Brian Malarkey's Searsucker was my favorite restaurant when it opened. Never before in San Diego had we had such an exciting restaurant: glamorous buzzy atmosphere with cutting-edge food and drinks. I still like Searsucker, but as he has extended his empire it has seemed less special to me. And Burlap is just too overwhelming with inconsistent food. So I wasn't feeling called to try his new places ( Gingham, Gabardine, Herringbone), esp. since the last two have mixed reviews from Yelpers. And some of the fish entrees at Herringbone are in the $30 price range. Me no like, esp. if it's getting mixed reviews.
So....we were going on a double theater date and so needed to be in La Jolla before. Herringbone seemed a good option since it's "social dining."
Result: surprisingly yummy!
ATMOSPHERE: Everyone raves on Yelp about the 100-year old olive trees. The decor is very beautiful. CH thinks this is his favorite Malarkey/Brennan restaurant: elegant and exciting without being too enormous or overwhelming.
COCKTAILS: Our friends had never been to a Malarkey restaurant so I suggested Snake Oil's famed Peter Rabbit. I got a "vodka something." (carbonated water, vodka infused with seasonal berries). It seemed simpler than the others but was more what I was in the mood for. Result....fantabulous. So simple, but subtle and delectable. Love the Snake Oil guys.
SERVICE: Ha! I realized after a few mins. that our waiter Whitney had served us before at Searsucker when it first opened. Turns out he now splits his time between the two restaurants. He is a fantastically competent waiter, who is not afraid to offer frank opinions, and helps steer you to the best things (not just to steer you to the most expensive things). He was one of the reasons I loved Searsucker so much instantly. He helped us have a great and well-paced meal to get to the theater. This is certainly one of the best features of the Malarkey empire: finding, training and retaning great servers like him!
FOOD: Yelpers scared me away from pizza. Got the albacore dish (at $25, the cheapest fish entree). Was actually delectable. Also split the brussels, minus bacon vinaigrette ($7) and the beets ($7). Brussels were ridiculously tasty. Beets were good but wouldn't order again. CH thought his meat was ok, but that meat is not the speciality there. He prefers the meat dishes at Searsucker.
DESSERT: After confirming that Rachel King conceived the dishes (though doesn't work in this kitchen), I got the hazelnut bar. Was very tasty, but simpler than her Burlap dishes. I actually preferred it better when I deconstructed it and ate layers one at a time. They were more subtle that way.
VERDICT among the Malarkeys:
Best atmosphere: Herringbone (exciting but not overwhelming) or Searsucker (for people-watching)
Best savory food: Searsucker or Herringbone
Best cocktails: Herringbone
Best desserts: Burlap!!!!!!
Best to visit with a girlfriend on a Sunday night: Burlap Lounge!!
We probably won't go back to Herringbone anytime soon, since CH thinks the meat options are not that exciting, it's not cheap, and it's not right around the corner. But I thoroughly enjoyed it, and happily recommend it. It's a great place to try, and the dishes I got from the menu ranged from good to extraordinarily delicious!
(Oh, and chef Amanda Baumgarten from Top Chef was in the kitchen easily visible expediting - but we were too busy talking and enjoying the food and cocktails and atmosphere to even notice her til we were done!).
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