Marlowe's Tavern - Vinings

[Kenyada]

Marlowe’s Tavern (Vinings) has won over two new fans – Tricia and me. A good friend gave us a Marlowe’s Tavern Gift Card for Christmas, and we finally got an opportunity to get out together for dinner and a movie. The movie was “The Wolfman,” first showing on Sunday. And afterwards we headed for Marlowe’s. Neither of us had ever dined there before, but we had heard great things about the place.

Marlowe’s Tavern in Vinings is tucked away in a small shopping center on Cumberland Parkway; just down the street from Home Depot and Publix. It’s very laidback and casual, and you are immediately immersed in its warmth and charm.
The menu alone will blow your mind – and not just the variety, and the very reasonable pricing. The portions of food are extraordinary. Tricia always needs a “to-go box,” but I never need one… until Marlowe’s Tavern. For an appetizer, we ordered the Firecracker Shrimp with a spicy mustard sauce and a sweet chili sauce.
For her main dish, Tricia ordered something green and healthy – not that there’s anything wrong with that- although she did sneak a few of my fries.

I ordered a French dip steak sandwich (after all the carnivorous activity in The Wolfman, I was ready for steak). But I was overwhelmed by the mountain of food on my plate. The presentation alone was like a well-lighted photograph in some foo-foo cuisine magazine. I was immediately jealous of my eyes that had begun to devour the meal before I could taste it. The French fries were, dare I say it, PERFECT – crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and seasoned exquisitely. No salt required! It was almost sacrilege to add catsup but, let’s face it, I’m a New Yorker and had to keep it real. At one point, I was so lost in the dining experience that I mistakenly dipped a French fry in the dipping sauce… and it tasted great.

By the time we had our boxed up leftovers ready to go, Tricia decided to add a desert that we could share. The crunching overheard was me stomping my calorie counter. But seriously, she ordered a triple-threat death-by-chocolate cake, mousse and raspberry sauce that we both attacked with dueling spoons.

The service at Marlowe’s Tavern could not have been better. Everyone – from the greeter at the door, who showed us to our booth, to our waitress ( I believe her name is Nicole, to the General Manager Jaime Andrews, who came to our table to welcome a couple of first-timers – everyone made us feel welcome and comfortable. It was, quite simply, the best dining experience we have had in a long, long time. All of this presents us with a dilemma – how do we avoid being disappointed on our next dinner-and-a-movie? With Tricia flying around the country and my own hectic schedule, we don’t get many chances to drop everything and go out together. But, by virtue of its excellence, Marlowe’s Tavern in Vinings has made itself a priority in our schedule. It’s the kind of place that becomes a restful, enjoyable destination, as opposed to just another leg in the journey; a reward, if you will, for all the other stuff that we have to do every day.

We both enjoyed our meals, and if pressured to give a rating, we’d give Marlowe’s Tavern in Vinings 5 huge stars. But, of course, the real stars at Marlowe’s are its people and its menu.

[Glenn]

Sounds like an interesting place...if I find myself over on that side of town, I'll try to remember it and check it out.

Heads UP...if you and the mrs can get away for a couple of hours during the weekend of Mar 19-21, there is a play at the 14st Playhouse called Black-Man-ologues II showing that weekend. I saw the first one and it was really really good. I can't recommend a place for dinner but I highly recommend this play. Go to the 14st playhouse website to review the synopsis.

There are a couple more outstanding plays showing in the next few weeks but if you can make this one, you won't be disappointed.

[Kenyada]

Sounds interesting. I haven't been to the 14th St Playhouse since I saw a play about the life of Bessie Smith, many years ago.

BTW, Marlowe's Tavern has five other locations in Metro ATL. One is somewhere in the Northlake area. But I'm just recommending the Vinings location for now.