartare ($12) with Poached Quail Egg & Crostini. Pass! We are pretty close to being Steak Tartare bitches, along with Thin Crust Pizza and…what was it again? Who cares. Maybe Tacos. Anyhoo, this meat was fresh, but you could tell it was prepared previously, and the acidity in the mix actually cooked it. I mean, the stuff came out brown. There was no ‘moo’ in this tartare.
Then, holy crap, the MF’ing highlight of the meal! And, not to get all tangential on your asses, but I must say, me and my BFF Michael Bauer actually agree on something! Yes, Marlowe’s burger kicks serious ass. Kicks serious enough ass that I am coming back here before anywhere else in the ‘hood next time I want a burger. Its official name? The Marlowe Burger ($13) with Carmelized Onions, Cheddar and Bacon. With Fries and Aoili. It’s made of Niman Ranch beef (and maybe a little lamb) and has a near-perfect flavor and an excellent grilled taste. Nice and juicy, we even went medium rare so we wouldn’t gross out our friend Sarah. The bacon and cheddar brought it home and the Acme bun made for a nice little vessel for it all. made up for the ‘ok’ bun. The fries are thin, crispy and salty too. I just drooled. Get this burger, bitches!
Then we had the Lamb Mixed Grill ($24) with Butter Beans, Chard and Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Gratin. Christ we’re pigs. The other J liked the lamb better than I did. I’ll give it this – it was cooked nice and medium/medium rare, was juicy and a decent portion. For $24 not a great size portion though, and I thought it was way over-salted. Plus when I hear ‘Mixed Grill’ I expect more than just two treatments. OK, I’m a pig and a whiner. Waaahh!
Oh yeah, we’re not finished yet! The Poulet Vert ($19) with Fingerling Potatoes, Olives and Chicory. No, not Green Eggs and Ham, Green Chicken & Spuds. This was a good dish, about 1/2 a bird, cut into thirds and plated very well. Nice and tender, and the spices – slet’s see, some chives, parsley, scallions, maybe a teensy bit of minth if I had to guess – made for a nice, mellow flavor to the plumb bird. I didn’t really get the chicory but oh well, it was still a very good dish.
And then, the Smoky Caulifower Gratin ($7) with Aged Provolone and Smoked Cheddar. Dang, guuurrl. This simple dish was smokin’! We gobbled it up like piglets. The cauliflower was diced up tiny, and tasted like even it got smoked a little. And the smoky gooey cheese was T-A-S-T-Y. This is the way to get your veggies!
Then…OMG like we needed this. Out of the blue, arrived all three desserts they serve: The TCHO Chocolate Pudding, Mayer Lemon Curd cake, and the Upside Down Apple Crisp with Bourbon Ice Cream and Brown Butter Caramel Sauce. All on the house, very generous of them. And all damn good, but guess our fave? Go on, go on! Yeah, I know the Bourbon bit gave it away. You guessed it Gomer, the Crisp was outstanding, and the blend of the strong, Bourbon Ice Cream with the caramel went with the apples like buttah. Rock on!
Like I said up top (yes I know, about 700 words ago, stay with me) the service was very friendly. A little spacey – we asked for a taste of wine and she simply never brought it, same with some dijon we asked for with the burger – but definitely very pleasant and upbeat. ‘A’ for attitudes, suckas!
They have a short but complete wine list as well (yes we worked our way through that too) and several quality brews.
Bottom line: Best burger in da ‘hood, some pretty solid menu selections.
Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30a-2:30p; 5:30p-10:00p
Sat 5:30p-11p
