After some errands, my wife and I decided to have lunch at a place we haven’t been to since the pandemic started. Marlow’s Tavern on Mitchel Hammock Rd in Oviedo, FL is just 20 or so minutes from our house and easy to get to. Parking was a bit tight, but we found a space not too far from the front door. Something I’m starting to see more and more of was also present at Marlow’s. 3 full parking spaces right up front are dedicated to “curbside pick up”, when you factor in the ADA required disabled parking, it doesn’t leave much room for an already crowded lot. I doubt that 3 curbside pick ups and 3 disabled people will all decide to go to Marlow’s in Oviedo at the same time. Oh well, its the way of the world.
Once inside, I noticed there was a sizeable area of floor space as if they removed some tables. I quickly realized, however, that they have made no changes to the booths in terms of glass separators or something of that sort. The waitress was very young, probably a UCF student and very friendly and nice. We started with a bottle of, Italian, made Stemmari Pinot Grigio for $28 that provides us with 2 glasses each and we don’t have to ask for another glass, after the first, when we cant find the waitress. After getting our wine we were faced with another challenge that we face quit a bit in our area. A husband and wife brought their very young child and they sat right next to us. I guess I don’t have to mention that the child screamed several times when she wanted something or didn’t get what she wanted. My wife and I made sure they could hear our disdain and they moved outside fairly quickly.
On to the appetizer, the last time we were here we had a very yummy plate of chips, they call them J.T.’s Kettle Chips which features warm gorgonzola cheese crumbles, bacon, scallions and roma tomatoes for $9.50. Although it has been quite some time since we have been here, I believe the portion is smaller that last time. It doesn’t help that the plate was too big for the portion but I am convinced the amount is less. My wife was unsure. For the price, it seemed like a good value and an excellent start to the meal.
Once our appetizers arrived, we enjoyed them very much. Very crunchy and the flavor is bold as you would expect with the toppings they assemble the dish with. Now trouble comes into paradise a second time… Another couple arrive with two small children who were apparently spawned from Satan himself. The little boy quickly decided that this restaurant bar was his private playground all the while screaming his head off. I immediately descending into the “Mike Lilley, 1000 yard Death Stare” directed exactly toward the husband and wife combo. Surely they knew that trouble was coming their way from a very angry, quite large man with a chip on his shoulder. Naturally little Damien was crawling all over the floor and running around like he had never been disciplined before in his life. Which by the looks of the husband and wife combo, they could care less if they were causing a disturbance. My wife and I simply try to ignore the hoopla and enjoy our meal.
Once we enjoyed a glass of wine and had our kettle chips, it was time to order lunch. So many good items to choose from and I didn’t want to order something that I after considering several options I choose the Grouper Sandwich $17 and my wife wanted just a simple cheese burger and ordered the Royale with Cheese $16. There is no doubt that the name comes from the famous exchange between Jules and Vincent in the movie Pulp Fiction (see below).
The grouper sandwich had a mild flavor. I would have liked more of the jicama slaw. It came with fries which my wife and I both had converted to Truffled Parmesan Fries. Sadly the fries were a bit oily but had a good amount of flavor. Unsure if the excess oil comes from the Truffle oil or from the cooking process. All that being said, what matters is what is on the plate and the fries had no crunch, but had some flavor. My sandwich was good, pilled high with pieces of grouper. I would have preferred a single piece of grouper to make eating it easier, but was only a minor distraction. Cutting the sandwich in half, made it a much easier endeavor, a trick taught to me my my wife. The jicama slaw was pretty good there just wasn’t enough of it to add any sort of crunch. It appeared that there was very little, if any, dressing on the slaw which would have been nice. There was a bit of tartar sauce added to the sandwich, which if it was there the pieces of grouper would have fallen off all over the plate. I took a bite from the pickle and quite frankly it was warm. I expected a cold crunch, but alas no, its as if they left them out in the open in the kitchen. I left the balance of the pickle on the plate.
To be honest, the burger was just simply a burger. All things considered, when the cost of the burger is only a dollar less than a grouper sandwich, you would think there would be a bit more to it. The sauce, a tomato, bacon jam went a long way to giving the cheeseburger a great flavor. My wife said it was good and its exactly what she wanted at the time. Usually my wife has quite the sophisticated palate and will order an exotic dish off the menu which turns out to be spectacular. This occasion, it’s a cheeseburger. A $16 cheeseburger at that.
The service was good, the restaurant was not that crowded. Food came quickly and the waitress checked in on us several times and was pleasant. Once Damien, the spawn of Satan himself left the establishment it was quiet. We ate indoors because 90% humidity when eating a warm meal is not a pleasant endeavor in Central Florida. Too be honest, next time Rock and Brews would probably be a better choice.