Inside Brian Malarkey's Herringbone, Whale Skeleton et al.

Grid View

Herringbone is set to debut as Top Chef Brian Malarkey’s FIFTH San Diego restaurant in less than two years. The menu is approximately 60% seafood and 40% meat (no foie as Malarkey feels “it’s a losing battle”) and is divided into Raw, Hot, Greens, Crust (yes, there is a pizza oven), Plate, Meat, and Sides. Some of the more interesting preps include clams with boar bacon, artichoke alla Judea (lemon, salsa verde), and a clam and bone marrow pizza.

With so many restaurants, Malarkey has installed fellow Top Cheffer Amanda Baumgarten as his chef de cuisine. When asked what lured her away from a LA’s Water Grill she said, “Brian and I met on a panel and I came to eat at Searsucker and the environment was infectious. I thought that I wanted to be a part of it. He brought the opportunity to me and I thought, yeah they are doing something that nobody else is doing. Everyone says San Diego is slower, but it’s really pretty here and everyone is really nice.” As far as the aesthetics, Thomas Schoos is again in charge, and here he goes for a definite Mediterranean vibe. Think rustic, distressed woods and olive trees throughout. In the main dining room Schoos designed an open display kitchen with a suspended whale skeleton toward the rear, meanwhile the front features a retractable roof. Doors open May 23.
·All Herringbone Coverage [~ELA~]
— David Morris