THE MARLOU
CELEBRITY CHEFS TAKE FLIGHT AT THE O HOTEL

The Los Angeles dining landscape is chock full of celebrity chefs. This city is all about stars that shine bright. And it’s that enticing glow that draws in the crowds at restaurant hot spots.  And from the dynamic dining duo of Chefs Marcos Spaziani and Louis Huh comes The Marlou at The O Hotel in Downtown L.A.

Foodies will be familiar with Chef Marcos from this season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht airing on Bravo. And locals should know Chef Louis from his tenure at Taste on Melrose, and Tortilla Republic. The two chefs met while at Taste and immediately bonded, eventually partnering on the popular ML Eats food truck.

Chef Marcos is from Caracas, Venezuela with an Italian background and Chef Louis is from Los Angeles with a Korean background. With their upbringings, which encompass a variety of dishes and cultures, they came up with From the Roots—a concept that comprises cuisines that are from the chefs’ roots, but with a modern twist. Their dishes at The Marlou comprise of ingredients the chefs grew up with. Their creations are truly a fusion of dishes and cultures from Korea, Venezuela, Italy and America.

During our recent visit to The Marlou, we started with cocktails at the bar. Pro tip: there’s even an underground bar at The O Hotel—The Burrow Bar & Kitchen—where you can begin your evening of revelry.

The Marlou offers an intimate setting not too far from the hustle and bustle of nearby Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center). It’s an ideal space to start a night out on the town or to indulge yourself with drinks, dining and debauchery.

We started our dinner with the delicious Octopus starter prepared with chorizo, potato, Shishito peppers, perilla, and gochujang aioli. It’s hearty and heavenly. Another solid starter option is the Bone Marrow Gnocchi prepped with dwenjang cream sauce, micro greens, and fresh grated parmesan. This is a clever dish that is rich and extremely satisfying.

If you’re looking for more filling options, you can’t go wrong with the Rib Eye Steak, and the Kimchi Paella. The steak is 16oz of pleasure. This dish is all protein served with perilla bernaise, chimichurri, and aji verde sauces. This one is definitely meant to be shared—or plan for leftovers. Steak sandwiches anyone?

Not to me outdone, the Kimchi Paella is a knockout entrée prepared with mussels, clams, calamari, shrimp, pork belly, kimchi, gochukaru, and saffron kimchi rice. Again, this one is completely sharable. Believe me, these oversized entrees are wonderful winners.

If you save room for dessert, I recommend the Torched Alaska with strawberry and matcha gelato, yuzu citrus compote, sponge cake, Italian meringue torch, and citrus smoke. Your Instagram or other social media platforms will thank you. Sure, it’s airy and decadently delicious but the presentation is worth the calories just for your posting pleasure.

Dinner at the comfy Marlou was a welcome retreat to a familiar normalcy of dining indoors. And all the dishes definitely delighted. I can’t wait to do it all over again.

The Marlou is located at the O Hotel at 819 S. Flower Street. Open daily. Call 213-784-3048.  

Story By: Jose Martinez

Photography Courtesy Of: The Marlou