Hold on to your socks. It's here. The long awaited unique approach to exploring the amazing city of San Francisco and the delicious, tasty treats it holds...has arrived. Welcome to "Where-To-Wednesday" where each month we get our group of girls together to explore and dine at a restaurant we haven’t tried before, in a *hopefully* NEW area we haven’t been to before! So yes everyone...please be open to trying areas and foods out of your comfort zone - you might just be surprised at what you like! And if you're like me, you have your go-to-favorites that you...well...end up going to all the time..(guilty)! This will give us all a chance to venture outside our typical go-to places and find some new favorites.

Here's how it works: each month, one person chooses the place, the date, gather RSVPs the week before and sets up the reservation. Given the number of girls, coordinating schedules isn’t the easiest so if you can make it that month, fantastic....if not, no biggie - we'll see you the next month. No cancellations because it could jeopardize the whole reservation, especially with a large group. And lastly, the person appointed each month is selected at the previous month’s outing, so if you’d like to make a pick for the group…get chowing the month before!

If you know a great girl that would love to find some hidden gems within the city by the bay, invite her to join! We have already explored several new areas and not only found fantastic restaurants and dishes, but a great girls’ night each month to look forward to! Hope to see you all at the next outing - we will slowly eat our way through the amazing city of San Francisco!

Friday, February 18, 2011

Where-To-Wednesday Adventure #5: Farmer Brown

Our fifth Where-To-Wednesday adventure was chosen by Lindsey on February 9th and took us down a path less traveled to the loin. Yes, the Tenderloin, that is. Situated right off of Market street, I for one, ventured out on foot, confident in it's safe vicinity to the bustling sidewalks of one of the busiest streets. Perhaps not the smartest decision as I would later found out - however - the discovery of this hidden gem amongst the grit around it, was well worth the risk. After a long day of work, filled with incessent request, questions and demands, nothing hits the spot like a big dose of southern soulfood. Mmmm. Mmmmm. Mmmmm! Thank you Farmer Brown, for giving us somethign to look forward to that Wednesday - and a must-repeat for all of us as well. And by all of us, I mean Ms. Lindsey who chose this gem, Chelsea, Elizabeth, myself and two newcomers: Ellie and Laura – so happy you could join and we hope you frequent every month! So, by now you know the drill - the usual suspects are given our grades below on a scale of 0/10. Enjoy!

Ambiance: 9 Chic marries urban, and Farmer Brown is their baby. As you dine, R&B favorites fill the air and kick start the evening. "Is that Computer Love?" I ask? Yes. Hello Zapp and Roger. Welcome. As you glance around the room to see if anyone else is kicking their heels to these blasts from the past, you are instead mesmorized with the enchantment of room around you, as the glow of low candles on each table light up ignite an exciting vibe of warm comfort. You can easily get settled and ready to stay all night. We did - apologies wait staff, it felt so good to stay!

Wine: 7 And..we're grading on a curve. With all of the fabulous food, it seemed the wine list was an after thought. "We need wine???" And no my friends, 5 wines, does not a white wine list make. And when you're out of one of those...well, shame on you. And one has to wonder, with so few wines, how did our waitress know nothing about them? But alas..we will get to that.

Food: 9.5  If food can be perfect, this is pretty damn close. This is also why the only picture I have of the food is a half-eaten shrimp and grits (above) because when food is that good, taking pictures of it doesn't come to mind as fast as eating it. Down home cooking, this food truly fills your soul...and your tummy. Eat..we did. And notes..I took. If you haven't eaten already...I suggest you do before you read this. Or at least grab a stick of gum. Ok, hold onto your seats, here we go.
 - Mac and Cheese: may I suggest this be a full DISH rather than a side, because "amazing" is just not good enough to describe it. The side portions are small, so of course we ordered two, but oh is it worth it. Gooey tillamook engulfs the shells and truly melts in your mouth. Delic! And definitely one of the favorites.
 - Shrimp and Grits: These have a little kick to them - perfect for those who love the heat. Mixed with sweet white corn, red pepper, celery and onions all over stone ground grits that are hands down the best grits I for one, have ever had - this dish is fantastic.
 - Catfish:  light and crispy on the outside with just the right amount of seasoning and cooked to perfection. To be honest, we expected a little more for the catfish, but all in all, a good dish.
 - Porkchop: - With a hint of apple melted in through sauteed apples thyme, this bone-in porkchop is filled with flavor
 - Pulled Pork Sandwich: a sandwich for dinner? Should we or shouldn't we? Should - and glad we did. Hands down my absolute favorite on the menu. The bun is perfectly toasted, and the pulled pork nestled in between defines the perfect combination of salt, sweet and tang. Perfection.
 - Meatloaf:  rich, hearty and bursting with flavor, this will transport you right back home to Mom's cooking. With pickled green and mashed potatoes, this dish was a hit.
 - Fried Chicken:  a must-have for a soulfood restaurant, right? Well, it was moist, I'll give you that. But not as flavorful as the rest of our options. An "eh" in the grand spectrum. Although, it did come with more mac n' cheese. Ok fried chicken, your stock is rising.
 - Dessert: Although we split the above 6 ways (yes, ALL of that was only shared by 6 of us), and we all swore up and down how full we were, the buttons on our pants beginning to give way...when dessert called, we answered. Cake? Pie? Hmm..why don't you just bring us one of everything. Yes, everything. And please designate someone to roll us each out of here when we're done.
 - Red Velvet Cake: rich, heavy and smacked by the devil himself
 - Pecan Pie: the pie itself is delicious, with sweet buttery pecans igniting your taste buds. And the surprising part: the crust was even better. Buttery, delicious..it melts in your mouth.
 - Double-Chocolate Cake: Not just rich, Zuckerberg rich. I dont' know how one human being could manage to take down a whole slice.

Price: 9 - $62 each, which may sounds  little steep, until you consider this. Through the course of this dinner, we consumed 4 bottles of wine, appetizers, and all but 2 things on the menu...all but 2 things!!!!

Noise Level: 8.5 – You can easily converse amongst the music playing in the background and a crowded restaurant. And oh yes, did I add that this place was completely full and difficult to get a seat without a reso - so make sure you plan ahead.

Service: 6 – Nothing special here. Our waitress offered no help, didn't know what wine was to water, and to be quite honest, I think she forgot about us towards the end. Thankfully, we were having too good of a time to notice.

All About The Area: Which brings me to where our story started, the area. Don't come alone, don't come late at night, and 2 words: pepper spray. On the way out, we stepped outside to hail a cab (after turning down the restaurant's offer to call us one - how nice! And how silly of us to say no), we got cat-called by a man and then just plain ole yelled at by a woman. This all within 8 seconds.





Overall Grade: 8

No comments:

Post a Comment