Where to Eat - Marlowe

I've been dying for a cheeseburger for the past month and a half so this weekend I went specifically looking for one for lunch with my brother and Andrew. After mulling over a couple of standbys and new locations we decided on Marlowe in SOMA. I have to say it's probably in my top 5 in the city.

We started with a baked oyster for each of us. Although I didn't quite get exactly "New England chowder in a shell" as the menu stated, I definitely got the general feeling. The oysters were baked with breadcrumbs and had a thick, creamy consistency reminiscent of a chowder. If they didn't say New England I probably would have responded better to them. As a native New Englander, I am very picky about my chowder - especially West Coast chowder. Overall it was a tasty way to start a gluttonous lunch. I ordered the cheeseburger and Andrew ordered the fried chicken sandwich so we could cut them in half and try two items. The burger was cooked perfectly - I can't stand when I order one medium rare and it's well done. The bun was on the larger size but I actually prefer more bun to burger because I end up making less of a mess. It acts as a grease guard if you will. The bacon was crispy but the cheese and caramelized onions were pretty unremarkable. The horseradish aioli was probably the best part. Horseradish has such an amazing, distinct flavor that it's really easy to overuse, but the aioli was perfectly balanced with just the right amount of bite. I also really appreciate the fact that they didn't serve a giant portion of fries because it's virtually impossible to leave any on your plate and you end up overeating.

I was kind of worried that the fried chicken sandwich wouldn't be as good and we'd end up fighting over the cheeseburger, but it held its own. The chicken wasn't remotely soggy even though it was topped with a bed of greens that had been dressed in Caesar aioli. I appreciate the large amount of greens and that there was plenty of Parmesan mixed in as well. It basically tasted like a crispy chicken Caesar salad.


Because we were with Andrew we obviously ordered dessert. I have to admit I always want nothing to do with it when ordered but definitely come around for one or two bites when it arrives. We had TCHO chocolate cream pie. The crust was a mixture of crushed graham crackers and chocolate cookies. I really liked how they kept it loose by not adding butter and baking it like a traditional crust. It was texturally interesting against the chocolate cream. It was also sprinkled with cocoa nibs and sea salt. Basically you can't go wrong with a dessert in a jar.

Overall I got my cheeseburger fix and then some. I'd definitely go back and am curious about their dinner menu.