06/01/09

best soul food brunch in town

by GoPlaySFBay

This spot has the best soul food in town and their brunch spread has grits to die for - love the music and staff - just don't go with a headache unless you plan to drink it away! Also, don't let the hood keep you away or you'll miss a real treat.

• Pros: live jazz
• Cons: very loud

09/12/08

Great Food! Unsafe Environment!!!!

by butterfly19

The atmosphere is great, the food is great and the staff is so-so. For the neighborhood that it's in, they should have a BIG bouncer at the door to keep out and filter the riff-raff as this restaurant is in the Tenderloin or the 'Tender K*@b" as some of us call it in SF. I've been there several times, however, a patron got her purse stolen. Now, I don't know if the owner/manager compensated the couple their drinks and meals for a miserable stay at their restaurant, but when I left, I realized that there isn't a single camera nor any solid security for a place that has a 'nightclub' vibe in the middle of a compromised neighborhood! The mix of people present is great! But when you step a toe outside the door, you're surrounded by prostitues, dealers of illegal substances and other bonafide thugs. Sure, one must always be careful when they are in public and think about their public safety, but I think the ownership really needs to step up their game for keeping creeps out of the place!! The theft of that woman's purse last week really ruined my experience at that place. You just don't feel safe! I would have given this place 4-1/2 stars, but that experience took it down to 2. I still recommend this place, but bring your own bodyguard, because management doesn't seem concerned about your safety while dining in their establishment.

• Pros: Great bar menu of small plates and appetizers; drinks excellent; great full menu
• Cons: They need a bouncer to screen out jerks and theives or at least catch them on the way out.

09/11/08

Southern-comfort cuisine and specialty cocktails in the TL.

by Patrick Heig

This place serves soul food--made all the more soulful by being organic, and locally sourced from black-owned farms wherever possible--and specialty drinks with fresh-squeezed exotic juices to a gumbo of theater-goers, foodies, downtown office types, mingling singles and a contingent of exotic dancers from nearby strip clubs thrown in for good measure. Honey-kissed cornbread with maple-jalapeno butter, Fulton Valley fried chicken, and mashed sweet potato and plantain are favorite dishes, while the cucumber-lime margaritas will make you forget all about eating.

04/19/08

Great Party Scene in the Tenderloin!

by MatthewTsou

Wow! You wouldn't have guessed it by looking at the outside of this place that it's a happening place to be. You're in the middle of the Tenderloin, and the place looks pretty dumpy from the outside, but that's where it's deceiving!

Once you walk through those doors, it's another world. At least on the Friday night I went. It's definitely a trendy and in-the-know place to be. Reservations are a MUST unless you don't mind standing and waiting for some seats at the bar, which turnover every 10-15 minutes, so it's not to bad. You should get a drink and mingle in the meantime.

I haven't tried all their drinks, but I think they're all supposed to be superb. I had the Orange Bellini (Crushed Orange Puree and Champagne), which came in a classy glass and tasted phenomenal. I wanted to try the Kiwi Margarita, but they ran out so they turned to the Mango Margarita. I asked a gal about the Strawberry Rhubarb Martini she was holding: she was ecstatic about it and claimed she was going to order "3 or 4 more!"

On to the food. I ordered appetizers only, the Shrimp Cakes and Cheese Grits. I had a Green Zebra coupon with me, which claimed Farmer Brown had the best grits in the city. I don't regularly have grits, but these were dee-lish! Sorta like oatmeal and cheese pudding, but cooked in a manner that makes it more like a porridge. Anyways, it's good! The Shrimp Cakes I thought were a little overfried, but the insides were not too bad. Soft, and the sauce was pretty good, slightly spicy for a little kick.

Overall, definitely a place to go to for its ambiance (people, music, lighting), the bartenders and service were okay, and the food was pretty good, though I have yet to try the main dishes. (The leftover fried chicken from a previous foodie looked a bit dry. I dunno about its taste.)

