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Issue No. 88 · The Griddle ReportFall EditionFree with every tray
MARLOW'S
Burger Bar · Smashed to order since the jukebox era
Cover story

The Smash That Started It All

Page 9

Inside the Griddle Room

Two flat-tops, one rule: no burger leaves without a lace-edge crust.

Pull-out

The Centerfold Menu

Every burger, side and shake, laid flat across the middle pages.

Plus

Letters, Stickers & Tour Dates

A tall smashed cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato
Smashed
to
order
New!
Pickle season
Collect the
sticker pack
Printed on grease-proof paper · Read it while it's hot

In this issue

04
The Smash
Why we press every patty by hand, and why the crust is the whole point.
09
Griddle Room
A photo essay from the counter, the flat-top and the fry station.
12
Centerfold
The full menu, stapled in the middle where it belongs.
18
Tour Dates
Where the counter is open and when the late-night window runs.
Cover story · p.04

The smash that started it all.

From the editors of The Griddle Report

Every burger at Marlow's begins as a loose ball of fresh-ground chuck, dropped onto a screaming-hot flat-top and pressed flat with a heavy steel smasher. That first ten seconds decides everything: the edges spread thin, catch the heat and turn into a lacy, deep-brown crust you can hear when you bite it.

We season on the griddle, flip once, and melt the cheese right on top so it drapes over the edge instead of sitting on it like a slice of paper.

Then it goes into a toasted potato bun with shredded lettuce, thin onion, house pickles and a sauce we have never written down in this magazine and never will. Doubles get two thinner patties instead of one thick one, because two crusts beat one.

No heat lamps, no warming drawers. If it is on your tray, it was on the griddle a minute ago.

“Two thin patties beat one thick one. More crust, more flavor, every time.”
A double smashed burger with melted cheese and bacon
Fig. 1 — The double, two crusts deep, with house pickles and the sauce we won't print.
Photo essay · p.09

Inside the griddle room

A few frames from an ordinary night at the counter: steam off the flat-top, fries out of the oil, and trays going out the window faster than we can stack them.

Smashed patties stacked with melted cheesePlate 1 · The stack
Red diner booths and checkered floorPlate 2 · The booths
Burger with a pile of hand-cut friesPlate 3 · Fries, hot
A hand holding a burger outdoorsPlate 4 · To go
Cook working over a flaming grill at nightPlate 5 · Late window
Hot off the flat-top
No heat lamps. Ever.
We don't do tall burgers. We do loud ones. You hear the crust before you taste it.
— The Marlow's Manifesto, printed in every issue
Tour dates · p.18

On tour, every night.

The counter is the headliner. The late window is the encore.

Mon–ThuCounter

The Original Counter

Lunch through dinner, booths and stools, trays to go.

Open daily
Fri–SatLate window

The Night Shift Window

Walk-up window for the late crowd. Night Shift burger served here only.

Late night
SundayFamily table

Sunday Shake Session

Long tables, extra shakes and a kids' slider tray.

All day
On requestEvents

The Griddle on the Road

We bring the flat-top to block parties, schools and private events.

Book it
Letters · p.22

Letters to the editor

The questions we get asked most at the counter, answered here so you can read them in line.

is every burger really smashed to order, or do you press them ahead of time?

— Wondering in booth four

Editor:Every one, every time. Patties are portioned in the morning and smashed on the griddle only after you order.

can I get any burger as a single instead of a double?

— Smaller appetite

Editor:Yes. Every double can be made as a single, and every single can be doubled. Just tell the counter.

do you have anything for someone who doesn't eat beef?

— Bringing a friend

Editor:The Garden Smash is a griddled mushroom-and-bean patty with the same crust treatment. Ask about the bun if you need a swap.

can you cater a party or a block event?

— Planning ahead

Editor:The Griddle on the Road comes to parties, schools and private events. Send us the date and the head count and we'll take it from there.

These are common questions, not customer reviews.

Collect the sticker pack

Every issue ships with a fresh sheet. Stick 'em on laptops, lunchboxes and the back of your guitar case.

Smash
it
Two crusts > one
Marlow's · Issue 88
No.
1
fan
Pickle
season
Read it while it's hot
Back cover

Pull up a stool.

The next issue is printed fresh every season. The burgers are printed fresh every few minutes. Come read one and eat the other.

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