Green Acre - a real hidden gem

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog.  Kirk is vacationing, according to solid plans. ed (from Yuma) is relaxing, according to fluid plans. Cathy is blogging, according to general plans of achieving a post for you to enjoy.

Everybody has to eat.  If you are at home and don't want to cook, you go out to a favorite neighborhood place.  If you are at work, there's going to be a place that is close. People don't like to drive very far when they go out, unless maybe for a special occasion. People who work in the "scientist" area of town -near Sorrento Valley and UCSD- where not many lunch options are available, *do* have a great, healthy, tasty option but it isn't easy to find...

This is what you are ultimately looking for.  

Raised bed gardens, in the middle of an Office Park (the Nautilus Life Science Campus area). These fresh vegetables and herbs will be part of your meal, picked that morning.

Straight ahead is the front door to Green Acre.

This is what you see from the parking lot. See the umbrellas to the right?

There are plenty of marked parking spaces, if you'd like to come here for breakfast or lunch and don't work here. It's only open Monday-Friday...like the office park. (I'd be here every weekend if it was open.)

When you walk in, there's a chalkboard listing the daily specials.

There's an area to eat inside, also.

When you are waiting in line to order and pay, the wall advertising other restaurants related to Green Acre- those run by San Diego's Top Chef Season 3 Cheftestant Brian Malarkey, is your only clue that this place is related to those "fabric themed" (Searsucker, Gabardine, Burlap, Gingham and Herringbone) restaurants around town, which are heavily promoted and very popular.

The menu board is hanging above the cash register area, where you order, pay and get a number. Then you take your beverage, find a seat and soon enough, your food is brought to you.  

My first visit here was a meet up with fellow bloggers caninecologne (who posted after that first visit)(two posts, actually)  and Dennis.  Dennis has been here many times, since he works close by (as I said at the beginning...)  

One of the things I really like about Green Acre is that just about everything is recycled and recycle-able.  The paper straws are more than just cute. When you return your tray, the trash area is marked for food mulch, paper and plastic recycling and 'other'.

The food is brought out on jelly roll pans lined with brown butcher/craft paper.  This is Dennis' Grass fed beef burger, topped with leek, slow roasted tomato and Marin County Brie served on a fresh pretzel bun($12) it comes with the fresh-fresh salad, topped with a herb infused dressing...oh, and the pickle is definitely not from a jar. The Russett fries ($3) are served with a 'tomato jam' that tasted more like a marinara than catsup...The fries are quite nice.

caninecologne was not going to let this long drive North go to waste and ordered two full meal items.  She took home more than half of each. This is the "Drunken Mary" panini-a chicken salad made with smoked almonds and  brandied cherries ($7).  I had a taste and it was really good. The side salad, again very fresh-fresh was very good.

This is caninecologne's other main course meal- the 'Corn Cobb' ($9). A very nice, very large, very fresh Cobb salad,  made with  chicken, avocado, bacon, cheese (she asked for a substitute of the standard Bleu cheese) and topped with a corn vinaigrette. This was very good. 

My salad- the 'Nice!'-(a play on Nicoise) ($10) Lightly seared albacore, a perfect soft boiled farm egg, and instead of beans, fresh peas and instead of potato, freshly fried potato skins on top: whatever is fresh and in season... The lettuces, tomato, vinaigrette were memorable as to their freshness. 

I had to bring The Mister here, so one weekday in April, we drove out here (it's easy, take the 5 to Genessee, go West two lights to John Jay Hopkins, turn (you can only turn North) and the first street is General Atomics Drive- the first building on the right -go behind it through the parking lot).  I decided to try one of the items from the "Brick Oven Bar"- a 'Purist' half pizza($6).  Again, it comes with the salad, all on the brown paper lined jelly roll pan. A simple, perfectly baked mozzarella/basil/tomato pizza.  This combination is *so* good, I didn't want to stop eating it and am glad I only ordered a half...just to appear polite. 

The Mister ordered the Nice! salad, based on my incessant obsession with my previous experience (this version had a few small potatoes in it, so no potato skin toppers;potatoes were able to be harvested) and also ordered  a Daily Soup ($4), which this day was a wonderful vegetarian spring root vegetable chowder.  This hit the spot with the slightly chilly overcast outdoor seating spot we chose. It was a nice blend of root veggies and kale, not too spicy and not a thick broth, but a very flavorful one.

We've tried other menu items here.  The breakfasts are pretty basic (omelettes, wraps and paninis as well as yogurt and fruit cups) and extremely fresh. The menu is small and changes based on what is available.   Green Acre serves very fresh, very high quality food without any hype.  I really like it here.

Green Acre 3535 General Atomics Court San Diego 92121 (858)587-6601 M-F 8am-6pm  Website

 


  

Comments

[Dennis]

This was fun and thanks for driving out this way the day! Hope things have winded down for you now. :) The eggs in the salads are so perfectly boiled here, I wish they had a giant egg salad sandwich on the menu. mmm.

[Gody]

There is also a Green Acre location at the very end of Campus Point Drive. It is currently a simpler version of the General Atomics location but they are planning on building a larger restaurant there as they are finishing construction on the company building that they occupy. I'm looking forward to what they offer there as I work nearby. I believe its supposed to be done by the end of summer.

[nhbilly]

Looks fresh and sounds great too we don't have something similar here in good ole SATX beside BEEF.

[J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats]

I work around that area and have always meant to stop by Green Acres for lunch (there's not a whole lot of other options unless you go north to del mar or to the la jolla villa square)..ryout pictures of those amazing salads sold me!

[Cathy]

Thank *you*for letting us know about this wonderful place, Dennis. Since the menu changes based on availability, maybe those wonderful eggs will become more prominent on the menu at some point (although the egg based breakfasts are great) . I have a *much* calmer schedule now, by the way.

I will have to find the other Green Acre locations, Gody. Thanks for the info; it really is a low key, wonderful place. Welcome to the commenting side of our blog.

Beef has its place, especially in San Antonio, Bill. We have to appreciate what is local wherever we live and fortunately the little farm area is perfect for out here.

You *must* stop here J.S. It gets crowded at the peak lunch hours, so going a bit early (11:30 or sooner) or later (after 1:30) seems best. A side salad seems to come with everything, and you'll be able to taste the fresh right away.

[kirbie]

I really want to try this place out, ever since seeing CC's post. Love all the photos you took of the gardens.

[Faye]

My scientist friend works in this building and told me about this place! We're both not big fans of Malarkey so she wasn't sure how this place would turn out. But now I'm going to suggest we try it! Prices seem decent too. Is there a time limit for the parking spaces? Nice post!

[caninecologne]

That was a fun day Cathy! I'm so glad Dennis chose this place. Great post - you got to go several times! :)

@Faye - there didn't seem to be a time limit for the parking. no meters as far as I could see.

[dereck]

Cathy,
I work next door to this and have eaten there 10's of times. It is a gem!!! Do note that lunchtime wait can be insane even with the locals, but happy eating all.

[Cathy]

You'll really like it Kirbie.

The *food* here is excellent, Faye-It's not one of those 'see and be seen' places that serves alcohol, which may be more of the reputation you're thinking a Malarkey place would be. The marked spaces are just those closest to the entrance.

If Green Acre was any closer to home, cc, I'd be there regularly. That day was memorable for so many reasons.

I'm so glad to hear from someone else who works and eats at Green Acre, dereck, welcome to the commenting side of our blog. Green Acre is not a 'company cafeteria' in any sense of the word, and you are so lucky to be able to experience it. I've seen how crowded it can get, and do avoid those times.