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744 Market St. San Diego, CA 92101. (At the corner of 8th and Market)

I’ve walked past this restaurant a couple times on my way to eat at The Kabob House in downtown San Diego. Today, my coworkers and I thought we’d finally give it a try!

Champagne Chicken $6.00 (Lunch price - Normally $8.00)

The Champagne Chicken is just a fancy name for their version of a sweet and sour chicken but with an extra kick of spiciness. Yes! It was quite spicy, even by my standards. There were these little thin slices of peppers that caused me to teeter totter between satisfaction and insanity. Most of the pieces were cooked alrite. There were a couple of pieces that were extra crispy from overcooking. Overall, I loved this dish but I wished they gave me more rice! One scoop is definitely not enough for a hungry man like me.

Chicken Katsu-don $6.00 (Lunch Price - Normally $9.99)

My coworkers ordered this one. All they could say was that it was better than the last time they had it from some restaurant on Clairemont.

Service was really slow at this restaurant and it wasn’t even busy. It took a long while before they came to take our order and an ever greater length of time to deliver our check. We never received any drink refills either! Also, there was a mysterious 5 minute delay between them serving my entree and serving my coworkers…

Taste: 8/10
Service: 2/5
Atmosphere: 3/5

Total: 13/20

2121 Adams Ave, San Diego, CA 92116. (619) 269-9662

http://farmhousecafesd.com/

I read about The Farm House Cafe in an article at http://www.signonsandiego.com/ and I just had to try it out. The cozy little cafe’s decor reminded me of another French restaurant (Bleu Boheme). There isn’t a lot of space inside… you can sit at one of their small tables or at the counter. There are also tables outside so you can enjoy a nice sunny day. The atmosphere is casual and relaxing. As I looked around, I noticed tables full of friends and families enjoying a lazy Sunday brunch. This place is definitely not like Denny’s, IHOP, or Coco’s. You’ll find the food to be much more sophisticated here.

I ordered the Pain Perdu - French Toast with Lavender Honey ($7). This was absolutely delicious! When it was first presented, I didn’t recognize it as French Toast. Why not? It was made with FRENCH BREAD! I think they take a baguette and cut it into one and a half inch thick slices. Like I said, more sophisticated than a chain restaurant. It is also available in a “petit” size for $5.

My friend Minoru ordered the Farm House Cafe Omelet ($7) with a side of Chicken Apple Sausage ($3). Of course I sampled everything The omelet was made with cheddar cheese and chives. It was very light and fluffy. The potato galette was practically the perfect hash browns. It was cooked, but not dry and crunchy like other restaurants. The sausage was tasty and not greasy at all.

The Farm House Cafe is a must try! The staff is very friendly and they offer delicious rustic country French cuisine at affordable prices!

Appetizer

A super-sized fried wonton? No. This has onions, potatoes and peas. It was a drier taste than creamy which worked because the pastry didn’t get soggy. It also went particularly well with the sauce. The sauce that came with it was almost like a salsa except that it had a more vinegery taste to it that really fit this appetizer. It was spicy but not enough that it bothered Lynn. The ingredients for the sauce include jalepeno, cilantro, and vinegar. The only downside to this appetizer is the large size. It will fall apart once you try to cut pieces toward the center. I think if they had made smaller bite size pieces it would be perfect.

Chicken Kabob

The chicken was cooked pretty well. It was juicy enough on the inside with tiny charred edges. It came with a roasted tomato with the char lines and a breadstick that was twice the length of the other dish. The lunch entrees included a decent sized starter salad with a creamy cheesy kind of sauce. Both entrees came with a great amount of rice possibly sprinkled with red crushed pepper. There was definitely a slight coating of the cooking oil. All together, the meal was very filling!

Minced Meat

The minced meat was tender and served with a very delicious red sauce. It was the right portion to go with the meal to keep the rest of the meal untouched. Lynn thought it reminded her of meat loaf in a way.

Dessert was almost like eating a candy of caramel, nuts in a crispier shell, but instead, had pistachios and other fillings. It came in the shape of a slice of pie and was overall an interesting and sweet way to finish off the meal.

We were a little disappointed that the restaurant seemed a tiny bit… dusty. When we pulled out our napkins, it seemed like there was some dust that flew into our waters. It could be due to the recent opening of the restaurant and a still-growing customer base that doesn’t require changing out the table clothes as often. The menu selection is currently limited due to this, as told to us by the manager. At least service was attentive and courteous.

