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I’ve been itching to check out Marigold Kitchen since I read about the chef change in December, but the two times I went to make brunch reservations I couldn’t get a table until 2:30 in the afternoon, which we all know is nap time. So when University City Dining Days came around I booked a table for four at dinnertime and prayed people would go with me. Marigold’s is located on South 45th street and sits surrounded by homes. The way to distinguish Marigold’s from the other houses is the small sign hanging off the front corner of the house, you almost walk right by it. The hostess barely spoke and quickly showed us to our table on the cozy second floor. The interior of the restaurant had a very warm and welcoming atmosphere. The neutral colors and little amount of decoration gave the dining rooms an airy feeling. A small bouquet of marigolds sat at the center of all of the tables and the space mixed traditional decor with modern dining ware.

For only thirty dollars a Dining Days diner gets three courses at Marigold, which is a really great deal. I rarely order salad in restaurants but I was very curious to try the Mache greens with marinated cucumbers and warm cornbread. The portion was somewhat tiny but packed a lot of flavor. The radish and cherry tomatoes added extra punch to the already tangy dressing. The warm cornbread was buttery and delicious and was the perfect companion to the small salad. I also snagged a bite of the grits and shrimp that my roommate was eating. It was much better then I expected grits to ever taste. For the second course I ordered the quick-smoked salmon with fried green tomatoes and yellow squash. The salmon was smoked just right, however the fish was still tender and flaked with my fork. Combined with the squash it was a texture. The fried green tomatoes were not necessarily my taste, but they were crunchy and not greasy which was delightful. I also tried the chive gnocchi with spinach and shittake mushrooms. Mushrooms and spinach are two of my favorite vegetables and they were cooked just right in this dish. Nothing was too soggy and gnocchi was very filling, but not too heavy. Dessert is always my favorite part of dinner and the warm chocolate cake with vanilla malt was by far the best part of the meal. A fist-sized chocolate cake is presented in a very large bowl next to a small glass of malt. Not sure if the large bowl was so you could pour the malt over the cake, but that’s just what I did and it was divine. Dinner lasted over an hour and a half, but the size of the dishes as well as the quality made you savor them slowly, so there were no large gaps of time in between courses. Overall I was very pleased to have finally experienced Marigold and hopefully will be able to snag a table for brunch very soon. Tonight is the last night for University City Dining Days so hurry up if you want to catch the great deals they have at select restaurants.