The Coolest Lounge In Dallas
by Andrew Chalk
When it comes to cool places, there are lots of establishments that can talk the talk, but few that can walk the walk. I have long wanted the kind of space where the mindmap started with a bar, but then branched out in a human needs-driven elaboration of comfortable seating, restaurant class food, spellbinding aesthetics, unique atmosphere and, above all else, telepathic service.
THE ELEMENTS OF COOL
Seating would be comfortable and spacious enough to be restorative after the day’s stress. If there is something to see, make sure I have a clear sightline to it. Provide levels. One level is boring to look at and feels like a pen. The space at the table needs to be large enough for the culinary model. No Frenchie type tables, so small they get cluttered before you even get into your meal. The space between tables is critical, not wasted space. That air gap is privacy.
Food can vary enormously. It just cannot be an afterthought, cooked by the cheapest cook on the market in the most inadequate kitchen. Lots of bars seem to gush at the margins on cocktails and dismiss food as a necessary evil. My cool place would not.
Aesthetics are so hard to spell that, the thinking goes, they must have no place here. I take the opposite view. Here is a big chance to establish your USP (unique selling proposition). Unless you are in a place of outstanding natural beauty this usually means that it is time to bite the bullet and reach out to the fraternity of professional designers that specialize in meaningful hospitality.
Atmosphere is another conceptually nebulous thing that can nonetheless be bottled, with due forethought. It is lights, fixtures, music, and topology presented in a way that looks right.
Service is the thing that is vital to a cool place but which is the hardest to deliver. Otherwise winning concepts, like Midnight Rambler in a moody basement of the Joule Hotel, were ruined by service whose training seemed to consist only of how to use the POS (point-of-sale) system. Danny Meyer has written about what is required for really good service, but any manager could get a good idea comparing any branch of Chick-Fil-a with any other fast food chain.
THE PIECES IN THE MARLOWE TEAM
Your interest in Marlowe should pique with the deets on the team. The owner who is a 15-year hospitality ownership veteran. The general manager who was general manager of L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas. The beverage director who was recently the beverage director at Delilah. The chef who was sous chef at Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant Gemma in Dallas. The music director from the Village Beach Club in Dallas.The designer that designed Delilah, Theory, One Sette, and XoXo.
Owner Alon Abramov puts it this way “Marlowe started with one question I’ve carried throughout my career: how should a guest feel the moment they walk through the door?” For two years he has put the pieces in place for Marlowe. Thomas Menaitreau, Operating Partner & General Manager came from a similar position at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas, lured by prospects. I see in his hiring a strong emphasis on teaching staff what Jeff Bezos asked at Amazon “What does the customer want?”
BEVERAGES
Beverage manager Kyle Buckelew has a long list of local bars on his Facebook listing. At Marlowe I see a glance to the West Palm Beach bar scene where high-end cocktails and bottle service take precedence. Among the cocktails we really liked the ones based on the agave plant such as Stacy’s Mom (strawberry tequila, cacao, Ancho Reyes, lime, mole bitters), Clear Cut Marg (tequila, tamarind, lime, Cointreau Clarified), and The Remedy (mezcal pineapple, green juice, lemongrass). The G&T here is called High Tea as it uses Earl Grey gin. An acquired taste.
Wines by the glass include two sparkling wines. An obligatory premium Champagne, but also a sparkling Chardonnay from New York. Is Buckelew aware that there are respectable Champagne-method sparkling wines coming from The Great State of Texas now?
Bottle service consists of the wine list, which is well-chosen (even including an 11 year-old Barolo), pages for spirits, agave, “American Whiskey & Bourbon” (which should read “Bourbon and Other American Whiskey”), and I would head the page of Rye Whiskies “Rye Whiskey” to explicitly highlight it as a legitimate separate whiskey expression.
FOOD
Chef Vidal Cantu, who describes himself on LinkedIn as “Chef Mastering the Art of Refined Simplicity, Elevating Culinary Delights with a Focus on Minimalistic Elegance“ has created a series of small plates that come out quickly and are bitesized at delivery for easy snacking. Here you get an appetizer before dinner or, if you were the one in the party who didn’t plan to stay all night, have two or three for a full meal. We started with a refreshing Yellowfin Tuna Crudo in which tuna and watermelon slices alternated in a broth of gazpacho.
We moved on to Creamy Kocho Scallop Roll where the filling of Yuzu kosho kewpie (on the menu the two words are mistakenly conjoined), day boat scallops, thai basil, cucumber and chives made for earthy and complex flavors. There is a surprise here for the Japanese cuisine IYKYN crowd: The soy and wasabi accompaniments feature real wasabi. Ninety-five percent of what is sold as wasabi is fake (at 4% of the cost). This is not. The difference is immediate, your nose will explode. Just as the first time you travelled business class you said you would never go back to coach, one bite of real wasabi and you will never go back to the fake.
A flavor high point was the Charred Oysters with lemon garlic butter, toasted breadcrumbs and fresh herbs. I think of this as Cantu’s take on oysters Rockefeller. As such, it is one the best expressions in town.
After a selection of the savory bites, unscrew the chilled tin can at your place. It is tiramisu, served memorably, and intense in its coffee flavors.
MUSIC
Music is the thing I know least about but I do know when it is too loud to talk (most places). Alon Abramov has the same bête noire as me and monitors the volume in real time. Music Programming Director Garrett Swain, also known as DJ Zillamatic, is currently DJing, but live music is planned in coming weeks.
DESIGN
It strikes you the moment you enter. Lots of polished brown wood. Lots of curves forcing drama on you. Even the bathrooms are striking Game of Thrones corridors with porcelain walls. All of this is the result of Duncan Design Group bringing 24 years of work on clubs, restaurants and hotels to bear. You see the evolution on their web site where every creation is different, but they seem to have a shared lineage.
SERVICE
Service is going to be the area where Marlowe’s distinguishes itself from the competition. The biggest asset here is that Alon lives and dies by it. Like a proto Danny Meyer. On our visit several key tests were passed. One example: I wanted another drink and Alexis, our waitress, looked up while serving another couple across the room and nodded, just enough to register, to tell me she would be over. She synchronized her scan with the other couple looking down, absorbed in the menu, so they did not feel neglected. There are other establishments where practiced ignored eye contact is the modus operandi.
Alexis wasn’t just accessible, she also knew the food and drink as we asked for advice. This is important when choosing cocktails as, outside the crowdpleasers, all cocktails are location-specific. A knowledgeable and coherent server can make the evening.
CODA
Guys, if your hot date can recognize quality, this is the place to take her.
Business groups, if important clients are coming into town, consider starting the evening here, then heading out to one of the many good restaurants in Uptown.
Marlowe has started life as the real deal of high-end cool. It was nearly full by 8pm on our visit last week, so get in early before the lines start.
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