Marben. I Think It Means "All Things Amazing."

I am neither a food critic nor an interior designer, but I feel the need to share a small slice of my excitement over last night's dinner experience at Marben.


Things I Loved:

• The rustic/masculine ambiance. From a giant painting of a falcon, to bathroom sinks deeper than my arm is long, to the woven-wood artwork along the length of the ceiling and the rusted/antique implements used in light fixtures... it felt to me like a hunting lodge. A high-class hunting lodge.
• Thick napkins. This is just important.
• Frequent refilling of water glasses. Out of a lovely decanter/jar.
• The kitchen view. I sometimes was distracted from our conversations by the angle I had into the food goings-on.
• Their use of locally grown, organic foods. They name their producers on the menu & on a tall chalkboard, and clearly cultivate relationships with them. This started a great little convo on the importance of stewardship and thoughtful food purchases.
• Tapas-style sharing. For an indecisive person like me, it's glorious to get a taste of multiple dishes. 
• Friendly and knowledgeable staff. When we asked our waiter an ingredient question he didn't know, not only did he say, "I'll find out for you," but thirty seconds later, a chef stood at our table and not only told us what was in the coleslaw, but explained the entire recipe/process for making it. And then wrote down the specific brand of cheese that we'd all adored (Fifth Town's "Wishing Tree") on a menu to take with us.
• All. The. Food. We shared: arugula & beet salad, rabbit macaroni & cheese, merguez sausage, a burger with fries & coleslaw, and a cheese plate. But you know what? None of those titles does them justice. Never have I had such delicious beets. My first taste of rabbit floored me. Sausage that isn't splattered with fat!?! That burger was not just a burger. And cave-aged sheep's milk cheese. DAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG.
• The bread with oil & vinegar. HOW could I forget. Fresh bread with soybean oil and baco noir vinegar. With a hint of maple syrup. So simple. Sooooooo tasty. 
• And of course, the company. The only thing better than amazing food is amazing food with amazing people.

The One Thing I Didn't Love:

• My drink. Meh. Seriously, just drink water and eat their food. EAT. THEIR. FOOD. 

Sigh. Blogging this twelve hours later is making my mouth water all over again. Karen took photos, which will be up on Facebook and I will find a link to, if possible. Her food descriptions will also be far more accurate and technical than mine.

Anyone want to go for dinner? Or lunch. Or brunch. Apparently their brunch is phenomenal. I would expect no less.