Michelle WatersNestled in the middle of the busy and varied Front Street shops and eateries, Marietta’s Town House Sports Bar is a popular stop for locals. If you blink, especially in the winter (when their large, street side patio is closed for the season), you might drive right past them like we did, today. But if you keep your eyes peeled, you’ll catch this yummy and friendly stop in downtown.
From the outside, Town House is unassuming and low-key, with only a hint of 60s-80s musical hits wafting through the walls, out onto the sidewalks. Established in 1968, they’ve been serving a variety of dishes and drinks for years and are a staple in our community.
I’ve been meaning to check out Marietta’s Town House for an actual meal for a while, now, and Restaurant Week gave me and my family the perfect excuse. From the zucchini fries to the Oreo Cheesecake, my family and I wanted to try everything on their Restaurant Week menu. So we mapped out our choices and got ready for culinary happiness.
Hayla, our server, was friendly and helpful. She treated our daughter like an equal patron, and had several conversations with her, which were much appreciated. As a side note: even though this is a bar, kids are not only welcome before 9:00 p.m., they also have their own menu. We never felt uncomfortable having our daughter with us (who is 7) and we enjoyed the music, which was loud enough to sing along to, but not too loud to still talk when we wanted to. As we got ready to order our food, Faithfully by Journey came on. I’m sorry, but you can’t top that warm and fuzzy feeling too much.
Not only did we feel comfortable as a family, but we seemed to fit in with the dress code, as well. We dressed “nice casual”, and felt right in the mix of everyone else to showed up while we were there, which were many. We were the first people to arrive at dinner time around 5:00 p.m., and by the time we got up to leave, the restaurant was almost full.
Speaking of full, the food:
Let me start by saying I’m a fan of fried apps. So I was pretty happy to start the meal off with fried zucchini and broccoli bites. The portions were good, and we actually didn’t have room to finish the appetizers. But they came to our table quickly, and were hot and yummy. We were surprised that the broccoli bites seemed to have bacon and, I think, onion pieces in them. The Zucchini were a pretty good ratio of veggie to breading, and the ranch dip was really good. Jay (my husband) even said he’s not a huge zucchini fan, but he would definitely eat these again, and they were “not too zucchini-y”. He also enjoyed the included beer or well drink with the appetizer. I wish there had been a non-alcoholic alternative for the drivers, but it wasn’t the end of the world.
The salad (that Jay got with his steak dinner) was really yummy. We both liked the freshness and the variety of greens, as well as the flavor of the Italian dressing. We forgot to ask if it was house made, but we both thought it was really good and balanced. Yay for yummy dressings! And good sized salad, too.
When our dinners arrived, we were both getting a bit full, but were ready to enjoy. Our daughter patiently skipped the appetizers, waiting for her dinner (she had grilled cheese which she gave a 1000 out of 10 for gooey cheese and fluffy but crispy bread). It may be hard to top that, but we’re glad she loved her grilled cheese kid’s meal (which came with fries and a drink).
Jay’s steak was cooked well, according to him, and had good flavor. He said it tasted like “a neighborhood BBQ’d steak”. We both loved the hearty mashed red skin potatoes. I ordered the chicken and noodles, which tasted homemade, and “comfort-y”. I loved the combination of the pulled meat and potatoes with the noodles. So many carbs – good for a cold winter’s day.
Through it all though, we all agreed that the dessert was our favorite part of the entire meal. I’m still drooling, thinking about my Oreo cheesecake! It was rich and filling, and light and delicious… but that side crust was amazing. The texture was somewhere between melted chocolate and cookie, and held the filling together perfectly. Our daughter stole the actual Oreo cookie garnish, but I bet it was perfect, too.
The chocolate cream on top of Jay’s brownie sundae stopped me in my tracks. It tasted almost like mousse, but heavier, and I could have eaten a bucket of it.
I’m glad we were able to make what our daughter is calling our “Yum Debut” at Marietta’s Town House this evening. Looking forward to a full and fabulous week, falling even more in love with local food than ever before!