Friday, March 16, 2012

marley's

If I had a list: Favorite things about being a single parent,
at the top would be Boys Night Out...particularly that I get to go.
I'm not sure what would come after that. Possibly not much.

Friday night the girls had plans with Grandma Martha, so the boys and I went to Marley's Gourmet Sliders. Marley's has two locations, one at the Shops at Riverwoods, and the other at the Harley Davidson dealership, out at the old Geneva Steel site. Riverwoods would have been an easy walk, but the Harley Davidson location has been an I-15 landmark and curiosity over the years, and now that my five boys of all ages are old enough to be passionate about Harleys, the drive to Lindon seemed worth it. I have to admit, I half-expected to walk in to Pee Wee Herman and the Hell's Angels,  and was marginally disappointed to just find great vintage atmosphere, and other (ahem) normal families enjoying the amazing selection of  burger joint food.

And while I had made the little boys excited about the adventure out to see the motorcycles, only to fall behind schedule and arrive after the dealer and gift shop closed, I was not to worry. Marley's was open till nine, the lights were on in the shop, and while we waited for our food to arrive, the kids were able to press their noses against the big glass windows, and peer in at the motorcycles, and Harley Davidson gift items, from baby onesies to leather jackets, to curious.  I congratulated myself for arriving after hours, avoiding bringing to reality the nightmarish image that had struck my mind as we'd approached: William, motorcycles, and the Domino Effect.
So here he is from the picture window in the restaurant. Fun window shopping. And we were all still smiling.

Marley's offers an extensive menu and deciding necessitated some education. What is a slider?  How many do you need to order? And what to choose from the thirteen different free toppings, including  my favorites, bacon, mushrooms, avocado, and Sam's choice, jalapenos? And what about the nine sauces? Cranberry, Spicy buffalo (Ben's favorite), or Bleu Cheese spread.  Our friendly cashier was exceptionally patient as the six boys (Kyle's friend included) and I sorted through the options.

So according to my google research, Sliders are by definition small, square, and topped with diced onions. The belief is that they originated on Navy ships and the name refers to the way the burgers, due to their greasy nature, slide off the the grill or slide through the intestinal track, or their ability to slide through your esophagus because they are so small. Yummy. I think I might have liked them better before I knew that.

Here are Grant and William, unconcerned about etymology, with their kids meals in hot rod boxes.  They got the chicken strips, which were lightly breaded, uniquely seasoned and served with a delicious honey dill sauce.

I chose the onion rings--large in size and portion.  There were plenty to share.  And speaking of portions, all of us, excluding Sam, chose just  the combos with just one slider, and were quite satisfied. So they may be small, but they are filling.

We had just enough room to share The Hub Cap, deep fried brownies, custard, chocolate sauce and whip cream. Topped with a cherry, served in a hub cap. Delicious.

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