Farm to Table

I became a vegetarian after watching the film Food Inc.--actually, I'm a pescatarian (I eat a lot of fish). If you have not seen this film yet, I beg you to rent it or put it in your Netflix queue. When I first suggested it to my dad in northern California, I think he was skeptical that it was some left-wing "leaf-licking" propaganda, so I had to ask my sister, who lives in the same town as my parents, to call him and tell him to watch it. So (with her approval), he and my mom watched it, and now they, too, have made some adjustments to the way they buy their produce and meat. 

It's not that you shouldn't eat meat, it's more about where and how you get the food you're eating. (I'm not going to go into the social, political, and environmental reasonings behind my choices--that's what the film will show you.) But, to put it plainly, I don't eat meat unless I know the animal. That sounded less sick and twisted in my head. Let me try again: My parents live on a ranch where they can hunt for their food--which they've always done. This means they are eating fresh, wild meat that was killed quickly and humanely without exploiting another human demographic. Also, I remember growing up we raised a steer once. We would grass feed it and then had it butchered. The meat lasted an entire year. (P.S. The steer we raised was named Dinner and my sister and I used to ride him. I cried a little when he was taken to the butcher, but it also instilled in me a sense of appreciation and respect for the food that I was eating and I was grateful to Dinner for the dinners he provided.) 

In any case, I don't live on a ranch anymore, I live on a postage stamp piece of property in San Diego. So, unless I'm willing to shoot, skin, cook and eat the skunk that is destroying my apple tree every night--and believe me, I'm tempted to shoot the smelly little asshole-- I won't be hunting or butchering my own meat any time soon. (Well now I feel bad for calling the skunk an asshole. I don't mean that.  I'm sure he's a really nice gal*.) Therefore, I've had to search out places around San Diego that are intentional about where they get their meat and produce. 

If you head east, northeast or southeast of San Diego, you might be surprised to find loads of farmland. More recently local restaurants and grocers are buying produce from these farmers (even though it's a little more expensive than buying bulk from China or Chile) because they see the importance of supporting local farmers and they know that fresh food just tastes better, looks better, and is healthier than food shipped from across the globe or poured out of a can.

Last night I ate at a little restaurant I'd never heard of before called Sea Rocket. It is what's called a "farm to table" establishment because...well because of what I just described in the

previous paragraph (I'm sure you're keeping up here).  It was a small place with twinkle lights and papermache sharks hanging from the ceiling and candid pictures of the local farmers, ranchers, fishermen and breweries that they purchase from. Everything was local: from the honey drizzled over the Gorgonzola cheese made by a local cheeseman to the beets in the beet tart or the seared scallop and kale goodness pictured here (courtesy of the Sea Rocket Bistro website). I almost licked the plates clean. I also had a Karl Strauss light beer, but sort of wish I'd gone with one from Ballast Point-- just to try a local brew I'd never had before...but I guess that gives me something to look forward to next time. They also serve red meat here, if you're looking for that, but I'm sort of out of the habit of eating it right now. (And if you don't eat red meat much...beware of what it does to you should you suddenly ingest large amounts in one sitting. I'll leave that to your imagination.)

I'm mad at myself for forgetting my camera last night because you should have seen the fuchsia color of the beet and goat cheese tart. It was blindingly pink. It was like a rainbow threw up on my plate (only it was throw up that you'd really want to eat because it tastes really really good). Aaaand, they serve tapas. My last tapas experience was when my husband and I went to Cafe Sevilla, downtown and for some reason it was an awkward night where lots of things went wrong and was just, well, miserable. I think we might have been sick...or the food made us sick...obviously I drank too much since I don't really remember much. But my point is, that ever since then--sort of like how Pavlov's dogs drooled at the sound of a bell-- I would get instantly annoyed and antsy for no reason when I heard the word tapas. So, last night, it was good to have a positive tapas experience. $2 for a lima bean spread on warm chewy bread or $3 for the aforementioned cheese-thing. Good. Gooooood. (We didn't venture into the world of fish pate--but if you do-- let me know how that one goes.) 

Sea Rocket Bistro is on 30th between Thorn and Upas. 

Also, on the 30th of every month, many restaurants on 30th have special offers: either discounts or a special off-the-menu option. Check out the 30th on 30th website for a list of restaurants that participate.

Another farm to table restaurant worth a visit is:

Tender Greens on Historic Decatur Rd in Liberty Station, Point Loma. Try their Tuna Nicoise Big Salad.

*See sidebar called "My Language Defined" for explanation.