out and about: farmer's table la mesa

Farmer’s table… tell me you’re a farm-to-table restaurant without telling me you’re a farm-to-table restaurant.

Been to the little italy location many times, but this was our first foray to the la mesa location. We were enticed by the new spring menu… as should you be.

It was the perfect date night get-away.

peachy keen: peach whiskey, ginger beer, lime, peach bitters, mint

bay city: ron murkandy hazy ipa

Okay… so I absolutely loved this drink. A mule. With peach whisky? Yes please. It . was literally the perfect pairing. Peach and whiskey go so well together. If I hadn’t wanted to sample some of the other drinks on the menu, I would have totally ordered this all night.

Farmer’s table has a rotating ipa tap. And this week’s special was from bay city. The ron murkandy was not only amusing for it’s ron burgandy association (stay classy san diego) but also because it was a delish ipa. Would definitely order again. And, jamie may have only ordered this beer and had no desire to branch out and try anything else.

carpaccio: thin filet mignon, artichoke tapenade, shaved parmesanno, calabrian chilli, extra virgin olive oil

There are two words guaranteed to get us to order an item off the menu. Carpaccio and calabrian chilli. Okay, three words.

Anything carpaccio will do. And our favorite tuna carpaccio dish from the now non existent herringbone was drizzled with calabrian chilli. We ordered it every. single. time. Such a favorite, I made my own version.

We liked this dish. I thought I would prefer if the parmesaen was grated, and not shaved, for a little bit light feel.

Jamie disagreed. He liked the contrast to the saltiness of the tapenade.

I do wish that the tapenade was more artichoke forward; it tasted more like a salty olive tapenade to me. Great for a first dish though, so you get hit with the salt at the beginning, then the following courses have a lighter feel.

zucchini blossoms: ricotta and spinach stuffed, mint, tomato bisque

This was one of my favorite bites. Period. The ricotta was so creamy, the batter not overly thick, and the tomato bisque? Why they don’t have it as it’s own line item on the menu, I don’t understand. It brought everything together, and I needed more. I could have bathed in that bisque. Absolute perfection.

strawberry fields forever: casamigo blanco, fresh strawberry juice, agave, fresh strawberries, balsamic glaze

While I loved the mule the most. If I hadn’t tasted it first, this would have been my favorite.

Fresh strawberries are the best, and muddled in a drink? Even better. Combine it with balsamic and tequila, and you’ve got a perfect combo.

artisian bread/ garlic ciabatta/focaccia: served with infused butter

We were expecting something different, based on the description - perhaps a basket of different breads. The butter was almost more whipped, verses infused. Not to say we didn’t enjoy it. But it really wasn’t anything other than plain bread and butter.

chicken la provence: portobello brandy cream sauce, herbs la provence, spinach, garlic confit mashed potatoes

We loved this dish. I even loved the spinach. And I typically hate cooked spinach of any variety. Not this one though.

Each element was great on its own… but also fantastic all combined.

I would totally order this again and again. In fact, even as I type this my mouth is watering.

portobello risotto: guanchale, portobello mushrooms, parmesan cheese, gorgonzolla

Oh em ghee. This risotto.

First of all, the al dente was nailed. It was less creamy than most risottos that we are used to, but the flavor profile?!? Off the charts.

The description was guanchale; which I can only assume to be guanciale - beef cheeks - similar, but not the same as bacon. I’ve used it in many an italian dish. However, this guanciale(chale) was much more baconesque than guanchale… so I’m not sure what they were going for? But what ever it was? It worked.

The gorgonzolla was understated, and perfectly so. It didn’t overpower anything - just added a necessary creaminess. And if you know me, I only like blue cheese when it’s understated and adds to the flavor, v/s taking over the flavor.

Seriously well done. Bacon and mushrooms all day, every day.

rosé pitars italy

limoncello: marscarpone cream sauce, white chocolate on top

There is no dessert menu. Just a recitation from the waiter. By the way… shout out to uros. He was amazing. Seriously the best. Thank you for your service. But I digress.

We landed on the lemoncello as our first choice. And my goodness am i glad we did. I love lemon desserts.

The cake was moist (sorry, not sorry). The sauce delicate. The chocolate brought it all together. Seriously. A great flavor bomb.

Also… ya’ll know me. If there’s a sparkling rose somewhere on the menu… it’s happening.

tiramisu

If the restaurant has any sort of italian influence… I’m ordering the tiramisu.

This was light, fluffy, and doused with espresso. Everything you want from tiramisu. No hard madelines here… just soft pillowy cake.

Fantastic flavors… and the berries worked perfectly to balance out the coffee flavors.

All in all, it was great to try the new location, and the new menu.

Definitely a fun spot to try, with great service and good flavor profiles.