Taste: 7/10
Service: 4/5
Presentation: 3/5

Indigo Grill Website
1536 India Street, San Diego CA 92101. 619-234-6802.

My friends and I went to Indigo Grill last night for their $20 three course menu special. It is a current anniversary special by the Cohn Restaurant Group for their participating restaurants until January 10th. More information can be found at the Cohn promotion page.

Pipian Crusted Brie. Jalepeno jelly, honey roasted garlic, grilled nopales, mole negro and scallion flatbread.

This brie was fantastic! I had never eaten brie before and the rest of the group hadn’t eaten it with this kind of crust! Warm brie oozed out when we sliced it and it went well with the flatbread, which was the perfect blend of soft bread and subtle sweet flavor.
Christina and Lynn loved the honey roasted garlic, which surprisingly had little of the expected strong garlic taste! The insides melted in your mouth and the crunchy skin could either be eaten or removed beforehand. The brown sauce at the edge of the plate was boring. It had a flat taste that just seemed to disappear the moment you tasted it.

Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche. Cured in lemon juice with cucumber pico de gallo.

The presentation looked great for this ceviche and chips. The taste was within expectations too. But the portion was lacking. Is this your money’s worth? NOooo.

Alderwood Plank Salmon. Cucumber dill moleto, squid-ink pasta and smoked aged farmer’s cheese.

The first crispier bite of the Salmon had Lynn thinking that the fish was overcooked, but once past that corner, the juicy and tender salmon had her feeling quite happy with the meal. This salmon also had quite a bit of sweet flavor in it, which reminded us of the roasted garlic. A nice change in overall flavor was the interesting ink squid pasta mixed with a complimenting cheese. We’ve definitely never had cheesy pasta that tasted like that before! The only part Lynn didn’t like were the vegetables in the middle but pickled food hardly ever receives her praise.

Wild Mushroom Fettecini. Roasted bell pepper pasta, leek and fennel cream sauce, sauteed spinach, hazelnuts, and cotija cheese.

For a vegetarian meal, this was absolutely scrumptious! Christina and Lynn really loved the mushrooms and hazelnuts that were buried in the dish. The vegetables and pasta created a unique blend that was fun to eat. The only thing Lynn didn’t like about it were that the spinach pieces were in large lumps and not as spread out as she would have preferred. Who said you have to have meat for a good meal?

Hickory and Apple Smoked Pork Ribs. Morita-kahlua glaze, indian corn pudding, shaved pear and walnut salad with cilantro viniagrette.

Eugene and I both ordered the Pork Ribs entree. It was served in a unique rectangular plate that was somewhat difficult to eat off of. Every time I stabbed my fork into the mountain of salad, some other parts of salad would fall off the edges of the plate.

The Indian corn pudding had a fantastic and very familiar taste. I especially liked the outer parts near the rim. It had a nice texture that counterbalanced the warm and gooey center. I wish they had served this during the Taste of Downtown event last year. This is definitely a new favorite for me.

As for the ribs themselves, they were delicious and tender. The flavor was interesting and portion was just right. I was quite full by the end of this entree but eagerly awaited my dessert!

Roasted Plantain Cheesecake Flautas. With firewater dipping sauce.

The outside of the flautas were crispy and tasty. The inside had a subtle cheesecake flavor to it. Everyone really liked the dipping sauce. It had an Asian kind of flavor to it. Alcohol flavored figs? I’ll pass!

Chocolate Pistachio Torte. With rasberry Sorbet.

Nothing out of the ordinary for this dessert but it was still tasty. The dark chocolate was surprisingly not as strong as I thought it would be. The girls really loved the chocolate. The sorbet reminded of me of the Razzmatazz flavor at Jamba Juice, just without the seeds.

We came in to this restaurant hungry. We left full (and with to-go boxes!). If anybody is interested, I would highly suggest trying out the $20 three course special. If not at this restaurant, then at least at another one of the participating Cohn Restaurant Group restaurants. Its such a great deal! BTW, I believe there is some San Diego restaurant gift card at Costco where you can buy two $50 gift cards for the price of $79.99. Please correct me if I am wrong but I believe this restaurant is on that list of restaurants. Good Eating!
Taste: 9/10
Presentation: 5/5
Atmosphere: 4/5 (crowded)
Total: 18/20

The first San Diego Restaurant Week is coming soon. So make your reservations! Meals cost $30 or $40 per person depending on the restaurant and includes choices of appetizer, main course, and dessert.