Edgy history pertaining to stocks and prostitutes underscore the Marble Room. But those anecdotes remain largely invisible except for a few glass marbles splashed throughout the loungy interior and a brief summary posted at the door about a brothel that operated a few blocks away during the late 1800s.

For starters, the restaurant opened with a degree of risk on Sept. 14 last year, marking the beginning of a week set off by extreme instability in global stock markets.

“It was black Monday. The market had completely crashed,” recalls executive chef Bill Sauer, who introduced a litany of plucky “shareable plates” that remain at the menu’s foundation.

As for the name, the Marble Room draws upon the former Golden Poppy Hotel down the street (619-835-837 Fifth Ave.), where a fortuneteller named Madam Cora ran a thriving brothel in the upstairs rooms. Johns in wait were reportedly given marbles that matched in color the “working attire” of the girls, which corresponded also to various shades of wallpaper adorning the rooms.

When excavation for Petco Park began in 2000, workers unearthed hundreds of items dating back to the early 20th Century, including several marbles that archeologists believe were the tokens for sex at Madam Cora’s “hotel.” In a perfect world, some of these original marbles would be displayed at the restaurant, perhaps in combination with photos or paintings of the infamous madam, if any exist. Customers instead enter into a contemporary space appointed in soft shades of brown and with big round booths and a stylish bar – a disappointing understatement to the neighborhood’s racy past, and more so, to the restaurant’s provocative name.

Chef Sauer’s cooking, however, compensates – his culinary mantra being, “I don’t like to over-think things, but rather let the ingredients speak for themselves.” Portion sizes of most dishes exceed today’s omnipresent “small plates” while measuring modestly less than full-blown entrees – pretty much like Europeans prefer eating.

From the “produce” category, grilled bok choy is a delightfully simple dish involving perfectly browned garlic butter and a smidgen of sea salt – kudos to the kitchen for cooking down this normally fibrous vegetable to a corrigible softness. Grilled asparagus and portobello mushrooms were also delicious, boosted by lemon-thyme aioli and pickled shallots. Our only complaint was that the dish was served chilled, which locked up the earthy-tangy flavors of the ingredients until they turned room temperature.

Proceeding to menu sections titled, “sundries,” “meats” and “fish,” we grazed on wild mushroom ravioli that were sinfully laced with butter, sage and manchego cheese. And while I rarely devote more than a sentence to French fries, no matter how tasty, we had to practically squeeze our necks to slow down eating these.

The secret to their goodness requires a few steps. The chef starts with thin, hand-cut Yukon Golds and then blanches the fries at a low temperature in clean oil before freezing them. Upon ordering, they’re re-fried at regular heat and then sprinkled with fresh herbs, sea salt and Parmesan cheese. Yeah, baby!

Our meat dishes matched in excellence, each containing strong flavor profiles. On a plate displaying three lamb chops cooked rare, the succulent meat danced with two accompanying sauces: cucumber-onion and rosemary demi glaze. In the case of chili rubbed pork tenderloin, the supporting players included tender Granny Smith apples, tart cranberries, sweet fennel, red onion and a touch of sage-spiked crème friache.

Feisty jalapeno-basil pesto, arugula and marinated tomatoes came to the rescue in a substantial order of grilled shrimp, which were slightly overcooked and lacked sweetness. Though it wouldn’t prevent me from revisiting the fish section in a future visit because the list offers creative inventions, such as sea bass with cranberry-cabernet reduction, ahi lettuce wraps with roasted jalapenos and steamed mussels augmented by leeks and Spanish chorizo.

Novel ingredient combos are evident in the cocktails, too. And they’re all $2 off from 5 to 7 p.m. daily. The “marble room” is refreshing and calls for the return of summer. It’s made with Canton Ginger Liqueur, rum and pineapple juice. As for the “stray hound,” which mixes Absolute Vanilla, grapefruit juice, pink grapefruit soda and cabernet reduction, it tasted like a potential stomach ache. My companion renamed it the “mangy dog” before sending it back.

Desserts are playful. Our favorite was carrot cake finger sandwiches layered with walnut-infused cream cheese, pineapple and semi-sweet whipped cream. And nowhere else will you find chocolate-banana lollipops, which are swirled in dark chocolate, macadamia nuts and coconut rum caramel.

Wholesome food served under a not-so-innocent pretext will likely keep the Marble Room on a roll for a good long while.