I visited Farmer Brown to catch up with my friend Shari over brunch. This place is located in the Tenderloin, and if you know San Francisco, that’s not the nicest neighborhood. I randomly picked this place as it’s within walking distance of my hotel and the ferry building, where Shari was coming from.
Farmer Brown had an urban, industrial vibe with Southern cuisine and (live?) jazz music. I thought the copper decor was cool (says the girl who got married in a building covered in copper), but judging from Yelp reviews, the copper was a turnoff for some diners.
It’s very popular during brunch hours, and I’m glad I made a reservation. They called me the day before to confirm my reservation, then texted me the morning of to confirm again. After having to confirm twice, I was slightly annoyed we still had to wait a while for a table. At least, the mimosas we sipped on while waiting for our table were good though.
Shari ordered the Wedge Salad ($10) with little gem lettuce, brioche croutons, point reyes blue cheese and lardons. Southern cuisine isn’t really known for having the healthiest salads, but it was unfortunate that this salad was drowning in heavy dressing.
I ordered the Skillet Eggs ($11) overeasy with seasonal vegetables, potatoes, and a biscuit. The eggs were nicely done, but needed a little salt. Maybe it’s just me, but when veggies come in a skillet, I expect them to be cooked through. These were crudite coated in a layer of oil.
The potatoes had nice crispy exteriors, but were unevenly seasoned. The pieces that Shari and I tasted had way too much cayenne… burn your mouth off, without offering any flavor. I brought the leftovers back to the hotel, and the rest of it seemed fine. The biscuit was decent and flaky.
It’s good to see cool spots like this popping up in the Tenderloin, but other than the company, my overall experience at Farmer Brown was somewhat underwhelming.
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Mitzie Mee
atHow can an area called Tenderloin not be nice? *lol* Maybe it’s an overcooked part of the city? Regarding reservation and confirmation, it should go both ways, shouldn’t it? I often experience popular spots double-checking upcoming reservations and then you show up and you’re asked to wait in the bar for a table, which really annoys me and has made me walk out several times.
The food looks very photogenic but sounded a bit disappointing? Not a good sign, when you can’t spot the lettuce hiding under the dressing..
wazwu
atHahah, that’s the funniest things I’ve heard about the Tenderloin, lol. Ugh, I know what you mean about getting annoyed with restaurants and reservations, but I haven’t walked out on anyone yet. : Yah, Farmer Brown was rather disappointing, but at least I got to catch up with a friend.