farmer brown

it's 3 a.m. and i feel like writing a blog entry. what i don't feel like is trying to come up with a catchy title for the entry to describe my visit to farmer brown.

i heard about the restaurant a few months ago, but it never made it close to the top of my restaurant list. it's a nice concept though. they buy all their produce from local black farmers. that sounds socially responsible, but when i mull over the concept, it leaves me with a couple of questions. do other restaurants discrminate against black farmers? because if they're not, i'm not sure this policy accomplishes anything. and secondly, is there any sacrfice in quality by only buying from black farmers. i'm sure there are black farmers who are doing great things, but what happens if there are no black farmers who specialize in certain strains of mushrooms? do they use inferior mushrooms, or not use mushrooms at all?

i don't have any answers and these thoughts would never have arisen if everything had been perfect. alas, it was not. we started with the handcut kennebeck fries and oysters fried in cornbread. the cornbread crust gave the oysters a hearty crunch, and its slight sweetness played well with the brininess of the mollusk. on the other hand, the fries disappointed. the dish had two varieties -- regular and sweet -- and about half of each were served lukewarm, as if they'd been sitting out for a few minutes.

overall, the entrees were a step up. the catfish and shrimp jambalaya had a nice spice to it, but was a bit of a one-note song. once the spiciness subsided, there weren't any other flavors to savor. on the other hand, the crisp, light batter of the fried chicken kept the meat moist while infusing it with a rich flavor. served with a side of dirty rice, the dish probably could have benefited from a slight reduction of sodium, but was strong overall. we only sampled one dessert -- lemon layer cake -- which should be avoided unless one finds dryness and density desirable in their final course. prices for all dishes are reasonable -- starters under $10, mains generally under $20.

what i was happy to see was a mixed crowd. this probably sounds racist, but it's pretty rare in san francisco to see a high percentage of black and filipino diners. but that certainly makes up a large part of the clientele at farmer brown. i hope that trend spreads to other restaurants, including those that don't have a soul food bent to them.