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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

By Dave

I found this recipe in an old issue of Cuisine at Home. The look of it caught my eye so I thought I’d give it a shot. The recipe looked a little complicated, but it was easier than I thought.

Bavarian Chocolate Cream Horns

Ingredients for horns:
8 sugar cones
2 sheets frozen puff pastry (17.5 oz box)
1 egg
1 t water
1/2 C turbinado (raw) sugar

Ingredients for cream:
2 C whole milk
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C corn starch
1/4 t kosher salt
2 eggs
2 T unsalted butter
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
4 oz semisweet chocolate
1 C heavy cream
2 T powdered sugar

Recipe for horns:
Set out the puff pastry to defrost an hour or two before getting started. In the meantime, wrap the cones in foil and coat with nonstick spray. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Once the pastry sheets are thawed, cut them into 1/2″ strips and wrap them around the cone molds from the bottom up. Be sure to overlap the strips as you go. When you finish with one strip, overlap the ends by at least 1/2″ otherwise a gap will open up when the pastry cooks and expands. Whisk the egg and 1 t of water together and lightly brush the mixture onto the horns. Roll the horns in the raw sugar, coating well. Place the cones on a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the cones to a rack to cool. Let the cones cool completely before filling otherwise the cream will melt.

Recipe for cream:
With the method of your choice, melt the semisweet chocolate and set aside for later. If you want your cream to be vanilla rather than chocolate, just leave the chocolate out of the recipe. Heat the whole milk in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge. In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. Then whisk in half the hot milk and then return this mixture back into the saucepan with the hot milk. Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking often until thickened. Boil 1 minute to eliminate the starchy taste and to thicken further. Keep whisking as it thicken further. Add the butter and 1/2 t vanilla, stirring until the butter is melted. Stir in the melted semisweet chocolate. Transfer to a bowl, then place the bowl in an ice bath to cool. Stir until the pastry cream reaches room temperature, about 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, whip the cream, powdered sugar, and 1 t vanilla until medium peaks form. Fold whipped cream into the cooled pastry cream just until incorporated. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes. Transfer the cream into a piping bag and pipe into the horns.

I did make a couple of mistakes along the way, but nothing catastrophic. The first was when I took the cones out to cool. When I took them out I left them on the baking sheet to cool. The problem that I came across was that the melted sugar that pooled around the cones solidified and stuck to the cones. Another mistake was iin making the milk mixture in the saucepan. You have to constantly whisk the mixture, otherwise it burns on the bottom and you end up with burnt bits in the cream.

For toppings, you can make a chocolate glaze and hazelnut topping to drizzle on the top of the cones. I didn’t try this part of the recipe, but I plan to in the future.

Chocolate Glaze

Melt 2 oz of semisweet chocolate in a small saucepan with 2 T sugar and 2 T water. Simmer over medium-low heat until it coats the back of a spatula, about 10 minutes. Off heat, whisk in 1 T unsalted butter. Drizzle onto cream horns while warm.

Hazelnut Topping

Toast 1/2 C skinned, chopped hazelnuts in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until golden. Add 2 T sugar and 1 T unsalted butter. Stir until butter is melted and sugar adheres to the nuts. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet to cool.

Posted for Dave

“Hey Dave, you watch Sam the Cooking Guy much?”
“Nope. Never seen the show. Why?”
“He does a recipe with seared ahi tuna you gotta try.”
“Mmmm… ahi. Sounds good.”
“Yeah, he rolls the ahi in Cap’n Crunch.”
“I do like ahi. I should… wait, say again?!”

Yes, you read right. Seared ahi tuna covered in crushed Cap’n Crunch cereal. Some friends recommended it so I pulled the recipe from the Sam the Cooking Guy site. Granted, it is an odd combination, but hey, I’m the guy who thinks that aerosol cheese deserves its own food group so I’m willing to try anything. Turns out it’s pretty good. Check it out.

Cap’n Crunch Seared Tuna

1/4 C mayonnaise
1 T yellow mustard
1 lb. sushi gradi tuna, in 2 rectangular blocks
1 C regular Cap’n Crunch
fresh ground pepper
chili sauce
oil

Mix the mayonnaise and mustard and set aside. Crush the cereal in a plastic bag until fine and put on a plate and top with fresh ground pepper. Lightly oil the tuna then press down into the cereal making sure it’s covered wll on all sides. Heat a non-stick pan really will first and then add about a tablespoon of oil. When it just starts to smoke, add the tuna and sear quickly on all sides until lightly browned. Slice and serve along with the mustard/mayo mix and some chili paste.

Who would ever buy shrimp from the back of a truck? Well, I did and all I can say is you don’t know what you’re missing out on.

I’m pretty sure there’s like only one road to Poipu from Kalaheo. Savage Shrimp is parked in the dirt, right before you get to all the fancy resorts. There’s construction going on there now. They’re building condos. Sorry I can’t be more specific.

Personally, I wouldn’t have stopped, but my friend said that his uncle thought the food was good, so we decided to give it a try. They basically only offer 3 dishes: regular garlic, the hot “grasshopper,” and a “bahia” with coconut milk and Thai-like spices. All the dishes are about $12 and come with rice and a little salad.

Grasshopper - This is good. Not too spicy.

Bahia - At first, I thought this was really good, but there was too much sauce on the rice. It got to be a little too much by the time I finished it all, but the shrimp are a nice size and very delicious. I wanted more…

We took our food to go, but you can eat there if you don’t mind the wild roosters roaming around. There are a few tables and chairs in the dirt, but no one was using them.

Savage Shrimp offers good meals without all the fuss. The meals are cooked right in the back of the truck and you can watch while you wait. I believe there’s even a discount for locals. Apparently, shrimp trucks are more common in Hawaii than on the mainland. Something to try and if you don’t like it, then at least you’ll have a story to tell about how you ate shrimp from the back of a truck…