I didn’t even know Marliave existed, it’s tucked between downtown crossing and park st, one stree over from the beantown pub. I have thins thing about trying out French restaurants, and I heard that this place was owned by the people who own Grotto – one of my favorite restaurants from last year. The place was pretty much empty, it had a very classic bistro atmosphere and I understand that it had a long history in Boston.
For the appetizer I ordered the Baked Stuffed Figs, mission figs stuffed with gorgonzola and wrapped in prosciutto. There is no way you can go wrong with this combination – it’s the thing dreams are made of. If figs were easier to find I would be making this for lunch every weekend, the dish was simple and tasted great.
I have this thing about ordering Steak Frites – I feel like you can get steak and fries anywhere so I’d prefer to go with something more unique to the particular restaurant. There was a chicken dish that i thought was part of the restaurant week menu, but it was not on the menu at the restaurant. I opted instead to go with the Sunday Gravy, which is a gnocchi dish. The gnocchi was served in a rich tomato sauce with pork and lamb. The meat was braised to the point it was falling apart – Irish stew consistency. It was a hearty dish and it hit the spot, I don’t eat gnocchi very often but I felt that the chewy pillows had a pretty good consistency that was satisfying. The sauce was so good I had to ask for a spoon to get as much as possible.
The dessert was the Chocolate Bomb, a chilled chocolate mousse in a hard chocolate shell served with raspberries, caramel sauce and whipped cream. Not a bad desert, but nothing mind blowing. Still, it’s pretty to look at and tasted ok.
3 Comments
this blog should be renamed, “james’s go-to food porn collection”
Akshay:
It was nice to meet you yesterday. Please feel free to reach out any time.
I have to comment on this post. Loved the Marliave in the old days. When I was a kid my parents would take us there once a year after seeing Santa at Filene’s in Downtown Crossing.
The original Marliave had been in operation for nearly a century and the fare was solid, red sauce Italian and it was a classic place with tiled floors and crowded/cozy wooden booths. A real throwback to 19th century Boston. Alas, our years ended with the arrival of spouses and children — our party got too big for the Marliave to accommodate.
It’s missed. Thanks for the review of the new place.
Hi Ted,
I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog. I found out about The Marliave through The Grotto, which is a personal fave of mine during Restaurant Week. Marliave actually surprised me in that it’s location is so central but I never really noticed it until I was actually trying to find it, I must have passed by it a hundred times when I was working downtown.
Out of curiosity, what’s the new Christmas venue?