You know a restaurant has a weird system when the first thing a waiter says to you when he greets you at your table is, “I realize our system is a little weird here.”
This was at Marlin Bar at Tommy Bahama in Winter Park Village. Many of you will remember Tommy Bahama Cafe when it was at Pointe Orlando (it closed in 2018). It was a full-service restaurant and bar next to a Tommy Bahama retail store. About the only thing that’s the same here is that Marlin Bar is also next to a full retail store filled with the high priced (and let’s face it, high quality) silk and linen clothing the retailer is known for. A lot of the clothing bears a logo of a marlin fish, hence the name Marlin Bar.
The big difference here is that the restaurant isn’t exactly full service, though it doesn’t use the term quick service, either. One enters at the bar and is greeted by a cashier. Patrons are expected to order and pay or at the very least leave a credit card on file.
When I arrived, I had not looked at a menu yet, and I was waiting for my lunch companion, so I didn’t know what to order. Plus, I was using Apple Pay, because I’m hip and with it (except for still using terms like hip and with it), so I didn’t have a credit card to leave. Instead, the young woman ran a charge for one cent while I flipped my watch over on the card reader, then she told me I could have a seat at the bar or at a table on a large adjacent patio or in front of the restaurant.
That’s where we sat once my friend arrived, and from then on we were waited on by a server as thought it were a real restaurant.
(I don’t know why the Tommy Bahamians feel the need to have the credit card before guests order. Maybe Winter Parkers have a reputation for dining and dashing.)
So anyway, the first thing my lunch companion ordered was a cup of coffee, which was delivered in a paper cup. When she asked the server if she couldn’t have a real coffee cup instead, he looked at her as though the very concept of a porcelain mug was foreign. So much for sustainability. And also odd because nothing else was served on paper or disposables.
The server also asked if I still wanted seltzer. I looked at him as though the idea that I would order seltzer was foreign to me. We finally realized that in order for the woman to get my credit card number on file, she had to place an order for something. Turned out to be a one-cent charge for seltzer.
As for the food, we enjoyed the things we ordered. We shared the Street Corn Dip, served in a small cast iron skillet (just like on the street!). It had whole kernels blended with spices and gooey cheese, served with strips of tortillas. A nice little starter.
For my entree, I had the shrimp BLT flatbread, the usual bacon, lettuce and tomatoes plus some pieces of firm grilled shrimp on a not-too-thick, not-too-thin crust.
My friend chose the filet tacos, which had a nice amount of meat, tender and cooked to a bright red medium rare, served in corn tortillas (extra points for that) and topped with a spicy aioli, feta cheese and a glop of guacamole. There was also a garnish of corn, though the menu didn’t specify whether it was street corn or not.
The ambience, in and out, is bright and airy. The bar, the only place for inside seating, has a stone top and wall decorations that scream tropical. Dining outside in Florida is preferable on most days, so that should work.
Marlin Bar is a nice fit at Winter Park Village. So is the Tommy Bahama store, which I thought was out of place at Pointe Orlando. The food is good. The system is just a little weird.
Marlin Bar is at 438 N. Orlando Ave., Winter Park (map). It is open for lunch and dinner daily. The phone number is 689-345-7935.
