Every once in a while, my hubby and I will try a new restaurant. We were in Del Mar recently and decided to have dinner. We drove by Searsucker, and chose to eat there (it was a spontaneous decision). I had already been to the Searsucker restaurant in the Gaslamp in downtown San Diego and had a good experience. The restaurant is owned by Chef Brian Malarkey, a local celebrity chef, known for being a finalist on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and a mentor on ABC’s “The Taste.” I don’t watch cooking shows often, so I hadn’t heard of Malarkey until two years ago when we recorded some television commercials for ABC10 for the San Diego Foundation’s Show Your Love San Diego campaign. I produced the commercials and he appeared in them. A few months after, I went to an event at his Green Acre restaurant in Point Loma. The food was fresh and quite tasty.
According to his website, in the past four years, Malarkey has opened seven successful restaurants. In 2011, Searsucker was named by Time Magazine as the #2 hottest restaurant in the country! That is quite the accolade! Searsucker serves comfort food – new american class – food, as they call it. The prices are medium to high, at least for the portions served (that is what my hubby said & he never really mentions the prices at restaurants). I don’t mind small portions, as long as the food is tasty! I think the reason the price for dinner may increase is because sides have to be ordered separately.
Overall, we had a nice experience. My hubby said the seabass he ordered was tasty. His soup was ok, but the potatoes were burned (odd). I liked the vegetable root chips served with the tuna tartare I ordered. It was an appetizer, but I ordered it as my entrée (I do this often). The serving was smaller than most tartars at other restaurants. The cheddar puffers (bread) they serve are scrumptious!! You may have a hard time eating just one! The restaurant is nice and decor is casual/modern, the attire is casual, it seems to be family-friendly. The Gaslamp location was bustling and packed when I went, on a weekday evening, about a year ago. We were at the Del Mar location on a Sunday evening and it was not very busy. The service was good and our server was friendly.
Here are some pics from our visit to the Del Mar location, hope you like them!
If you want to try something new, you may consider Searsucker or one of the other Malarkey restaurants. If you go, let me know what you think. I’d love to hear from you.
Hugs & bon appétit,
Paola
The entrance – there is ample free parking at the Del Mar location.
Lobby
Bar located inside the restaurant.
Indoor seating.
Tomato soup
The sea bass, with side order of potatoes.
The tuna tartar option – with pineapple and charred jalapeños, served with vegetable root chips.
The outdoor bar
Other option for seating at outdoor bar area.
Covered outdoor seating, with koi pond.