• Pros: COCKTAILS! Ambiance, people
• Cons: Service average

02/26/08

Its o.k.

by oopsydaisy111

I heard all the hype and wanted to try it out. We went in and sat at the bar the bartenders were kind of nice but also not very helpful. I ordered a beer and they said the keg was shot so they gave me half a beer and said they would give me the rest when they changed it, they said they would change it when they had time. There were two bartenders and 4 customers at the bar. Needless to say they never changed it and they charged me for a whole beer. The food was REALLY salty, I wonder if the chef smokes? Probably won't go back. I really like the atmosphere though.

08/21/07

Great ribs

by cl3v3l4nd

The ribs here were delicious: seasoned well, and the meat fell right off the bones. The portions were smaller than I would have expected for the price, but overall a good meal.

06/21/07

Ambiance is Nice, However Food is Not Worth the Price

by cheerioh

Cons: I had dinner with friends this past Tuesday night, I ordered the fried chicken and macaroni. The fried chicken was so salty. I thought I'd avoid the skin to avoid the salt, well the chicken must have been brined because the meat also was extremely salty. The macaroni was not as cheesy and creamy as you'd think soul macaroni cheese to be, it actually had some cayenne pepper dusted on it giving it a kick so that was interesting but not what you'd expect. The portion was also pretty paltry and dish was expensive. It's sad to say, but I would've been better off ordering fried chicken and macaroni at KFC and got better tasting-food for a better deal. My friends agreed. The overall space by the bar while waiting for a table was really tight. The location is in the area of Civic Center where it starts to get real shady. The grits and biscuits (side dishes we ordered and shared) were good, but nothing to boast about or charge $5.

Pros: The ambiance has got a young professional, urban, feel. Music was nice. The free cornbread they serve was yummy. The cucumber water was also refreshing. I also had a mango margarita, that was good, but again not worth $8. Service was also good. Our server was very nice.

05/25/07

Good times to be had inside

by alapointe

The location is a little sketch- but don?t let that deter you. From the moment you walk in- Farmer Brown is a real treat. The atmosphere was festive and populated. The decor, and great attention to detail, helps set the mood / era: Mason jar water glasses, cucumber water, maple butter and fresh (warm) corn muffins. (We like them so much we ordered another basket). Our food was delicious and reasonably priced for the quality / quantity. I had the grilled pork chop with mashed potato-plantain, shredded cabbage and sweat syrup. YUM. I didn't want to share- but knew I would have to, if I wanted any of my husbands fried chicken.

The bathroom needs some work- I did find the bicycle/ hand towel holder to be very clever, but it still needs work. Also- stragglers hanging within the front vestibule made it difficult, at first, for me to distinguish that this was our restaurant.

• Pros: Good food, Clever details
• Cons: Neighbourhood- it is what it is

05/11/07

Great place for drinks! Food has improved!

by jwest282

I've been going to Farmer Brown since the beginning. The food originally was awful and disappointing! I had been going back just to hang out at the bar. Imagine my surprise when a friend ordered their food (against my strong wishes) and it was actually good! I've been back a few times since and I have to admit this restaurant has seriously improved! Glad I keep going and got a second chance at the food. It's still not authentic soul food (I stick by my soul food fusion label) but it's good. I'm also impressed that this restaurant purchases from African-American farmers.

Overall, this restaurant has a great vibe, perfect place to meet up with friends/co-workers for a drink. They play great hip hop (the old school kind) and funky soul music and the drinks are innovative and tops. I seriously suggest the Watermelon margarita or what ever seasonal flavor they have.

• Pros: Great drinks and social scene
• Cons: Little pricey for soul food

04/21/07

Excellent Southern Food and awesome Wines by the glass by quality and Price!

by rewsf

I went here last night and found it was very busy, however, the service was excellent, Nahill, was on top of it the whole time - and very knowledgable. We started w/ 2 specialty cocktails that were delicious, then had wine by the glass - both great, a vermentino and a riesling with our poppers appetizer. He had the catfish which was better than Louisianna (and he's from there and an excellent chef) - lightly battered and seasoned with greens and yams. The yams were a little sweet so better at the end. I had the fried chicken, well we shared it - very good. Not as good as he makes it, but some of the best in San Francisco by far! And we both loved the mac and cheese, which was baked and then finished with shredded cheese - I don't know where the last review came from? Loved it and then finished w/ a delicious pecan pie.

• Pros: Southern Food, Price and Wines by the glass!!!
• Cons: noisy but fun