Marlou DTLA: A “But Wait There’s More” Dining Experience

I’ve really wanted to check out Marlou in Downtown LA for quite some time and knew on this last trip home it was a must! The love child of Chef Marcos Spaziani and Louis Huh, this passionate project spun from their successful food truck, ML Eats and expanded into the lovely space on Flower St.

A lot of people may recognize Chef Marcos from the series Below Deck, who became one of the fan favorites for his unflappable character in the galley of the Parsifal, never loosing his cool (or his balance) when Captain Glen would open the sails and break loose on the open water. And that even keel attitude and innovative culinary approach is a big reason that Marlou is such a special place.

What my best friend and I couldn’t know when we made the reservation, was that this was about to be an epic night, and not just because of the food.

First though, the food (and cocktails):

- Hamachi Tiradito (hamachi with a lovely aji soy vinegrette, pickled onions and a pop of fresh radish)

- Octopus (with house made chorizo, fingerling potatoes and this ridiculously good sweet and spicy sauce)

- Cachapa (a delicious filled sweet corn dough with multiple options for toppings, in which we went with a braised pork that was just fabulous)

- Crispy Trout (look, I’m not normally a trout fan, and this was knock my socks off amazing!)

- The Parsifal (a light and fresh cocktail with Empress Gin, Gifford Grapefruit liqueur, cranberry juice and fresh lime)

- Nutty Professo (a fun take on your traditional espresso martini with Screwball Peanut Butter Whiskey, espresso, Cointreau and Irish cream)

- Mezcal Old Fashioned (my new go-to anymore, it’s the perfect balance of the smokiness of the Mezcal with a sweet twist. I may have had a couple of these…)

So what could possibly make the evening more epic than all those tantalizing dishes?? Hanging out with the absolutely wonderful Chef Marcos and his surprise guests, the amazing Chef Dave White, and the vibrant perfection that is Hayley De Sola Pinto (with the added bonus of my oh so fabulous Trossey).

Absolutely make a reservation the next time you’re in DTLA and wanting a delightful meal with a lot of heart and soul. You never know who you may meet.