Photograph by Catherine Grace
Marigold invites guests into an oasis crowned by a mural of a red-haired queen. Bookshelves divide the cavernous space, doubling as sound absorbers by the grace of secondhand hardbacks. The surrounding design is lush with deep green finishes and warm wooden floors, quietly emulating the atmosphere of an elegant English parlor or sitting room.
This may seem strange since this concept revolves around London pub culture. To understand what the restaurant offers, however, you must first learn what it does not. It isn’t a replacement for your favorite Indian take-out, and it isn’t an Irish pub repainted with the Union Jack. This is the fusion of Anglo and Indian cuisines that grew from multicultural neighborhoods, where immigrants from colonized nations served meals that appealed to all of their new neighbors. Bangers and mash often appeared on the same table as curries and naan, and soon this blend became a British treasure.
The plates are all antique china, painstakingly collected from the farthest, dustiest corners of the tri-state. Before the restaurant opened, Haley Nutter-Sitek actually put out a public call for strangers to donate their unwanted wedding china to Marigold’s hoard. Granny’s saucers do great work here. Every plate my party was served came from a different set, and that kind of whimsy is hard to resist.
Photograph by Catherine Grace
The cocktails introduce the cuisine as well as the staff. The best are comfortable, accessible twists on old classics. The Pimm’s Royal Cup (made with custom gin from Cincinnati Distillery) welcomes you with a cool breeze and leaves with a flush of ginger sunburn. Although it was very sweet, the spices in the chai espresso martini transformed the glass into a holy grail. Be prepared to draw Excalibur or order more rounds, because everyone will want a taste.
If your party has room for only one appetizer, go for the English Pea Scotch Egg. A spiritual cousin of the turkducken, this creation takes a Scotch Egg (an egg trapped inside sausage, trapped inside breading) and adds an extra layer between the layers. It’s an experience. The sausage and egg play very well together, the peas blend sweetly into the greenery, and there’s just enough sausage to lend a salty edge without becoming intrusive.
If you want to try as much as possible, remember that anything is shareable if you ask the server nicely, and the cottage pie is especially easy to dole onto smaller plates. It’s a British shepherd’s pie, served hot in its baking dish with waves of gently rolling mashed potatoes inviting you to dive in. Though a bit heavy on salt, it’s deeply savory, and the meat’s natural flavor shines through, which makes sense since the pie uses ground prime rib and rib eye steak.
Photograph by Catherine Grace
The curry is good, but it’s English curry: more sweet than spicy. Two of the most popular are the butter chicken (a mellow reflection of tikka masala with tender, cubed chicken) and the korma chickpea and squash. The korma is one of those vegetarian dishes that converts omnivores. Complex spices create waves of flavor, and all the vegetables blend into a harmonious texture. Each curry comes with aromatic saffron rice and kachumber, a lightly dressed side salad that’s twice as refreshing after a heavy bowl of curry and rice.
Marigold boasts a wide range of seafood, chops, and steaks that deliver the restaurant’s primary concept from a different angle. Rather than reimagining British staples like sweet curries and Scotch eggs, these entrées thoughtfully introduce unique seasonings and delicate sides to bring out the meat’s best. The trout, for example, is a delicate powerhouse. Tender, butterfly-cut fish with light herbs and lemon gains an extra spark with the saag aloo (cooked greens and potatoes). The vegetables boast a lingering, smoky note, and this is a plate where everything’s at its best when it’s in the same bite.
If you aren’t feeling terribly adventurous, don’t worry. The menu takes variety seriously, and the Marigold burger is an approachable option with something different to offer. It’s a blend of tenderloin, rib eye, and striploin dolled up with Welsh rarebit (imagine a very thick, very cheesy roux), and served on a house-made English muffin. Holding room for dessert is a challenge, but the prizes are worth it. Continuing with the unofficial tea party theme, the star of the dessert menu arrives in a matching cup and plate holding Earl Grey ice cream and an assortment of biscuits (cookies) respectively. Everything but the china is made in-house, and the biscuits are too delicate for this world.
Photograph by Catherine Grace
The hot toddy service is the best way to end the night, bringing the setting, seasonings, and soul of the meal together in one pretty little teacup. To order, you’ll need to choose from a list of spirits (I went with bourbon), a list of sweeteners (I chose honey), and a list of spices (I picked star anise, cardamom, and juniper berries). The server delivers an antique cup and saucer with your spirit and sweetener. A traditional tea strainer spans the cup, holding your spices, and a pot full of hot water finishes the set. It’s a fun way to transform disparate elements into one beautiful concoction, and that’s not a bad way to consider Marigold as a whole.
Marigold, 60 W. Fifth St., downtown, (513) 996-0210
Hours: Dinner Sun–Thurs 4:30–9 p.m., Fri & Sat 4:30–10 p.m.
Prices: $7.95 (grilled house-made sourdough)–$44.95 (lamb shank)
Credit Cards: All major
The Takeaway: An elevated take on the English-Desi pub serves fresh twists on fine china.
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