A Birthday Celebration At Herringbone In La Jolla

Birthdays are always fun to celebrate, and with my friends, it's also an opportunity to try some of the fine dining restaurants in San Diego that we don't ordinarily get to.  For Paula's birthday this year, we settled on Herringbone in La Jolla.  I had never been there, nor had I been  to Searsucker, another restaurant founded by Brian Malarkey, celebrity chef.  I was at the now defunct Burlap in Del Mar and was not impressed.  That's probably why they closed down, redecorated, and reopened as Searsucker.  However,  I loved everything about Herringbone, and would certainly go there again.

There were five of us who shared Paula's big day with her, and we got a good sample of what Herringbone offers for lunch.  First, the décor is fabulous.  With 100 year old olive trees in the center of the restaurant, the main room is a real show stopper.  Everywhere you look, up or down, there is something interesting on the walls or ceiling.  One thing there were not many of were customers.  We arrived at 12:30, left around 2:20, and noticed only about five occupied tables.  We didn't care, as we were enjoying our conversation and our meal.  Here's what we had.

I ordered a salad called Field Peas.  It was a combination of cranberry beans, haricot vert, argula, pecorino, sherry vinaigrette, and roasted beets.  I thoroughly enjoyed this unique salad, and would order it again.  Ellen ordered the salmon salad, a mixture of greens topped with a perfectly broiled piece of salmon.  The lobster roll, on a brioche bun with French fries and salad was a big hit.  Other interesting items on the menu included an oyster po boy banh mi, an albacore nicoise salad with argula, soft poached eggs, roasted red peppers, olives, and fingerling potatoes.  Several types of oysters are available, as well as a number of delicious flatbreads.  Of course a burger, fish 'n chips, and shrimp tacos are also on the menu.  For dessert, even though no one was still hungry, we ordered a decadent looking chocolate torte, with soft mousse on one layer and a layer of dark fudge like chocolate below.  Looked beautiful, but I didn't eat it.

The dinner menu is loaded with fish, from roasted whole fish, to seared diver scallops, wahoo, skate, and seared albacore.  Many sides like herb fries, sweet corn and roasted cauliflower are available as well.  The restaurant prides itself on preparing fresh foods using farm to table ingredients wherever possible.  Brian  Malarkey, the celebrity chef who started the fabric restaurants (searsucker, herringbone, burlap), has sold majority interest, but his touch can still be seen.  The restaurant takes pride in doing it right.  The presentation is beautiful, and the food is delicious.  For dinner it's an expensive meal, probably about $50 per person without wine.  Lunch, however, can be enjoyed for much less, around $22 per person.  Well worth it for a special treat, and lunch with Paula for her birthday was a special treat.