Marble City Market expands offerings with Afghan and cantina-style cuisine | Grub Scout
I had planned to have dinner with the elder Grub Sprout last week, but things didn’t work out. So The Grub Spouse and I turned to the next place on my list, which was Marble City Market. There were a couple of newer establishments I hadn’t tried yet, so The Spouse and I set out for Rom’s House and Madres Fresh Cantina. Our plan was to divide and conquer. And eat.
We agreed that The Spouse would take cantina duty, while I was intrigued by Rom’s House, a vendor specializing in Afghan cuisine. The Spouse and I went our separate ways on what appeared to be a fairly slow dinner hour at MCM.
Rom’s menu is pretty straightforward. The two main dishes are Rom’s Fast Fix-A-Quick Delicious Small Bite (a name that doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue) and Rom’s Bowl (much better). I chose the latter ($15.99), which is a base of rice, a protein (I picked chicken over beef or plant-based chicken), a side salad, hot sauce and Afghan bread.
Available side items are pakawra (Afghan-style fries), rice and salad, but I passed on those since my meal already came with salad. But I did see fit to try the rice pudding ($3.99), Rom’s only dessert item.
Meanwhile, The Spouse was trying to figure out an ordering strategy at Madres Fresh Cantina, which primarily centers around tacos, quesadillas and burritos. For example, there are four burrito choices — ranging from West Coast and Southwest to Depot and Jalisco - as well as four taco fillings.
The Spouse first considered the West Coast Taco Plate, which features two tacos and two sides for $16. But then Spousey realized it would be more cost-effective to order two tacos a la carte (the carne asada for $6 and the carnitas for $5) and also get the BYO quesadilla for $12. The quesadilla comes with a choice of a protein, two toppings and a sauce. The Spouse opted for a combo of chicken and cheese. Overall, ordering this way was more expensive, but that allowed us to sample more main items and forego the two sides that would have come with the taco plate.
Unlike on our last visit to Marble City Market, we didn’t have to wait terribly long for our respective orders, and they both were ready at pretty close to the same time. I did get to try The Spouse’s food first. The quesadilla was decent though nothing groundbreaking. The two tacos were both good too, delivering well-seasoned meats and soft corn taco shells that were robustly flavored.
My meal made a definite visual impact. I knew that Rom’s Bowl came with Afghan bread, but I didn’t realize that it would be served as a large round sheet placed over the top of the bowl like a cap. The bread had also been oven-cooked to some degree, so it was slightly crispy and warm.
I was pleased with my meal on the whole, especially since I had no preconceived or researched notions when it came to Afghan food. The chicken chunks had been prepared in a curry-style sauce that had strong Indian-food vibes. The jasmine rice was really good, too, as was the tomato-heavy salad and the dome of bread. The green hot sauce, which visually reminded me of a skhug sauce (it may have been, for all I know), wasn’t excessively fiery. Unfortunately, I didn’t care for the lightly sweet rice pudding. But that’s not as much a knock on Rom’s as it is the fact that I simply don’t care much for the dish.
Interestingly, I thought this trip would be a mini milestone of sorts, aka the first time I could say I had eaten at every current MCM vendor. But I discovered that a new Asian eatery had set up shop since my last visit, so it looks like I’ll be returning to Marble City Market yet again.
Rom’s House
Food: 4
Service: 4
Atmosphere: NA
Overall: 4
Madres Fresh Cantina
Food: 3.75
Service: 3.75
Atmosphere: NA
Overall: 3.75
These two food vendors are tasty additions to the culinary experiences available at Marble City Market.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville restaurant review: Marble City Market adds Afghan, cantina cuisine
