Marlowe: Hamburger and Brussel Sprout Chips

Saturday Date Night:  August 28, 2010 @ 6 PM

Saturday means Saturday Dinner Date Night!!!  Enrique and I went on a trip to the City for an early dinner and a movie afterwards.  He is happy to sit back and enjoy, and lets me do the planning for our date nights. And I am more than happy to accept the role.  So for this Saturday I wanted a casual yet classy venue. Marlowe's decor and ambiance perfectly fit the bill. Housed in a converted loft which is the norm at South of Market where Marlowe is located,  it is sleek and cozy. 

It has red brick exterior with funny quotes on the glass windows. 

Marlowe is tiny yet charming.  It can probably sit a maximum of 50 diners. The  wooden tables are set up for 2-4 people and has one long communal table for 6.

A nice long sleek bar:

On the wall was the signature chalkboard sketches of farm animals that seems to be Marlowe's trademark.

I bet the phrase "I don't even like Brussel Sprouts but" has been uttered time and again  in describing Marlowe's Brussel Sprout Chips ($6).  Personally, I love veggies but I don't even like Brussel Sprouts but these crunchy delicate chips were addicting!! A little too generous with sea salt but nothing that a nice cold drink could not take care off. (Enrique thought they were greasy but still liked them.)

Brussel Sprout Chips

And my Sangria did just that. A carafe that set us back $13, this apple fiiled sangria, although refreshing,  was very not good.  The diner next to us pretty much verbalized my disappointment:  "Watered down. Hardly any alcohol." It was not worth it.

Apple Sangria

As a second appetizer, Enrique ordered the Spiced Prawns ($12).  I slapped my forehead because I forgot to order Marlowe's famous Bone Marrow but the regrets disappeared as soon as we bit into the prawns.  The head-on prawns were nicely grilled and sweet. The accompanying spicy horseradish cocktail sauce perfectly complimented the salty prawns.  Delicious!

Spiced Prawns

Enrique and I could not pass up Marlowe's famed hamburgers ($13). Regular-sized burger and not the super-sized version, each order came with one patty, cheese, 3 crispy bacon slices, caramelized onions, shredded lettuce and horseradish aioli.  To be fair, I asked for no cheese which they also omitted the caramelized onions. Enrique got "all the works." We found the burgers to be juicy--good but just okay.  It did not live up to the hype.

Marlowe's Famous Hamburger

The fries were golden brown, crispy outside yet tender inside. Seasoned with salt and parsley. Nice compliment to the burgers although I ate more of the Brussel Sprout Chips as an accompaniment.

Hamburger, Bacon, Fries and Horseradish Aioli

Service was friendly and very efficient. Enrique hardly had to lift his fingers to pour his Boylan Soda in his glass. The server did it for him few times. The tables were cleared on a timely manner.

The bill was $83 including tax, Healthy SF fee of $2.75 and 19% tip. 

A delicious pre-movie dinner at the Metreon where we saw "Lottery Ticket." Very funny with Ice Cube's usual "moral lessons" "preached" in an entertaining way.

Parking: Marlowe's is a great dining option for pre-baseball at AT&T Park. However, if you are not going to catch the game, be prepared to pay $20 for parking or walk 8 blocks just like we did where we parked at one of the metered spaces.  On a beautiful afternoon in SF, strolling just added to the fun of our Saturday Night Date!!!!

FOODIE GIRL'S RATINGS: 4.5 Innovative and delicious
The Famous Hamburger:     3.5   Good but did not live up to the hype
Decor and Ambiance:           4.5    Classy casual Saturday Date place
Service:                                 4.0    Efficient, friendly but also slightly aloof


Key:

0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Very disappointing but there it has some good things to offer.
3 Stars: It is okay but do not expect much. I might still return.
4 Stars: I like it! I will be singing your praises!
5 Stars: I will be dreaming of you at night!
6 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)