Searsucker (Del Mar)

For my birthday last year, Dennis planned an outing with friends at Searsucker in Del Mar. We've had lunch in the downtown location during San Diego Restaurant Week a while back so this was our first dinner experience. This Searsucker replaced Burlap which we had visited a couple of years ago.

searsucker lounge area

The waiting lounge is sort of cowboy to me, maybe because I see that cow skin!

searsucker bar area

Here's the bar area with the popularly used "eat" sign! They have a happy hour from 4:30-6:30 on Monday through Friday plus all day on Wednesday.

The restaurant wasn't too busy that Saturday night so we were seated quickly at our table. We were handed menus to browse.

duck fat fries at searsucker

Fries - duck fat / prosciutto dust / chipotle ketchup

To start, our friend ordered these fries to share as an appetizer. The word "duck fat" generates a lot of interest but I wasn't that impressed with the outcome. They were slightly mealy and dry but at least it wasn't over or under salted or oily. The side of chipotle infused ketchup was a positive and had a tiny bit of heat.

rye guy with rittenhouse rye at searsucker achilles peel with mixed berry vodka at searsucker

Dennis ordered the Rye Guy, which uses Rittenhouse Rye Whiskey (initially discovered at Brooklyn Girl Eatery), Ferrand Dry Curacao, and chocolate bitters. It had a powerful but non-lingering burn that went down hard. He enjoyed the different flavors and I could sense the presence of chocolate from my little taste.

My sister-in-law ordered me an Achilles Peel, which uses a mixed berry vodka, St. Germain liqueur, pressed lemon and orange juice. Oddly it smelled like grapefruit but carried a slight sweetness from the oj and some citrus notes. Nice girlie drink for me.

chicken lollipops at searsucker

Chicken Lollipops - piquillo pepper sauce / bleu cheese / arugula

I decided to order the pre-fixe meal and chose this as my appetizer. These were a spin on the typical meatball. It had a crust to it and was a bit asian-y in flavor. Think of a meatloaf but with a little sriracha. I wouldn't have minded if the crust was a little crispier. The bleu cheese dressing was nice with the greens. 

salmon with beans tomatoes and salmoriglio at searsucker

Salmon - beans / tomatoes / salmoriglio

This was my entree for the pre-fixe meal. This salmon was cooked medium rare so I was a fan. Dennis let me eat most of it too! It was paired with a light lemony and savory puree though the kidney beans were a little more firm than my liking. 

whole seabass with olives pine nuts and capers at searsucker

Whole Seabass

I sort of forgot that the melt in your mouth seabass I love is only a certain species so this whole seabass was not quite as expected. It did have a nice crispy and well seasoned skin to it though picking out bones is never a fun task. I'll try to remember to order the right fish next time though. The side of broccoli tasted like roasted brussel sprouts, at least in my opinion!

panna cotta at Searsucker

Panna Cotta - vanilla bean / buttermilk / oat crumble / berries

My pre-fixe dessert choice. Too bad I didn't really care for the panna cotta dessert... maybe I'm not a fan of the texture or something. Though, I've had limited experience with panna cotta and haven't been wow'ed before. Dennis has never tried it before so at least it's under our belts now.

princess cake from champagne bakery

Instead, I would always always always pick the Princess Cake from Champagne Bakery, my favorite cake in San Diego. There's a location in this same plaza which was very convenient for pickup. Also, no cake cutting fee here even though the kitchen cut it for us!

duroc pork chop at searsucker   braised short ribs at searsucker

Since we were in a group, it was our duty to *quickly* take pictures of other people's food. The first pic is the Duroc Pork Chop ($26) and the second is the Braised Short Rib ($28). Neither meat was as tender as I prefer but friends seemed to like it enough.

butternut squash soup at searsucker   tuna poke at searsucker

Another friend ordered the Butternut Squash Soup ($8?) which was creamy with a light nutty taste. She also ordered the Poke ($14) that came with avocado mousse, soy, and sesame but I found out recently that she got food poisoning that night, most likely from the fish. =*(

smore's bar at searsucker   winter risotto at searsucker

Another friend ordered the Smore's Bar (caramel ganahe / choc mousse / marshmallow) and Risotto (butternut squash / mushrooms / pecorino) from the pre-fixe menu. I did not try either so hopefully it was good.

Our server was attentive and it was easy to converse because it wasn't busy. Foodwise, some of the items here were better than others but there were no standouts for me. Maybe there's some other items that we should have ordered but being in the company of good friends makes everything a little better. Thanks to friends for joining me on this occasion!

Searsucker Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Searsucker (Del Mar)
12995 El Camino Real
STE #121
San Diego CA 92130
(858) 369-5700

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Comments

Jinxi's picture
Submitted by Jinxi (not verified) on Tue, 01/12/2016 - 1:52am

I had the same feeling about food at Searsucker (we went to the downtown location) - I liked the brunch better. The Princess Cake looks really yummy, though :P

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Wed, 01/13/2016 - 2:43pm

I had sandwiches on the lunch visit during restaurant week. decent from what i remember. i think this place just didn't hit it for me, especially after following my Bracero Cocina visit!

Soo@hungryones.com's picture
Submitted by Soo@hungryones.com (not verified) on Tue, 01/12/2016 - 9:27am

That was a great birthday celebration! That pork chop and beef sure look good! I wanna make some pork chops now. :-)

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Wed, 01/13/2016 - 2:44pm

they did look tasty! i'm pretty picky on beef and pork though and was glad i had salmon here instead.

Faye's picture
Submitted by Faye (not verified) on Tue, 01/12/2016 - 10:50am

I haven't been back to Searsucker in ages. I'm so glad to hear that you had a fun bday meal here ! I used to go for happy hour but it would get SO loud in their patio. I used to go to Champagne Bakery when I was younger and we did love the princess cake as well. That's awesome the restaurant didn't charge a cake cutting fee.

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Wed, 01/13/2016 - 2:47pm

i think it was past happy hour when we went. restaurant did have a few other patrons while we were there but it was pretty quiet that evening. you should get some princess cake soon :)

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