Farmer’s Bottega is a popular farm-to-table restaurant featuring a mix of Italian and American cuisine. A few weeks ago, we had a delicious meal here. The restaurant had been on my to-do list for a very long time, and I’ve been especially curious about their brunch. We were invited in for dinner and accepted the opportunity to finally eat here.
The interior of the restaurant is quite charming, with its wall of wooden boxes and hanging light bulbs, giving it a rustic yet modern feel.
FRIED GREEN TOMATO
Normally this would not be my first choice for an appetizer, but it was one of the ones recommended to us, so we decided to give it a try. And I’m so glad we did. The tomatoes are actually coated in panko breading rather than the traditional cornmeal. As a result, the tomatoes had a wonderful crunchy and flavorful coating. The tomatoes themselves were firm, but not overly tart. It’s definitely one of my favorite renditions of this dish that I’ve eaten.
eggplant caponata, heirloom tomato chutney + burrata
They also offer a variety of jars and you can choose two for an appetizer plate served with toasted bread. I can never resist food served in little jars. They came out look so cute! While both tasted fine, they weren’t quite as memorable as the fried green tomatoes, leaving me wishing we had tried another recommended appetizer rather than venturing out on our own with this choice.
KUROBUTA PORK CHOP
Another recommended dish that we loved. The pork chop was served with roasted corn mashed potatoes and a dried apricot white balsamic reduction. Mr. K loved how juicy and flavorful the pork chop was, and that the fat was cooked until crispy. I really enjoyed the unique twist on mashed potatoes.
STUFFED QUAIL
I love quail, so once I saw it on the menu, my mind was made up. The entree actually comes with a duo of stuffed quails, sitting on opposite sides of a large mound of soft polenta. I let this one be at the front of the photo as it’s the more modest of the two. The quails were stuffed with andouille sausage, cheese and raisins. It was a great balance of sweet and savory. The quantity of all the dishes here are quite generous, and I was having trouble finishing my entree.
RICOTTA BERRY TART
For dessert we shared the ricotta berry tart. For me, this was the weakest part of the meal. I found the tart base a little too crumbly for my liking.
Overall, we had a wonderful dinner at Farmer’s Bottega and want to come back again very soon, especially to try the brunch! The menu is diverse, and yet we enjoyed everything we tried. The portions are also quite large here–which has become quite rare with modern restaurants.
Farmer’s Bottega
860 W Washington St, San Diego, CA 92103
Menu and website
As noted above, we were invited in for dinner and our meal was complimentary. All opinions expressed in this post are my own.
