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ReviewFarmerbrown

Page history last edited by Mark P 10 years, 9 months ago

Farmerbrown Review

 

Farmerbrown served us quite good neo-Southern food in an appealingly trendy atmosphere. With the exception of dessert, pretty much everything was uniformly good, even the sides that came with the entrees.

 

Food

 

To start, we were given a little taste of watermelon with ricotta, probably as a courtesy from the chef because we waited so long to be seated. It was fine, neither more nor less exciting than ordinary watermelon.

 

We got fries. They were cut thickly like steak fries and topped with what we think might've been paprika. Although we had some complaints, we definitely liked them. They were perhaps slightly too soft and perhaps slightly too salty. We had fun debating what types of potatoes they were made from; in the end, we decided they were made from a variety that included regular white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and even purple potatoes. They came with an aioli dipping sauce which we found unnecessary. (The fries were good without it and it didn't add anything. In fact, we might've preferred ketchup if we had to pick a dipping sauce.)

 

We also ordered a "chopped summer salad." What arrived surprised us. While we expected vegetables cut into bite-sized pieces, we got a mixture of vegetables (snap peas, cucumbers, green beans, etc.) diced into tiny pieces, laid out into a perfect circle on the plate, and topped with parsley. It wasn't bad. In fact, people generally enjoyed it, calling it a 2+ dish. Personally, I felt the grapefruit was out of place in this salad.

 

All of our main plates worked out well. We liked every entree and at least one of each accompanying side.

 

We had corn-meal encrusted catfish. It was very good: the breading wasn't soggy and the fish was cooked well, remaining nicely moist. It came with some garlicky green beans as well as honey-glazed orange-colored chunks that we thought were a mixture of sweet potatoes and carrots. Although the green beans were a bit overcooked and hence no longer crispy, we enjoyed the flavors in both of these sides.

 

We also had the fried chicken. It was definitely tasty, with a thin batter and good meat. Happily, the outside was not oily and the inside was moist. Accompanying it was somewhat spicy green beans and carrots, and a not too exciting macaroni and cheese. Although one could easily smell the mac and cheese, it wasn't as gooey as most homemade mac and cheese is / ought to be.

 

Pan-fried meatloaf rounded out the entrees. It was a pleasing, moist, decent quality meatloaf with small chunks of carrots and celery embedded within. We liked it. It came with collard greens, and with mashed potatoes mixed with mushrooms and gravy. The latter was respectable, though some people weren't into the mushrooms.

 

Still hungry, we decided to order dessert in two passes. In the first pass, we ordered some sides we wanted to try but didn't order with the meal. The second pass was dessert itself.

 

In the first pass, we had biscuits and also mashed potatoes with plantains. This order amused the waitress; at first she thought we were kidding. The biscuits were lovely and buttery. They arrived with maple butter and nutella, both of which went well. The maple butter was good stuff. Nutella isn't a normal accompaniment to the biscuits. The waitress decided that since we were ordering them as part of dessert, she took the initiative and gave it as an extra topping for us. Awesome.

 

The mashed potatoes with chunks of plantains was funky. It kind of turned toward sweet and then jarred back to sour. Definitely bad after the nutella, so says Oj, "the ultimate arbiter of good and gross."

 

As for round two, the triple berry cobbler, served with whipped cream, was intensely sweet, more like berry bread pudding or even jam. We didn't like it.

 

The pecan pie, also served with whipped cream, served slightly warm, was very nutty. It was a pretty standard, respectable pecan pie; I liked it. The other attendees did too, though said it was so sweet that one or two bites was enough.

 

The half press of Blue Bottle coffee smelled totally awesome I'm told.

 

Scene

 

We loved Farmerbrown's scene. The atmosphere of both the inside and the outside was off-beat, edgy, quirky, fun, and hip. Se would like it.

 

In the tenderloin, when we approached Farmerbrown, we almost missed spotting it. Its lack of signs and its entrance that looks like the door to a jail cell made it seem like any other random tenderloin building. It almost looked closed.

 

Since one of us was running late, the rest decided to cool our heels outside. In the tiny courtyard, behind the jail poles but before the main door to the restaurant, was a comfortable leather sofa. One normally doesn't find leather sofas outside in the tenderloin! In fact, one doesn't normally find any comfortable places to sit in the tenderloin.

 

As we sat and watched the tenderloin crowd pass, a few people consecutively wandered into the courtyard and sat next to us for a couple minutes before moving on. The first asked us for change. When we said no, he asked us for pot. The second sat and mumbled to himself for a while. The third asked us for money for rent. A fourth guy, as he strolled by, yelled, "how you'all doing?" with nary a pause in his step. We didn't even comprehend the statement before he was out of sight.

 

It's a good thing Farmerbrown has a comfortable waiting area. Our missing compatriot arrived thirty-five minutes after the time for our reservation. Despite the delay, our table wasn't yet ready. We waited at the bar the remaining twenty minutes until it was.

 

The inside was as funky as the outside. There's a DJ booth. The walls are hung with interesting art. Although the music was loud, we really liked the atmosphere: it's super-trendy but it's not like it's trying too hard. The crowd is fashionable and young: a diverse mix of well-off twenty- and thirty-somethings, a bit more marina district than mission or soma.

 

Even the little things reflect Farmerbrown's quirkiness. The menus were unique and interesting: made of metal, they close with the help of magnets. The drinking glasses, accompanying our carafe of cucumber water, were actually jars. While this is unusual, we weren't that impressed until we noticed the jars all had different patterns. That is, it's not like the proprietor decided, jars make a distinctive type of drinking glass; I'll go to the store and buy a case.

 

Drinks

 

We ordered a variety of drinks while waiting at the bar and while eating at our table. 

  • Grapefruit margarita. On the sour side. No bite of acid. Too sweet.
  • Mint julep (bourbon, mint, vanilla syrup, and soda). Less satisfying than a mojito, but we're not sure why. Maybe it's that there's no bitter aspect. Maybe it's the bourbon itself, as opposed to rum. We realized this mint julep was poorly made--the mint wasn't mixed in well--as, given time, the drink improved as the flavors blended better.
  • Pineapple and rum punch. Tastes of pineapple and ginger. Each of us had different reactions regarding which we tasted first and most strongly. Not bad at all. A bit sweet. In fact, the best of the first three drinks we ordered.
  • Grape crush. We think we detected tonic in this one. It paired a bit with the food.
  • Blueberry something. Served in a martini glass with small granules of sugar on the rim, it worked well and grew on people. We couldn't decide if it matched the food.

 

On an empty stomach, despite the drinks not being unusually strong, Oj felt the effects of his first drink.

 

The total was $37/person including tax and a generous tip but not including drinks.

 

Original Announcement

 

This Wednesday at 8:00pm, we'll try Farmerbrown, an organic Southern/Soul food restaurant just off of Market Street in downtown SF.

http://www.farmerbrownsf.com/

 

Comments from Other Attendees


Check Please Bay Area aired a report on this restaurant after we visited.  In addition to things we ordered, the discussants recommended the pear brandy sidecar and the sweet potato pie. -mark


Feel free to add remarks here.

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