by Audra H. Anders for The Aha! Connection with lots of help from Peggy Smith!
Back in the day when my boys were playing travel baseball, my husband discovered Marlow’s Taverns in Tucker and Vinings. Then we found the one in East Cobb and then the one near Sugarloaf. If we could find a Marlow’s near our games…we went. There was (and still is) something for everyone. The menu changes twice a year and each Marlow’s has a different vibe but the same amazing food/drinks/service! When we found out Marlow’s was coming to Dunwoody, my whole family literally jumped for joy. We are Marlow’s super fans. Hubby and I recently dined at Marlow’s Avalon prior to a movie. I’m going to see Beautiful at The Fox tonight with a girlfriend and she has already requested that we go to Marlow’s Midtown on the way to the show!
Since Marlow’s arrived in Dunwoody, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Kaffee Hopkins (Director of Brand Marketing). I helped connect Dunwoody High School Baseball, Football, and Basketball with the Dunwoody Marlow’s Tavern management over the years and was thrilled to see the Spirit Plaques for the current teams in the Marlow’s foyer on Monday! My favorite spirit night ever was the 2019 Baseball gathering on the porch. Kaffee says it was their biggest spirit night to date! They still love supporting the Dunwoody community so be sure to contact them for your local school club/organization. Plus…did you know they have been hosting a popular Tuesday night cornhole event which returns in late June!?
Back to the menu changing twice per year….Marlow’s Executive Chef/CEO, John Metz changes the menu twice per year, generally spring and fall based on seasonality and fresh ingredients. Metz has degrees from business school AND the Culinary Institute of America which is a unique combination in the restaurant industry. Peggy and I were lucky enough to receive an invitation from Kaffee to try out the newly updated summer menu which has been available just over a week.
They’ve added Crafted Spirit Free Cocktails including a Black & Blue Mojito, Mocking Rita, and an Apricot Mule. We tried all three. The Mojito was beautiful and refreshing and the Mocking Rita did not taste non-alcoholic! All the mocktails have been very popular so far….and if you want….you can always add alcohol!
I thoroughly enjoyed Kaffee ordering almost everything on the menu and being able to rattle off which things were gluten free…and if she didn’t know…she texted the chef! We had a feast and my young adult son was thrilled when I walked in with a huge bag of leftovers!
We tried the following new items on the updated summer menu:
- Crispy Panko Cauliflower (perfectly coated, on top of a creamy Gogonzola with a buffalo sauce on the side for dipping)
- New-Style Hummus (hummus with toasted pita and crispy harissa seasoned Brussels sprouts and cauliflower)
- Blackened Trigger Fish (just the right amount of seasoning, on top of rice mixed with okra, corn, peppers, onions, and tomato – lovely light & summery meal)
- Chicken Stack (side of cauliflower puree, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms …. delicious flavor and favorite leftover according to my son!)
We also had the:
- Infamous Fish Tacos now made with Blackened Mahi and corn tortillas – this is Peggy’s regular “go to” and now it’s gluten free so perfect for me!
- Shrimp and Grits – always a treat … lots of shrimp on top of the splurge-worthy Marlow’s grit cakes with just enough of a creamy tomato and shallot sauce and sauteed spinach
- Tomato soup and little Caesar – perfect for a light lunch especially when you order all the appetizers!
- Crème brûlée- very sweet with the right amount of vanilla and zero gluten!
- Crispy New York Strip Sandwich – another fave leftover of my son
Someday soon I hope to meet the Dunwoody General Manager, Chris McDonald. He was promoted from Chef de Cuisine to General Manager. He’s apparently tall and referred to as the “gentle giant” so I’m guessing he won’t be hard to spot.
Marlow’s is hiring front and back of house … apply here.
I can’t wait to try the Midtown location this evening!
Marlow’s Tavern Dunwoody
1317 Dunwoody Village Parkway Suite 102
Dunwoody, GA 30338
770-559-7528
marlows9@metzcorp.com
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Sun-Thur: 11:30am to 10pm
Fri-Sat: 11:30am to 11pm
