Marlow and Sons

For many reasons, I wanted to check out Marlow and Sons so my friend and I took the subway over to Williamsburg today.

There is an ever expanding empire happening right there on Broadway.  There is Marlow and Sons, Diner and then Marlow and Daughters up the street.  They also own a Mexican restaurant which I did not go to. What's next?  We ate at Marlow and Sons.

You walk into a small room with a beat up petite communal table and grocery shelves.  They are carrying honey, coffee, chips, chocolates and a few other goodies.  The check out area which expands the entire side of the room also has a coffee machine, a variety of teas, sweets of the day and a glass cabinet with movable shelves.  Today the shelves had pizzas.  I assume this changes daily. 

The back is the restaurant.  Dark wood, long bar, mixture of chairs and banquettes, all wood.  A very rustic beat up type of feel.  The menu changes daily which is about 4-5 different things.  There is also a menu that has cheeses, charcuteries, and salad of the day.  This was lunch so I assume dinner is a bit different.

We each had an excellent salad of chopped red cabbage, thinly sliced carrots, leaves of cilantro, toasted Spanish almonds and a light dressing of olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar (I think).  We also split the open faced sandwich.  Made me think of Paris.  2 thinly sliced pieces of crispy bread slathered with a goat cheese and shaved brussel sprouts and golden raisins over the top.  Really delicious and creative.  Also tried the quiche which sounded interesting but tasted more like a sweet custard than a savory quiche.  Had 2 cookies for dessert.  Big chocolate chip crunchy cookie and a sugar coated peanut butter cookie which was light and only had the slightest hint of peanut butter in the taste.  Great coffee.

What I really liked was checking out the other locations.  Diner, which is next door, is like walking back in time.  You could hook up a semi to this building and drive away.  A real old fashioned diner.  Big counter the entire length of the place with the rounded ceiling and booths down the other side.  Didn't see the menu but did love the vibe.

Up the street is Marlow and Daughters.  Walking in this place is like being in Europe.  Very old school.  Butcher in the bag.  2 pigs laying on each other that had been carved down already and a large case for other meats.  A case for cheese and other interesting charcuterie.  Bright airy and white inside.  So one side of the store is cased and the other side has curated options such as a few olive oils, a few mustards, a few pickles, etc.  This expands into a small refrigerator with yogurts and fresh veggies. Really well done.

There was a couple there who was checking out the neighborhood.  He was a little older.  He said he felt like he was back in Naples.  Love that.