CH and I finally hit Burlap last night. I'm still deciding what I think. On the one hand, we both didn't like it nearly as much as its mother-ship Searsucker in the Gaslamp. However, I am still in shock about how enormous the restaurant is and how *packed* it was at 6 pm on a Sat. I've been talking about all day.
DECOR: Holy crap, this was the Wherehouse? I love Searsucker, cuz it's exciting and warehousy and feels like Grand Central Station. But Burlap is like Walmart in comparison, or even a fancy and ornately-decorated hangar - I found it very disorienting, not only because it makes Searsucker seem intimate, but because it is very weird to have this giant, buzzy, packed space - complete with patio, koi pond, etc. - on the edge of the strip mall in the midst of suburbia.
MENU: Again, overwhelming. How does this kitchen turn out that many different dishes - well and efficiently - to such a gigantic crowd? It is impressive. On the other hand, we didn't find the menu as exciting as Searsucker - the Asian cowboy theme is maybe not for us. There were also just too many choices. But there certainly is something for everyone. For vegetarians, for instance, there is not a veg entree, but lots of veg small plates: an heirloom tomato and tofu salad; enoki mushroom salad; oyster mushroom cured ceviche style, edamame; sweet potato fries; and a whole lot of "sides", like wild rice stir fry with cactus or garlic noodles or cauliflower with curried yogurt (I didn't try any of these yet, since I decided to choose from the overwhelming list of fish options).
Oh - and MALARKEY SIGHTINGS: There seem to be more of these at Burlap these days, as he and his hat circulated on the patio. Back to the food....
SAVORY FOOD: We got:
--truffle miso soup (CH): Some Yelpers said it was ordinary, not that different from regular miso; CH enjoyed it; I thought it was just ok til I hit the scrumptious mushrooms he left over at the bottom.
--green salad (with walnuts, strawberries, plum dressing) (me): Absolutely delightful. Great salad just like at searsucker.
--half-chicken with steamed buns (CH): this was from the "rotisserie" section of the menu and it was enormous for $10. CH liked it. Kept saying that it is not as good as Searsucker, though.
--snow peas and ham (CH): nice-sized veg side; he liked it, can't vouch for it myself. :)
CH was very sated with a soup + half-chicken + side dish (=only $23). He left most of the chicken over.
In addition to my salad, I got two of the "left-column of the menu choices" (they have categories too complicated to remember: raw? satay? there's no such thing as an "appetizer" here). The waitress said that would be plenty of food.
--salmon belly satay: tasty and well-cooked, but not that big.
--tuna two ways: The waitress really plugged this, but at $14, it was much smaller than I expected. It was essentially a tiny and less spiced scoop of Searsucker's tuna + screaming rooster dish, plus three little squares of cured tuna. I would have orderd a veg side dish instead of one of these fish appetizers and been a lot more satisfied. So at $7 + 7 + 14 = $28, I was still pretty hungry.
WINE: I love Searsucker because every glass I've ordered has been fabulous, even if $10+. At Burlap, I got a Rhone Blend for $12, which sounded like the most interesting of the white choices. It was ok - not bad, but not that exciting.
At this point of the meal, we both agreed that Burlap (despite the crowds who seem to be very happy there) was just not that exciting for us, and we'd be happy to stick with Searsucker.
HOWEVER, the Snake Oil COCKTAIL co. guys saved the day (Yay, Ian and the other guy!!) At first, the cocktails struck me as too weird: Asian-ginger themed cocktails are not my thing. But since all of the whites-by-the-glass seemed boring and I didn't want to switch to red with my fish, I decided to give their lime-basil-martini thing a try. HOLY YUMMY AND HOLY STRONG! I think the secret to a good time at a Malarkey joint is to start with a Snake Oil Cocktail. Everything seems fabulous and delicious after you drink it.
Which brings me to DESSERT....
Whether it was because the strong cocktail made me very drunk - or because Rachel the pastry chef (who has left Searsucker to be on-site at Burlap) is newly inspired - DESSERT WAS THE BEST PART OF THE MEAL. So wonderful, that in my drunk state, I kept declaring to my wonderful Cute Husband: I love Rachel, I want to marry Rachel. (I never met Rachel, and I was not that excited when I got her red velvet cake at Searsucker the only time I was ever not so full that I had room for dessert there). But at Burlap, I was ready to become a polygamist so she could make dessert for me every night.
--My carrot cake, recommended by the waitress: kind of boring. HOWEVER, the crunchy things on the plate around the carrot cake: RIDICULOUSLY TASTY. They were some kind of pineapple nut brittle. Again, RIDICULOUSLY TASTY.
--CH's bittersweet chocolate tart with chocolate ice cream and more chocolate crunchy things (peanut/caramel/chocolate?). CH thought his tart was "ok, good." He thought his chocolate ice cream was amazing. And me: I scooped up all the RIDICULOUSLY TASTY crunchy things, because evidently Rachel is the queen of all things sweet and crunchy.
The other things on the dessert menu (condensed milk cake with green tea mousse and carmelized puffed rice; almond panna cotta with tamarind caramel and almond crunch, lemongrass tapioca with a coconut sorbet) all sounded very delicious - more exciting than any dessert menu I've seen recently.
So here is my TEMPORARY VERDICT (I'm still processing the place). I am not sure whether I will go there again for dinner. Again, it's kind of overwhelming. But I'm ready to have a girls' night out on a *weeknight* after bedtime (more mellow, less crowded - they told me it's not as bad outside of Th/F/Sat) to have a snake oil cocktail + some more dessert from Rachel. For now, those are the two things about Burlap that excite me....though it's too bad that I live a little too far away to walk the cocktail off at the end of the night!
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