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

Where-To-Wednesday Adventure #4: Zadin

January 12^th marked our fourth Where-To-Wednesday adventure, which was chosen by Chelsea and took us to the Castro. Loving the Castro area, we had high hopes as the Castro has tons of delicious restaurants competing for food lovers’ stamps of approval. You’ll need to read on to get the full experience…let’s just say that when Chels herself couldn’t make it that night…she may have known something we didn’t. I kid Chels, I kid…still…myself, Elizabeth, Lindsey, and two of our newcomers this week – Joce and Terra – had high hopes for the contemporary Vietnamese cuisine offered at Zadin. Ok people – 0/10 read on for our full experience.

Ambiance: 6  Low lighting typically leads to comfort – you know what I mean, snuggling up in front of a fire, watching the sun set, you get where I’m going. Unfortunately, Zadin didn’t. This café-ish restaurant may have flown for a quick lunch, but dinner it did not. It was not a dining experience that you wanted to stay and relish in, but instead, eat and leap.

Wine: 9.5  We originally ordered a Sangiovese, but our waiter spoke up (and glad he did) to recommend the Malbec. It was pretty spectacular – smooth, velvety and medium-bodied - and extra points for steering us in the right direction.

Food: 7  I feel slightly off about this, because we did substitute various ingredients from the dishes, so I can’t accurately say that our grading is representative of what you would get if you came and ordered the same dishes, but..who am I to hold an opinion back?? Here we go:

-          Fish Rolls: this is a house specialty, as it should be! They were unique and absolutely delicious  with fried basa, rice vermicelli, mint, cilantro and red leaf lettuce wrapped in rice paper.

-          Summer Rolls: we opted for the vegetarian tofu option and it wasn’t as good as  the Fish rolls

-          Pho Ga: This was chicken noodle soup – garnished with onions, scallions cilantro and friend shallots the broth was very good, however, the chicken was extremely chewy. I mean, pull-out-of-your-mouth-you-can’t-eat-this type of chewy.

-          Dau Hu Xau Ca Tim (it sounds so official): this is spicy tofu and eggplant – it was bland and overcooked. I actually forgot there was even eggplant in this dish it was so forgetful.

-          Pho Ap Chao: These were pan fried pho noodles – this dish came with shrimp and chicken, however, we opted for the vegetarian tofu option…which someone translated to no noodles. Fail.

-          Bo Luc Lac: This is shaken beef, otherwise known as “superstar of the night.” These filet mignon cubes are seared medium rare along with red onions, scallions and garlic – served with yam fries! We couldn’t get enough!

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Price: 9.5 – Amazing – ended up being 30-something each. Lunch prices for a dinner meal. Although…you know what I’m thinking.

Noise Level: 9 There is an endless chatter in the background as groups gather around you, however, the entire time it was very easy to hear each other.

Service: 8.5 It took a little while to get their attention, but once we did, they were great. Very good recommendations, great service to keep the flow of the meal going – really liked them.

All About The Area: The Castro is definitely a favorite of ours – full of energy, life, and excitement there is always something going on here. Everything is close together and easily accessible, with bars and restaurants a stone’s throw away. We will definitely be back to the Castro soon! Zadin, now…that’s different story.

Overall Grade: 8 (thanks to price and wine…yes, I said it.)

Where-To-Wednesday Adventure #3: Alembic

Our third Where-To-Wednesday adventure was chosen by Amanda and led us, via the enchantment of unique cocktails, to the eclectic restaurant “Alembic” located in the Haight on December 15th 2010. Amanda, Elizabeth, Chelsea, Melissa, Becky and myself may as well have been cocktail virgins, because we had no idea what we were in store for. But with the help of our amazing waitress, we were able to find cocktail substitutions and wine that not only complimented our meals, but fit our unique tastes perfectly. Per usual, various aspects of the restaurant are graded below using our 0/10 scale:

Ambiance: 8 – Alembic, known for their unique cocktails, opens with a bar in the front and a small but cozy restaurant in the back. Make sure you have reservations or come early, because the bar crowds quickly, and there is a no-standing rule. The restaurant carried a casual and relaxed, yet eclectic vibe.

Cocktails: 9 Cocktails…yes, the cocktails. My oh my, the cocktails. Knowing that Alembic is known for their delicious mixtures, we all kicked off the night with a round of our own. A few rough starts with cocktail selections that made us look as though we were having our first drink, were led to a successful finish, after a few coughs and many thanks to our server whose recommendations were always a welcomed refreshment. The “southern exposure” proved to be quite a hit, which was served up with gin, fresh mint, lime juice, a touch of sugar and a little shot of fresh celery juice (the wild card). It was clean, refreshing and not too strong. For those of us who opted for the prix fixe meal in advance, cocktails were paired with each course, to draw out and highlight the flavors associated with each dish. As I search for a word to describe the cocktails paired with the food, “strong” is the only adjective that comes to mind. Tasty, yes, but perhaps better fit for a Friday night rather than a Wednesday, with two more days of work hanging over our heads. I myself, ended up opting for a glass of wine instead of the cocktails..you love what you know, right? The wine was absolutely delicious! With multiple glasses of the same wine, you would think we would remember what the wine was…or perhaps that’s exactly why we don’t. It was similar to a Malbec, and was a medium-bodied deliciously inviting wine, with the perfect hint of spice and smooth to keep the sips coming. The wine was, of course, recommended by our amazing server and this one also delivered a winner.

Food: 7 We kicked off the dinner with a few orders of the Homemade Sumac potato ships which were a hit – carrying a garlic-lemon yogurt sauce for dipping. They had  just the right amount of spice, salt and cool to be a refreshing start to the night.  We then moved on to the Prix Fixe portion of the evening which we all opted for. A few of the girls chose the Hiramasa Crudo, a very tender fish served with celery ribbons, asian pear, yuzu-yogurt. Another popular selection was the slow roasted pork loin, served with broccoli rabe and fingerling potatoes – a delicious option, albeit not very much of it, which left us wanting more! Overall, portion sizes were a bit on the small size, but with so many various dishes, we were able to still save room for dessert! And so glad we did -  the hazelnut cake was a all-over favorite – laden with salted caramel and compressed asian pear, it was a perfect marriage of salty-sweet.

Price: 7 - Overall, the cost was pretty average and the Prix Fixe option that include appetizer, entree and dessert for $30, was just perfect for all of us.

Noise Level: 7 – The tables are situated pretty close together, cramping the restaurant a bit and leading to a noisy dining experience. With a larger group girls, it was difficult to hear each other, and this place is probably better suited for a round of cocktails, or a smaller group of people.

Service: 9 – Great service – our server was a world of knowledge and had great recommendations for us all which were a hit every time! She listened to exactly what we were looking for and recommended the cocktail(s) that fit each of our criteria – amazing!

All About The Area: Alembic is located in the Haight-Ashbury area which has very eclectic vibe to say the least. It’s a very busy area – amongst many boutiques and restaurants with the same look/feel and even a few hookah bars. (Am I the only one who knew these existed before I moved to SF??) It’s more of a no-nonsense area without the frills served up in the Marina and definitely a fun and unique experience for a night-out to escape from the atypical.

Overall Grade: 8