Farmer & The Seahorse — Restaurant in San Diego

This review is a little more encompassing than a single visit to try the latest Malarkey offering. This opened with much less noise than previous offerings partly because it’s not his usual stand alone venture. It’s within the Alexandria which honestly is a bit more of a compound than a campus, but the rest of that is for their own review.

Stepping away from the typical fabric nomenclature of typical Malarkey offering “The Farmer” part of the name probably is homage to “The Farmers Insurance Open” than the actual farmers they are sourcing from. This is just conjecture, but wouldn’t you grow on site with such an open air campus available to you? Then it would make sense to have Farmer in the name. Seahorse is obvious seeing so many of his restaurants are so heavily influenced with seafood. I mean we are after in Coastal San Diego now.

The grounds are beautiful, well manicured, it’s hidden away, yet not enclosed. The décor is eclectic. Somewhere between refined vision and a muddled theme. As if it’s plans were redone half way through construction by a new firm. It’s a nice change of pace to the uber slate and contemporary café’s in the area. Service is slow, the best bet is sitting at the bar. It’s borderline annoyingly slow. Staff is friendly, but they know most people are in and out on a quick stop in for lunch. Indoor and outdoor seating is nice, love the seating inside more, outdoor is a little to Brunchy for my liking. Price is high for what you get.

It’s not that breakfast is bad, but it’s a little too a la carte that got thrown together. Breads are fresh. My breakfast burrito cost $9 with basic add ons which should have been in there already. (bacon, sausage and avo). Solid coffee offerings, but very rounded prices make things seem overpriced. Haven’t you learned the dollar sign makes things seem more expensive. House made cold pressed is $4.50 while basic black is $2. Green man is a great smooth. Avo, green tea syrup, kale, almond milk. It’s not a full smoothie bar, but decent. Soda’s are all overpriced as are the juice of the days. Salad’s are all expensive. My shrimp louie louie didn’t have correct louie dressing and is $14. I love green beans, but they have no business in a louie. Shrimp were good, but they went easy on them. Golden beats salad is a knock off of Whole foods version, they just replaced the onions with almonds. $22 lobster roll tasted old. I could buy a whole lobster for less and make it myself. I’d rather have local spiney’s. The best bet is fish & chips, all local, fresh bright, refreshing slaw. Not overly cooked or breaded local fish. Burger is a joke. $17.50 for a burger with bacon, avo and a fried egg. The meat was only ok and the bun completely fell apart. $4 for fries brought my lunch with tip that day to $25.80. Large wine list, small beer list and the tapas and small and not fulfilling for $8 mini salads. Bartenders are scripted with the bland menu, so ask them to play with something you like. They aren’t half bad, but you can tell someone really didn’t think about the drinks they way they did the wine list. I did like the short ribs itself in the poutine, but the pourtine was itself was bleh. Goat cheese, mushrooms, roasted potatoes, for real, come on man.

Seems to me that Brian has lost a lot of his creative control after some failures at Gingham, Gabardine, Burlap (though it has been repurposed as Seersucker North). I look at the menu and it’s as if a chef did breakfast with limited resources, another did lunch and is making up for breakfast with even more inflated prices and then a 3rd chef did HH with entire dishes shrunk down. I love Seersucker and have been supporting Malarkey restaurants since the beginning, but I think this is one of his worst ventures. 5 visits and I’m hard pressed to come...

We recently hosted our son's 4th birthday party for friends and family during brunch this passed weekend at the Farmer & The Seahorse. The venue itself is beautiful, and the service staff is outstanding. I'm sure if you're attending brunch, and were ordering off of the menu that you would be more than satisfied with the cuisine.

This review is solely for the event and catering management team. I cannot emphasize enough that the employees assigned to the event on the day of our son's birthday were tremendous.

The restaurant hosts a ton of parties, and you pay a premium for the venue. We are not some large company that could count the event as a tax right off. We are an average family, that sacrificed and saved to host our son's 4th birthday for friends and family at the Farmer & The Seahorse after Sunday Service.

Murphy's law struck during our son's birthday. We had the grassy lawn out front reserved and roped off. The kitchen was running late because they were transitioning between events. Our son's name wasn't displayed on the signage to notify our guests coming in. We were fighting off yellow jackets the entirety of the party. There was a point of the party where the guests went inside, and the event hostess along with some of the husbands attempted to fight off the yellow jackets. The worse part, and probably the most embarrassing was that we were paying an "outside dessert fee" to bring in our son's favorite cake to blow out his birthday candles. Long story short, the ICECREAM cake was kept in the fridge, and by the time they brought it out on the cake stand, and displayed it at the cake table (which was in front of the restaurant guests) it was a puddle of cookies and cream.

Our host during the event documented what we were experiencing and told us to notify the management team. So we did, with ZERO expectations, and have received radio silence. We were however, forwarded our bill, and in the bill the "outside dessert fee" was waived. Although we appreciate them waiving a fee for an opportunity that was squandered by them, we still deserve a response. Some times people just want to be heard. We paid a premium for the event and should have at least been heard out if we felt that we didn't get what we paid for.

We are blessed beyond measure, and take nothing for granted. This is honestly the first review that I've ever written. The business practice just isn't right. I just hope that this review will be helpful to the next family that is thinking of choosing the Farmer & The Seahorse for their next special day. Go somewhere where your hard earned money is valued. Find a place where the interpersonal relationships are legit, and where they are not used as a means to complete a transaction, but instead fortified to make you a...

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Rave Review for Bri & Beau at The Farmer & the Seahorse! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

We recently had the pleasure of visiting The Farmer & the Seahorse, and let me tell you, it was an absolute delight! From start to finish, our experience was nothing short of amazing. We arrived without reservations after a hike at Torrey Pines, we were welcomed and seated.

First, let's talk about the Blue Lagoon Smoothie. Wow! This refreshing blend of flavors took our taste buds on a tropical vacation. The combination of fruits was perfectly balanced, and the smoothie was so smooth and creamy. It was like sipping pure bliss in a glass.

Next up, the Matcha Latte. As a matcha lover, I have to say that they nailed it! The latte was rich, creamy, and had just the right amount of sweetness. It was the perfect pick-me-up.

And finally, the Fish Tacos. Oh. My. Goodness. These tacos were a flavor explosion! The fish was perfectly cooked and seasoned, and the toppings added a burst of freshness and crunch. Each bite was a party in my mouth, and I couldn't get enough.

But it wasn't just the food that made our experience exceptional. The service by Bri & Beau was top-notch. The staff was friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable. They made us feel welcome and went above and beyond to ensure that we had a fantastic dining experience.

Overall, I can't recommend Bri & Beau at The Farmer & the Seahorse enough. Whether you're craving a delicious smoothie, a comforting matcha latte, or some mouthwatering fish tacos, or strawberry French Toast, this place has it all. The combination of incredible flavors, outstanding service, and a cozy atmosphere make it a true gem. Don't miss out on this culinary...