Marlee Jean's Raw Bar & Kitchen

Been twice now and frankly would enjoy making Marlee Jean's an every weekend date. First time we ordered then sat at the King Canary bar and this time sat at two of the four seats in front of the oyster bar. On both visits we've had the crab cake app and oysters. Other things we've tried have been the chili shrimp, ahi tuna wontons and grilled oysters. Also had an Alaska King Crab roll that was a special on the most recent visit. Everything we've tried has been fresh and delicious and the folks prepping it all are super friendly.Really great add to Davidson.

First off, they're using AI created images on their website as pictures of some of their food - that's a huge red flag and makes me think their food is so bad they didn't even want to use real pictures of it. Some of them are insane too haha, look at the attached images of their "Crab Stack" and "Gorgonzola Sauce" I had no idea what a Crab Stack was so I clicked on it and burst out laughing when the image appeared lol. I immediately knew I had to order it. The crab on top hahaha wow literally insane they would use that pic. And honestly the dish looks good in real life - why stoop to using AI images I just can't believe it.So I ordered the Crab Stack and Smoked Chicken Wings. They both had AI images on their menu so I honestly couldn't wait to see them in real life.I tried the Crab Stack first, I personally wouldn't order it again but I thought the ingredients were fresh and everything tasted good. There was wayyyy too much fruit for me. I barely got any avocado and was expecting more because in the AI image it was featured. The amount of crab was what I expected, and overall if you're into a fruit-heavy crab dish this could be for you. At this point I was thinking ok maybe 4 stars for this place. Even though I didn't love it, I can see it's a well executed dish. But then I tried the wings....They were so bad. Unfortunately so bad I could only eat 2.5 of them before I decided to jump ship. They were excruciatingly dry. So dry that when I was chewing them they were turning into grit - like when you're at a dad's house over the summer and they're so scared of raw chicken they grill it until it's inedible. That's what these reminded me of. It's unfortunate because they actually looked pretty good - not as good as the AI image of them on their website lol but I was expecting flavorful, juicy wings by the look of them.You'll also notice the Gorgonzola Sauce in the wings pic - not as blue as the AI image haha.So after the wings I dropped them down to 2 stars. Probably won't be back.

Absolutely love this place. So far we have tried the oysters with crab, pimento, and panko. I also came back a second time and ordered the house pickles and potato wedges. Loved each time. I'll be back to try more.

Besides the attentive service and friendly staff, the food was delicious. I had fresh oysters and mushroom flatbread at my last visit. Highly recommend trying everything on the menu headed by award winning Chef Erick and Amanda!

Don't sit in the bar area, sit at the counter. It is an interesting upscale counter serservice concept. The seafood is fresh and most of the items are from the NC coast. Best tuna nachos and lobster roll I have had in a long time. Also the broiled oysters were really tasty. They just opened a week ago so I only expect things to get better.

Marlee Jean's shares space with King Canary Brewing. The menu is an offering a freshly prepared seafood, with both raw and cooked oysters served. I am an oyster rookie, so I ordered the chargrilled oysters from New Jersey. While I waited I was offered a fresh raw oyster from Massachusetts. It was all incredibly delicious. The beer was a dark ale and was equal to the meal. It was a lively crowd in a great mood. I especially enjoyed Keith, the one preparing oysters and other fresh seafood dishes. Well done.

Me and my wife tried this new place last Sunday. We had the Davidson seafood tower. The seafood was great, they were out of lobster but made up for it with other delicious seafood. You order up front then they bring it out. Very nice out door area as well as nice inside sitting area. We plan to go back soon.