One of the perks of living in Florida is we still get to take advantage of all the restaurants with outdoor dining even in the winter. Orlando’s favorite tavern, Marlow’s Tavern, recently rolled out food and drink favorites conducive to warm, friendly gatherings on chilly afternoons and evenings of Orlando’s coveted patio season.
Last month I was able to join some fellow bloggers at the Marlow’s Tavern Lee Vista location to try out some of the new additions. I love that they switch up their menu with the seasons to feature ingredients that are in season. They always keep certain items on the menu year round though, so you can always find something you like.
We started out the evening with four of their new cocktails. Marlow’s always done an amazing job with their cocktails, so deciding which one to try was hard. I ended up going with the Pineapple Rum Express which had Plantation pineapple rum, St. George spiced pear liqueur, and fresh lime juice – it was amazing. They always had Our G&T – Empress 1908 gin, smacked sage, orange, angostura bitters and tonic; The Jet Plane – Bacardi añejo rum, Brovo Amaro #1, aperol and fresh lemon; and the Beached Margarita – Herradura hibiscus tincture, Beach coconut whiskey and house sour.
As the evening went on we got to try a variety of new appetizers and entrees. One of the things I love most about Marlow’s is that you can always find something for everyone. Vegetarian? They’ve got you covered. Meat eater? You are in the right place! Pescatarian? Here fishie fishie. And if you see something you are interested in but its got something you can’t have, talk to your wait staff and the kitchen will take care of the change for you.
My favorite appetizer of the evening was the Feta & Artichoke Fondue with grilled artichokes, Swiss chard, creamy Mornay, feta cheese and toasty ciabatta bread. This is totally a shareable appetizer, but I could have eaten this as my meal and been perfectly happy. You know something is good when there isn’t a bite left!
I’m not a vegetarian by any means, but I really don’t eat a lot of meat/poultry/fish. I was very excited to try out the Roasted Vegetable Lasagna that was on the new menu. It had sage Mornay sauce, pomodoro, butternut squash, Swiss chard and mushrooms. I never would have thought to put butternut squash in lasagna but MAN OH MAN was it amazing. I’ve actually had it twice since the blogger dinner. (Yep, I like it a lot).
In addition to these great dishes we got to try out some of the other appetizers and entrees on the new menu. You really can’t go wrong with any of the new options. I even tried my first ever pastrami sandwich! So make sure to head to Marlow’s Tavern soon to try out all the new menu items before it is too late.
Arugula, Trout & Apple Toast – smoked trout, baby arugula, Granny Smith apple and pickled red onion
Pastrami Melt – Montreal Smoked Meats pastrami, Swiss cheese, caramelized onions and dijonnaise on deli rye
Grilled Atlantic Salmon – with jumbo couscous, baby spinach, toasted almonds and dried cranberry in a red wine reduction
About Marlow’s Tavern
Marlow’s Tavern was established in 2004 with the opening of its first location in Alpharetta, Georgia, and has continued to grow over the years, adding many Atlanta-area restaurants, as well as locations throughout Orlando and Tampa, Florida. In 2013, Nation’s Restaurant News named Marlow’s Tavern one of its “NRN 50 Breakout Brands” for the year. The neighborhood restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily, offering guests classic American tavern fare with an upscale twist.
*Disclosure: As a Marlow’s Tavern partner I was able to try out the new dishes from the Fall and Winter flavors menu. As always, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.
