Christopher P.
Yelp
A second Green Acre, another addition to the Malarkey food empire, and one leasing company (Alexandria) satisfied: Green Acre is what I assume to be Chef Malarkey and Joel's second stab at a high end cafe fixture, overtaking the now passed-away Finbonacci's to bring fine, clean meals to employees and friends working in the building. Having also enjoyed Herringbone in downtown La Jolla, I can say that the chef does know how to please, how to cook, and now, how to show hospitality.
Considering the unknown cafe barely just opened as a more temporary fixture, it was a bit difficult to swallow the prices affronted without a picture of what was going on - who was leading it, what it served, how good it was. To remedy this, Green Acre offered healthy portions to a few worker-bees left in the building, likely food that hadn't sold before the weekend, and possibly to help drive up excitement - consider me excited!
What I nabbed:
Cashew Butter and Cranberry Jam Sandwich 5 - a twist on the classic PB&J, toasted panini-style, warm and gooey. It was freakin' good, and I don't even normally like PB&J (mostly due to the stickiness of the peanut butter).
Salads:
Tuna: tuna & avocado, seared albacore, grapefruit & vinaigrette, radish, aragula 13 - the orange dressing that came with it really didn't add too much, though perhaps that was the point, a lighter addition to the fresh greens. The shining star here really was the seared albacore, which I'd happily eat alone. The rest of the salad just left me wanting.
Soba: buckwheat soba noodle, jalapeno-lime vinaigrette, shiitake, edamame, sprouts 7 - good, sprouty, Asian vegetables, and I love soba noodles. The dressing was also delectable, something green and slightly thicker than the orange. Perhaps a mix of Chinese and Vietnamese influence, soba filling in the middle.
Soups:
Chili: red curry chili con carne, shortrib, black bean, scallion 6 - hearty, generous portions of beans, meat, carrots, and the such, a thick soup that really filled me up. Excellent with the sprout vegetables from the Asian styled salad, which helped balance the heavier flavors.
Tomato Basil - Oh. My. Goodness. Chefs Joel and Malarkey, make this everyday, and you'll do extremely well here. How is something so good, so flavorful, so thick yet so light, and so delicious? Kill me, heck, try to drown me in this soup, and I just might drink my way out. Noms.
Now, this restaurant is somewhat in its infancy, meaning that its selection could easily change, not that I think it will (the other Green Acre and other Malarkey restaurants being my point of reference). Is it good enough for most of my coworkers to fork over their hard earned dollars everyday? For the many health-minded folk in our building, I'm going to stab in the dark and say yes, especially considering it stomps all over the Fibonacci's restaurant that it just replaced. Add to that the produce from the neighboring garden they'll be using, and we should be looking at some good, clean fun.