Farmer's Table (Little Italy) - San Diego, CA

Farmer's Table, a farm to fork focused restaurant, opened their third and largest location in Little Italy. We've enjoyed brunch at their Bay Park location and decided to switch it up with an evening meal here. The restaurant is in the heart of Little Italy on India Street and is neighbors with the newer Little Italy Food Hall.

Inside near the hostess stand was a huge red tractor, similar to the Bay Park location!

The color scheme is the same too with the baby blues, farm inspired decor and a feeling of relaxation. We chose a table in the back section near this beautiful living wall. Once seated, we spent a little bit of time pondering over the expansive menu. It contained plenty of healthy, seasonal appetizers and entrees to chose from.

Burrata + Prosciutto Bruschetta ($12)

First food out was the bruschetta. The prosciutto was cut thicker so you got that fresh taste of meat into here. The honey drizzle was so solid and added just the right touch of sweetness. It can be slightly sticky depending on where you pick up. The bottom of the bread was oiled and peppered as well so overall the bite was fantastically balanced. I'd definitely order this again. 

Farmer's Cup ($12) - pimm's liqueur + strawberries + cucumber + fentimans botanical ginger beer + mint

For some sips, Dennis ordered a cocktail... It was slightly bias toward the ginger beer in flavor, but surprisingly not overly minty (I'm usually not a fan of mint). You can taste a bit of cucumber too which was pleasant.

Action shot! Here's the mixologist doing his thing to prepare drinks for the diners that day.

Grilled Octopus ($17) - lemongrass celery root puree + organic cipollini + bell peppers + roasted fingerling potatoes + poblano pepper sauce

We're always fans of octopus prepared in new ways so this was next on the app list. The tentacle had a light clean flavor though the octopus was a bit soft for a grilled item. The sweetness of the red peppers went well with the two sauce. The poblano sauce had a subtle pepper taste but not any spice, while the whiter sauce was more creamy on the tongue.

Short Rib ($34) - creamy polenta + braised greens + au juis

This short rib was like a dinasaur bone - HUGE! The majority of the meat was near a fatty zone so retained that moisture and flavor thought it could have used a tad more salt. The thought of salt bae appearing and working his magic did cross my mind haha! Underneath, the thinner layer of polenta carried a light lemongrass flavor that let the au jus penetrate easily. The greens were between crisp and cooked with a average amount of oil on them. We took some meat as leftovers because this entree by itself seemed easily sharable by two!

Special of the Day - catch of the day on a bed of shrimp and scallop risotto

The special sounded really delicious that day. The server had mentioned mahi mahi so we were surprised when the entree arrived with salmon. That worked in our favor since we prefer salmon anyway. The fish was cooked appropriately to stay moist inside and had slight crisp on the edges the way we usually like it. The scallops and shrimp were subtly flavoring the risotto giving it a smooth seafood influence.

There was just enough dessert stomach space for the cannolis. The outer shell was a sweet crunch while the filling was light. I wanted a little more fruit after eating so much!

Farmer's Table is a wonderful addition to the neighborhood. I could totally imagine sitting along the casual dining counter out front and people watching. You can always find something tasty here, whether it be brunch, lunch or dinner. We'll probably hit up the Farmer's Table Bay Park location next time since it is much closer to home.

Disclaimer: We were invited to dine here and our meal was complimentary. We were not otherwise compensated and all opinions are our own.