Former Bluebeard chef Adams to start Fountain Square eatery

A high-profile chef and a veteran retail broker are partnering to launch a restaurant in Fountain Square where a pizza parlor had been located.

John Adams, formerly of Bluebeard in the Fletcher Place neighborhood and Plow & Anchor Restaurant downtown, is teaming with Brian Epstein, the listing agent for the space at 1106 E. Prospect St.

For both Adams and Epstein, it’s their first foray into restaurant ownership.

“It’s an evolution,” Adams said. “You want to get to that next level and you want to open your own place and do your own thing.”

Marrow’s menu of small and large plates will be mid-priced and feature global soul food with a heavy slant toward Asian fare, Epstein said. The restaurant is expected to open in September.

The restaurant will seat 90, including the bar, which will feature Tiki-type cocktails. Bar manager Darren Block is a partner in the deal. Steve Simon will be the mixologist.

Adams left Bluebeard as co-executive chef in November 2013 and began overseeing the farm-to-table concept at Plow & Anchor in May 2014. He left the restaurant, located in the Ambassador apartment building just north of the Central Library, in January.

Adams said he is excited to return to the Fountain Square area.

“There’s already been a lot of momentum in the food scene,” he said. “I’m just excited to be down there again.”

The former occupant of the East Prospect space, Maria’s Pizza, closed in late February and is searching for a new location to reopen, according to the eatery’s Facebook page.