Wow. This place is simply amazing. Other than one hiccup (which I will explain below), we had an amazing experience and will definitely be back on our next trip to PR.
I am going to start with the good since it definitely outweighed the bad.
The food. OMG, the food. We went here on night two of an eight day vacation and dreamed about the food every day, almost returning a couple of times. The only reason we didn't return is that there were so many places we wanted to try while there. But, we will be returning next time without a doubt!
The boyfriend and I both did the four course meal and it was plenty of food. We also decided to be brave and try the wine pairings. I am typically not a white wine fan so wasn't sure if I would enjoy it. Let me tell you, it is WELL worth it. The pairings were so spot on, it was like each wine was made for that specific dish. Incredible.
I started with the Heriloom Golden Beets salad, then had the Tiny White Bean Soup, followed by the Sea Bass and, finally, the Creme Brulee. It was all perfectly executed.
The salad had plenty of flavors going on so as not to be your typical, boring beet salad, but not so much that you couldn't appreciate them all.
Had the bean soup not be "forced" on us, I don't think I would have tried it, but I'm sooo glad I did. When I say "forced" on us, it's something the chef recommends as one of your courses. I'm sure you can choose otherwise if you feel strongly about it, but I highly recommend trying it. It is the most decadent, flavorful, awesome bean soup you will ever put in your mouth.
The sea bass is indescribable it is so good. My mouth is watering just writing this. I have had sea bass many, many times, even cooking it at home every now and again. Let me tell you - I have never had it taste as amazing as this one did. It had this "coconut water-lime emulsion" that looked like sea foam on top of it and that seriously could not have gone better with the fish. I could write five pages on the fish, but you get the idea.
The creme brulee was also impeccable. The crust on top was just hard enough to get that "crack" when you break into it, and the custard was creamy and oh so good!!
I would go into all that my man had, but I think I've carried on enough. Also, to be honest, I was so consumed in my own food, that I don't remember everything he ordered. I know I tasted his food as well and all of it was wonderful, but I was in la la land on my side of the table and probably didn't even ask what he was feeding me. Lol!
Okay, now for the only negative part of the night:
Unfortunately, the one slip up did occur at the very beginning of our experience, so we started off with a bad taste in our mouths (no pun intended - seriously). We arrived about an hour early for our reservation. We knew we were early but were tired of walking and decided we would just hang out at the bar until our table was ready. We explained that to the hostess who then asked us to hold on for one moment. She came back and said they could actually seat us right away. We were, of course, very pleased about that! Well, it seems as though something got lost in translation at some point as the service was very spotty to start off with. Our waitress popped by the table about 5 minutes after we were seated to let us know she would be back with our waters and to tell us the specials. We then waited an additional 15+ minutes wondering why we couldn't have at least ordered drinks. We were about to leave when she came back by. These interim visits by her continued for another 30 or so minutes. However, about an hour into service (which would have been our original reservation time), everything turned around and was perfect for the rest of the evening.
I hate leaving bad reviews of a place without giving them another try or two. However, because we ran out of time on our trip to make it back by, we didn't get to give them that extra try. Now, in this case, my "bad" review would have still been a four star review. But, I felt the restaurant deserved more than that. Therefore, I sent an e-mail to the address on the webpage not sure what to expect. I sent the e-mail at 6:45 pm on a Sunday and received a very well thought out, descriptive, and polite response from the chef and owner of the restaurant at 10:10 pm that VERY SAME NIGHT!! Not only was that impressive, but his support of his staff as well as his approach at handling the situation was something you don't see often, if ever. He did not make any excuses, apologized, and asked that we please return next time we are in Puerto Rico.
Well, Chef Peter, I guarantee you we will be back. Your food, your staff, and your restaurant are all things that a person should get to experience as many times as is possible.
So, if you haven't yet been to Marmalade, you are seriously missing out, and I pity you. ;-) Seriously, go already!! read more