Written by Scott Joseph on 15 October 2012 on 15 October 2012 .
Marlow’s Tavern is now open at Pointe Orlando. Marlow’s is a “neighborhood pub” that has heretofore occupied only Georgia neighborhoods. The Pointe restaurant is the first outside that state and the company’s tenth.
I popped in for a media preview recently and found the space pleasant and cozy. It has a masculine feel, with exposed Chicago brick and dark woods. It reminded me of a smaller version of another tavern that was at Pointe Orlando many years ago: Dan Marino’s Town Tavern. Remember that one?
The menu is under the direction of cofounder John Metz, who looks a little like Alec Baldwin in a chef’s uniform. We sampled a number of items from the extensive menu, including several from the category labeled Start-Snack-Share. I liked the asparagus fries, lightly battered thin spears served in a paper cone. I think I’ve had enough of the truffled fries phenomenon, and can do without any more of those, thank you. But the hummus was nice, as was the shrimp and crab nacho plate, although it was more like a flatbread than a nacho. The J.T.’s Kettle Chips starter is more like a conventional nacho pile, but with potato chips instead of tortilla. The gorgonzola, bacon and chopped tomatoes were carefully interspersed among the chips rather than just dumped on top.
The burgers were most impressive. Big, thick patties on fresh buns with good-quality toppings. I sampled the black and blue burger, with gorgonzola and applewood smoked bacon (I get the blue part with the cheese but I’m not sure the bacon qualifies as black). I also tried the “everything and the kitchen sink” burger, which, thankfully, does not contain any porcelain or stainless steel. It did have bacon, caramelized onions and crispy onions, wild mushrooms, cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce and chipotle barbecue sauce. They were served with hand-cut fries, and I think they represented a good value at $11 and $12 respectively.
Marlow’s Tavern is the first occupant of a space that has been empty since Pointe Orlando first opened in August of 1997, and all these years it has been cleverly disguised as...well, as nothing. The folks at Pointe Orlando use some clever techniques to make empty spaces look as though they’re part of neighboring businesses. It is directly across a fountained plaza from Funky Monkey, and recently was under consideration by FMI Restaurant Group to be a second location for Bananas Diner. (Those plans have been put on hold.) Former Darden executive Alan Palmieri is overseeing the Orlando Marlow’s and will also look to expand the brand throughout Central Florida.