The Marrow for The MellowBee's Birthday

Two reasons to party: Mel's birthday and the anniversary of our engagement!  To celebrate, Mel wanted to check out The Marrow - the newest venture from Harold Dieterle, a fellow Long Islander and winner of the 1st season of Top Chef.  We love his first place - Perilla - so we had feeling this would be a fun night out.

And we were right!  We were greeted warmly by the hostess as we took in the fabulous decor.  Very cool red leather banquettes and graphic wallpaper, with a welcoming bar area off to the side.  They go for a dimly lit effect, so no photos did it justice.  But suffice it to say, just the visual of this place creates a relaxed yet upscale vibe that puts you in the mood for some fine food.

Our server was extremely friendly and pleasant, and soon after we settled in our booth we had drinks and delicious warm pretzel rolls.  (Since this place is Harold's ode to his German/Italian heritage, the unique spin on a dinner roll is perfect!)

Then obviously when at The Marrow, one should try the marrow.  So we did.  We weren't sure what to expect since neither of us have ever had beef marrow before.  At first the consistency was surprisingly gelatinous, which is not what your brain usually predicts when looking at a bone.  But once you know what to expect from the texture, the flavor is AMAZING!  This particular preparation includes sea urchin on top, and the combination of flavors really is sublime.  Eaten with bites of bread, it reminded Mel a lot of soft eggs on toast but with seasoning that brought it to another level of greatness.

Since the marrow is a bit filling, we both opted for fish dishes for our main course.  

Mel got the pumpernickel crusted salmon (which the chef prepares medium rare),

and DJ got the white balsamic-glazed black cod.

Both were phenomenal, and we liked each other's so much that we wound up switching plates in the middle so we could enjoy the best of both worlds. 

Though we were stuffed, you can't have a birthday without cake.  :)  So DJ got the ginger stout cake (like an ultimate gingerbread cookie) and Mel got the almond chocolate pear torta (just the right balance of all three flavors).  We loved them so much but were so full, so we decided to take most of them home to enjoy for breakfast!

Cheers to a wonderful celebration!  Our Top Chef buddy never disappoints.

And a few days later, the birthday celebration continued with a trip to Carnegie Hall to hear Mel's favorite author read.  What a treat!