by Andrew Mellman » Tue Mar 06, 2018 4:08 pm
My wife & I decided to try the Porch at the Marriott before a concert last weekend. They’ve only been open a week, so this is a preliminary and brief summary of our opinions!
The space is quite nice, very different from the old Champions; it’s still bar-ish, but more formal, dimmer lighting, and while there are still tv’s with sports showing they are less obtrusive than previously. The place does get noisy as it fills up, but I know of few places today where this doesn’t happen.
We started with their signature Old Fashioned, a sweetish take on the classic with the addition of vanilla. While a tad concerned, we found it very refreshing and – while sweet – was not TOO sweet.
It was early and we weren’t that hungry, so we split two dishes. The crab hush puppies were seven smallish rounds of fried dough, stuffed with the strong taste of crabmeat. I thought this the best bite of the night, as – especially with the dipping sauce (a slightly spicy version of a remoulade) – it was a perfect starter (and with a soup or salad would have made a decent lunch).
The mahi tacos were delicious: two tacos containing very fresh perfectly cooked mahi mahi, with appropriate veges and sauces, and accompanied by a serving of elotes off the cob (a distant relative of creamed corn, with the “cream” being the typical topping if were on the cob!). My only problem with this is that it was $17. While possibly appropriate for perfectly cooked fish in a hotel restaurant, it was high for what we had.
Decided on dessert at the last minute, as we still had time before the show, so we also split a peanut butter pie. The layers (crust, a layer of deep chocolate ganache, a moderately heavy but tasty peanut butter mousse, and topped with whipped cream) were topped with broken pretzels for adding crunch to the pie or for dipping into the toppings!
Finally, the waiter was exceptional, very knowledgeable about the food and giving good recommendations. While corporate management was keeping an eye on everything (since it was only open the week), we felt that his training and personality wouldn’t change even without the supervision.
Overall, a very enjoyable experience! We are adding it to our list of pre-theater (or post-theater) places walking distance from the KY Center. I don’t know that we’d make a separate trip to dine there, but when we’re downtown it’s a definite option.
Andrew Mellman