Marker 37 — Restaurant in Chester

Last week we made a 54 minute detour to check out Marker 37. We had heard David Saunders was the new chef/owner and having dined at previous restaurants he owned, we knew it would be worth the trip. We were greeted at the door by two very pleasant hostesses with beautiful smiles. We were given a choice of indoor or patio seating. While it wasn't a great night for sitting outdoors, we couldn't resist the beautiful panoramic Connecticut river view that the patio offered. We saw Chef David speaking with another table as we were being led through the dining room and he was kind enough to stop at our table on his way back to the kitchen to say hello, thank us for coming in, and make some menu suggestions. My husband ordered the clam, corn, jalapeno chowder which was perfectly creamy, not too thick, not too thin and nicely balanced with the sweetness of the corn and a kick of spice from the jalapenos. Lots of clams. I had brussels sprouts with spinach aoli. Can you rave about the goodness of brussels sprouts? You will if you order these! They were cooked to perfection with a nice char on the outside leaves, served with shaved Parmesan and micro greens and the spinach aoli for dipping put it over the top! I did not see them when looking at the menu online and I hope Chef David will make them a staple. We had trouble choosing our entrees as there were so many choices that sounded amazing. My husband was a little disappointed they had sold out of linguini & clams, but good for them! He ordered the Stonington Sea scallops and was very pleased. I ordered the wild caught Alaskan salmon which was cooked perfectly medium. Not really being dessert people, we were a little surprised when we found ourselves wrapping up half our entrees so we had room for the caramel almond cheesecake our fabulous server Liz suggested. Caramel almond waffle cone stuffed with a light cheesecake garnished with passion fruit cream and fresh strawberries. I am ordering it as my appetizer next time we go for dinner! Nope, I can't, I have to have those brussels sprouts again. Ughh, there are so many things I want to try on the menu! Chef David, You have hit it out of the park with Marker 37. My husband and I thank you for an amazing dinner! We look forward to trying some more of your...

Marker 37 is quite a unique restaurant and a bit of a hidden gem. They take the normal menu you're used to and fiddle with it. This can be good or bad depending on what you want, but I've yet to be disappointed. The staff is generally attentive and friendly. The indoor atmosphere is nice, but Marker 37 is a 10/10 during the warmer months with their outdoor seating right by the Connecticut River. I've been there several times, including many evenings for trivia night. Add Marker 37 to your list of places to go!

UPDATE 11/5/23: Been going to Marker 37 for over a year, so let me get picky. The location is a gem. There's usually parking, but it can get tough when the weather is great.

The staff is mostly pretty good, but you'll need to ask for things like refills for water, which I take points away for. They simply won't bother to come by and ask. Beware of refills on soda though! You'll pay $3 for each one. Rip off? Also adding that it's sad they seem to be losing Dylan!

The lead chef retired from Marker 37 and some of the food seems to have slightly improved. However, the menu, at least for me, is growing stale. Would like to see some other sandwich options, some kind of spicy chicken or a Philly cheesesteak. How about a Cobb salad?

UPDATE 12/29/2023: Unfortunately the trivia group that runs at Marker 37 now is pretty lame. Trashy advertising, hyper tiktok pop culture questions, and it really doesn't help what Marker 37 should be representing. Haven't been there in a while now as a result and the group I went with lost interest, hoping Best Trivia Ever is replaced. So our reasons for going during the non outdoor dining season no...

Phenomenal food, DO NOT GO HERE IF there is a special occasion and you make reservations for the outdoor patio, tried this place out for my wifes birthday, just the 2 of us, 20-30 min wait to order a drink from the bar, sat outside by Connecticut river for the hr way for our table, but was a great experience with food and atmosphere, so we decided this is where we wanted to bring our close family for dinner for our daughters graduation dinner to celebrate, we made a patio reservation for 8, but when we got there the moody blonde hostess told us flat out “no, the other hostess should have told you reservations aren’t guaranteed, we only allow one reservation at a time for the patio” you could tell she could care less and even though she was rude i maintained a polite attitude. It was very strange because it is a large patio and literally had a bunch of empty tables (including a table of 6 a 2 empty right next to eachother, and remained empty throughout our dinner inside, and all other tables that were taken were tables of 4, so what other reservation?!?) we wanted this night to be special because it only happens once, if you don’t wanna honor a reservation, fine, just tell us so we can go somewhere more accommodating, let your customers know there is absolutely no point in making a reservation and will have to wait an hour regardless. We did at least get the outside atmosphere with all the flies swarming our food at least. Again food was really good but not worth the frustration, disappointment, and inability to do...