Consumers harbor a lot of misconceptions about hotel restaurants. They generally think of them as uninspired places where tourists flock for banquet-quality meals, or where married businessmen push lobster tails on their secretaries after a tough day at the convention.

Molly’s at the San Diego Marriott Hotel and Marina breaks those stereotypes, including the presumption that us locals have to empty our wallets in order to park. Here, you simply pull up to the lobby and let the valet take over. With validation, it’s free!

The restaurant is located one floor below the lobby and offers cushy and intimate respite from the nearby bustle of the Gaslamp District. It also features some highly creative cuisine spearheaded by Head Chef Michael Catalano, who grabbed Molly’s by the neck a few years ago and gave her menu and dining room an exquisite facelift.

This used to be a haunt where the boys of law and politics gathered to puff cigars and wash down steaks with snifters of cognac. The dining room’s original polished dark wood and handsome bar area still remain intact, only now the motif is punctuated with splashes of soothing green light that compliment the tropical foliage outside. An exposed wine collection, modern plateware and snazzy menu jackets also reflect a broader demographic of diners.

Adding to the reformation is GLBT community member Jim Tallman — the hotel’s director of restaurant operations and former manager of Bourbon Street and the Kiva Grill. Tallman has involved Molly’s with several benefits for the Human Dignity Foundation, Being Alive and Bravo. And he also keeps a sharp eye on the restaurant’s wine list, bringing in labels that you won’t easily find on the retail market.

A frisky shiraz from Australia’s Nugan Family went down like water for me, although my dining companion dabbled in a list of nearly 50 martinis, choosing the high-powered Curious George (vodka, cranberry and banana). Assorted breads and a plate of outstanding smoked salmon, which Catalano livens up with pears, orange-honey marmalade and pistachio “dust,” set our wheels in motion.

Then came a pretty arrangement of Heirloom Tomatoes paired brilliantly with Paneer Cheese, honey-chive “drizzle” and tomato jam crisps. But our real salad course arrived on the vestiges of tradition — a mouthwatering and garlicky Caesar made tableside. And we’re not talking about some lame lettuce toss involving a few croutons. Here, the actual dressing is made from scratch right under your nose from a linen-draped cart containing about a dozen key ingredients. Both presentation and flavor are quite impressive.

Catalano plays off this bygone custom with some signature dishes that dare to break culinary molds. The Chilean Sea Bass, for example, gains uniqueness from a delicate crust made of black chanterelle mushrooms, which effectively seals in moisture. The filet is served on a delicious mound of ginger-shallot risotto and pointed up with mango beurre blanc. It’s an unlikely repository of flavors that work very well together.

His penchant for creativity pervades much of the menu, such as a Shelton Farm Chicken Breast brushed with apple-bourbon glaze and served with a sweet mushroom duxelle and sage oil — or the Dry Aged New York Steak seasoned with brown butter-tomato bruschetta. Less complex, but still very pleasing, was my companion’s Lump Crab and Jumbo Prawns showcased with angel hair pasta, asparagus tips and basil vodka cream. The prawns, by the way, are actually colossal, and yield about five big bites apiece.

The kitchen’s dessert menu was about to change the week after our visit, so we stuck with an item that will remain on board — a triangular ramekin of Crème Brulée served on a big square plate with various treats placed in each corner. Looking like some sort of edible board game, the “pieces” included hazelnut teacakes, passion fruit “jellies” and a dainty chocolate cup.

Molly’s also offers an assortment of unique tapas, which are half-price every night when eaten in the pub area. Premium tequilas, wine flights and five-dollar martinis are all part of this endless happy hour. And the restaurant’s location a few steps from the marina’s promenade allow you to exit through the back door to walk off your indulgences.

And in a final perk to those who never veer outside the Gaslamp — if you admit to being a local the staff will slip you a discount card for 20 percent off your next food bill for up to six guests. Just don’t tell your foodie friends from Arizona!