Searsucker in San Diego
On Friday night, Frenchie made reservations for us to have dinner at Searsucker in the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego. Searsucker is owned by Brian Malarkey, a celebrity chef who was a Bravo Top Chef finalist and on several other cooking shows. The food is classified as "New American Classic" with an emphasis and specialization on seafood given the location. We had a difficult time getting a reservation for 7 pm, however when we showed up at the restaurant half an hour early, we were immediately seated and there were plenty of available tables around us. The restaurant's decor was quite tasteful and I felt like I was dining in an anthropologie store - with the mix of metal / wood and modern / vintage design elements. I should mention that certain websites will say the dress code is dressy casual, and while we did see people all dolled up, we saw plenty of people rockin' shorts and t-shirts.
The menu is cleverly divided into 'Bites,' 'Greens,' 'Smalls,' 'Ocean,' 'Ranch,' 'Farm' and 'And...' We received complimentary cheddar puff bites when we sat down and ordered from Searsucker's specialty drink menu. I got the Peter Rabbit, comprised of Pimms, basil, carrot and lemon and in all honestly looked a little like Naked Superfood (see below).
Frenchie ordered the honeybadger (of course he would), which was a rye-based drink with lemon and honey syrup. Two completely different types of drinks and I'll have to say I liked mine the better. It wasn't too sweet and had just the right amount of tart to offset the basil. I later had another cocktail (of course I would) that was an apple vodka based drink but the Peter Rabbit was definitely the best because of the unexpected flavour.
For our meal, we ordered:
We were recommended by our server to go with the seafood and Frenchie and I found it on par with a nicer seafood restaurant, which was a slight disappointment. However, oddly enough, the vegetables served at the restaurant were done extremely well and you can never go wrong with mushrooms and burrata (my fave). The shishito peppers were very flavorful but I am lucky enough to have a friend who cooks these often for me and I like them crispier and crunchier than how Searsucker served them. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience with top-notch service but instead of ordering the mains, I would have stuck to the sides and the bites. We would have loved to have tried the bone marrow, mussels with chorizo and beef tartare with quail yolk.
The menu is cleverly divided into 'Bites,' 'Greens,' 'Smalls,' 'Ocean,' 'Ranch,' 'Farm' and 'And...' We received complimentary cheddar puff bites when we sat down and ordered from Searsucker's specialty drink menu. I got the Peter Rabbit, comprised of Pimms, basil, carrot and lemon and in all honestly looked a little like Naked Superfood (see below).
Frenchie ordered the honeybadger (of course he would), which was a rye-based drink with lemon and honey syrup. Two completely different types of drinks and I'll have to say I liked mine the better. It wasn't too sweet and had just the right amount of tart to offset the basil. I later had another cocktail (of course I would) that was an apple vodka based drink but the Peter Rabbit was definitely the best because of the unexpected flavour.
For our meal, we ordered:
- Shishito peppers
- Mushrooms + burrata + toast
- Rockfish
- Halibut
- Fried brussel sprouts
- Sugar snap peas & carrots
We were recommended by our server to go with the seafood and Frenchie and I found it on par with a nicer seafood restaurant, which was a slight disappointment. However, oddly enough, the vegetables served at the restaurant were done extremely well and you can never go wrong with mushrooms and burrata (my fave). The shishito peppers were very flavorful but I am lucky enough to have a friend who cooks these often for me and I like them crispier and crunchier than how Searsucker served them. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience with top-notch service but instead of ordering the mains, I would have stuck to the sides and the bites. We would have loved to have tried the bone marrow, mussels with chorizo and beef tartare with quail yolk.
all of that sounds delicious! and your description is spot-on, it totally looks like you were dining in anthropologie
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun place to try out. Makes me want to try a top cheffy restaurant over here (nyc)!
ReplyDeleteOh, how fun we never go out BUT when we were in SD last year we ate at Seersucker. I loved the decor and the water bottles and the light fixtures, etc. etc.
ReplyDeleteJust saw a reference to shishito peppers in current issue of Food & Wine. Now I see you ordered them for dinner. Apparently I'm not a trendy foodie, but I am curious. What are shishito peppers??? Looks like fun times in San Diego!
ReplyDelete