farmerbrown – Food that Warms the Soul

First it was fusion, then tapas, and now the new fad is gourmet comfort food. These restaurants are springing up all over the place, and many of them have been disappointing. However, I was thrilled to finally find a restaurant where the food was actually ‘comforting’ and the use of high-quality ingredients was evident. farmerbrown lives up to their claim of “farm-fresh soul food” by serving lip-smackin’ good food while supporting local African-American farmers…everything is organic or sustainably-raised when possible.

farmerbrown is off a small side street between Union Square and the Tenderloin. The restaurant is pretty large by San Francisco standards and has a paid parking lot in front. The interior has a dark, tavern-like ambience, but is updated with interesting artwork, rust-colored tables, and industrial accents.

[Note: I didn’t include pictures in this post because I only had my camera-phone and wasn’t able to take decent pictures in the dark restaurant.]

Fried Okra with Cajun Remoulade – warm and crunchy cornmeal coating. It wasn’t overly battered, so the taste of the okra shone through. I often find okra to be too waxy or mushy for me, but the texture was pretty good in this dish (the okra fans at my table loved this appetizer).

Cayenne Dusted Potato Steak Fries with Aioli – French fries are more up my alley, so I enjoyed this dish much more. Temperature is crucial with fries, and these steak fries were perfect…right-out-of-the-fryer hot without being greasy. The thickly cut potato sticks had a light, spicy crust and a warm, pillowy center – nicely complemented by the tangy aioli.

Seafood Jambalaya with Red Fish, Mussels and Prawns – lots of bold flavor and plenty of kick. The seafood and chopped vegetables were fresh. The texture of the rice was just right…thoroughly cooked and absorbing the Creole flavors, but not overdone and mushy.

I also sampled two other delicious entrees from my friends (sharing is a must when dining with me!) and would recommend them as well:
Rocky Range Fried Chicken with Macaroni and Tillamook Cheddar Cheese, Collard Greens – three pieces of fried chicken with crispy, golden skin and juicy meat. The leafy collard greens and creamy mac’ n cheese were fantastic.
Cajun Crawfish, Shrimp and Grits with Parmesan and Orange Butter – hot and delicious…and adding the smoked ham hocks is a MUST!

Red Velvet Cake with Belgian Chocolate Shavings – this was the only dish that didn’t hit the spot. Instead of being moist and velvet-like, it was cold and dense…like it had been sitting in the fridge too long. The cream cheese frosting had the proper sweet tanginess though.

Although the restaurant was loud and the service was a bit rushed, the famerbrown’s soul-satisfying food more than made up for it. It was hearty and comforting without feeling too heavy. I will definitely be back for dinner…AFTER I check out their $15 all-you-can-eat weekend brunch (what an amazing deal!).

BITE METER: farmerbrown – 4.0 bites (out of 5.0)