Perfect for dining before or after events at the War Memorial, this establishment inside the Trenton Marriott serves unbeatable crab cakes.
By: Kate and Tom O’Neill
Consider the crab cake. This nearly ubiquitous treat comes in
as many variations as there are chefs. The search for a great or even a
good crab cake can be long and disappointing. But crab cake fanciers can
shorten their quest by heading for The Archives at the Marriott Lafayette Yard
in Trenton and ordering its excellent crab cake ($18.95). Executive chef Malachi
Browne told us that the crab cake we enjoyed is the Marriott’s special recipe,
which produces a succulent version, a quarter-pound of true lump crab, lightly
bound, gently seasoned, crisp and golden-brown. It is served on a Kaiser roll
with a side of French fries enlivened by Old Bay seasoning.
Trenton’s Marriott opened in 2002, adjacent to the War Memorial.
Its atmosphere is welcoming, from the working fireplace in the lobby to the friendly
staff. Along the corridors, the walls offer interesting displays of old maps and
photographs that pay tribute to Trenton’s history and to Trentonians. On view
in the restaurant are paintings by local artists, many depicting Trenton scenes.
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The Archives |
The dining room is attractive. Bright blue accents draw the
diner’s eye around the room, from the tables set with lapis-hued napkins and small,
blue flickering lamps, to the wall sconces and then to the blue shades on chandeliers
reminiscent of hovering sci-fi spaceships. Background music alternated between
cool and elevator-style jazz. Comfortable, high-backed suede banquettes encircle
the dining area, defining the space and giving it a retro, nightclub look. At
the back of this room is a smaller area, where guests may dine while watching
the chefs at work in the open kitchen and grill.
The Archives characterizes its cuisine as "American," a fair
description of a menu inspired by several heritages. Choices range from a Cape
May shrimp chowder and prime Angus burger ($7.95), to seared sea bass ($19.95),
porcini-encrusted strip steak ($23) and filet mignon ($26). The menu highlights
"Fit for You" items, such as the sea bass.
Despite the outstanding crab cake, pleasant surroundings and
personable service, The Archives has some wrinkles to iron out. On arrival at
the restaurant, no host was on duty at the reception desk; ultimately, we were
acknowledged and seated by a helpful busboy. Seeing that we had coats to deal
with, he suggested we lay them on the banquette where he seated us. Then, five
or so minutes passed before our waiter arrived. Another overlong delay followed
the arrival of our menus. But the helpful busboy, passing by, noted, "You guys
were never served bread?" and returned with a basket that included olive bread
and some flat bread that proved wonderfully salty and garlicky.
The wine list includes perhaps 40 choices and lists the wines
progressively, from mild, light selections to intense full-bodied vintages. In
addition, it includes three different ports that might conclude the meal. From
among the relatively large number of half bottles available, we chose a Georges
DuBoeuf Macon Villages, a French Chardonnay. After another delay, our server returned
with the wine explaining that he’d had to go in to the storage area for it. Then
he emptied the entire half bottle into our two glasses. Though his intentions
seemed generous, we were left with overfull glasses and no means of keeping the
wine chilled through the meal.
The ahi appetizer ($9.25) was three modest-sized chunks of rare-cooked
tuna beautifully presented on a 16-inch-long rectangular plate, drizzled with
slender swirls of bright, sweet papaya salsa. The sweet, cool fruit tempered the
considerable bite of the ahi’s spicy-hot coating.
These flavors and textures were more interesting than those
of another appetizer, portabella fries ($4.95). The flour-dredged mushroom slices
were moist and firm, but bland. They gained flavor only from a commendably spicy
Russian dressing sauce and juice squeezed from lemon wedges that garnished the
plate. Served, probably unintentionally, at room temperature, the fries would
have been better warm and fresh from the sauté pan.
Penne with roast vegetables ($14) and added chicken ($3) combined
juicy chunks of chicken breast with tender-cooked zucchini, eggplant, onions and
fresh basil bound together in a light cream sauce. The dish came with a small
side dish of fresh-grated Parmesan that added zest.
Among the desserts, we were delighted by Chef Browne’s exceptional
bananas Foster cheesecake ($6.50). The sublimely creamy cheesecake is the heart
of this creation, but the sauce is its soul. Warm, caramel-thick, rum-laced sauce
spills over the top of the cheesecake, permeating fresh, sautéed banana
slices with the dulcet Southern charm of this New Orleans classic. For chocolate
lovers, The Archives offers the three-part chocolate symphony ($6.95), a warm,
rich, flourless chocolate cake topped with melted chocolate sauce. The result
is a chocolate fondue in solid form. A scoop of sumptuous chocolate ice cream
adds its own flourish to this harmonious trio. We followed with two cups of hot,
syrupy decaffeinated espresso and a brief conversation with the chef.
The cooking staff brings talent and taste to The Archives, and
we hope that once the service bumps are smoothed out, the guest’s overall experience
will be uniformly good.