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| - Whoohoooo!! I hesitate to give this place 5 stars because it was so easy for me to get a reservation here, I don't want others to know about this gem of a restaurant.
But I shall share with you all my enthusiasm for this place. The food is unpretentious, well, at least by new American cuisine standards. Having recently dined at fellow Top Chef contestant Richard Blais' restaurant (Juniper & Ivy in San Diego) where I found the food to be very fun and creative, but lacking heart and taste/satisfaction, Chef Brian Malarkey's restaurant really knocked it out of the park for me. The food is simple, and instead of getting fancy, they focused on just preparing the food perfectly.
Of note, their duck breast confit was perfectly prepared. Not a single complaint. Even the bed of white beans it sits on top of was delicious, and I haaaaaate beans! Their scallop dish is priced a bit on the high side, but they give you three very decent-sized scallops, and again, it was made perfectly.
You must try their sweet and spicy squid. Even if you're not a fan of squid, this dish totally won me over. I don't know how they prepare it but the squid is not chewy at all. It's got a great texture that reminds me of scallops. Anyway you must try it.
The only disappointing dish was the short rib. Ugh. If I see short rib on one more menu I'm gonna scream, but the waiter recommended it. It was dry, bland, and boring. It even sat on top of a pile of boring mashed potatoes. Avoid this one.
I will definitely be back again!
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