Brian Malarkey's Green Acre at Campus Pointe - Restaurant Review

Organic ingredients (many actually grown on-site), healthy and flavorful dishes, and an ever-changing seasonal menu... Sounds like lunch to me!  And today it was.

Dining with several members of our fun San Diego Food Blogger group, today we took an inside peek at Brian Malarkey's Green Acre restaurant at the Campus Pointe location.

A hidden gem located just minutes from the bustling UTC mall or Scripps Hospital in San Diego (off of Genesee), Green Acre shares residence with several Bio Research, Medical and Corporate Wellness firms and brings a sense of balance to lunch and happy hour (Check Site for hours).

Not a restaurant you will stumble upon unless you are visiting one of the other businesses in the complex, Green Acre is definitely worth seeking out if you are in the area.

With an imaginative and rustic decor, Green Acre boasts dark woods and warm hues in both indoor and outdoor seating.  Catching my eye were the creative spaces outside featuring tables surrounded by wood which while totally open, lent a sense of privacy to the diners.

Containing several meeting and banquet rooms, Green Acre makes your event more than just business with over 20k square feet of combined meeting and event spaces, a private dining room, chef's table, an event lawn and billiards room. (Personally I wanted to draw all over the super cool glass white board wall in the upstairs meeting room!).

But for everyday diners Green Acre offers a number of seating spaces in addition to a "general store" with several to-go options.  I've read the Happy Hours are bustling and fun, and our lunch proved fun and tasty as well.

With an on-site garden, the restaurant uses as many organic and local produce options as possible and the flatbreads, salads and sandwiches all boasted beautiful greens and vegetables along with a few edible flower petals thrown in for color.

Starting with meal of the Root Fries (crispy and seasoned irresistibly with salt, manchego and a touch of aleppo pepper), the platter also included little jars of pickled peppers, pineapple and beets.  In my opinion... worth a visit just for these fries!

Working together our group of bloggers tackled the menu to order different dishes to get a taste of as much as possible, and started with an array of flatbreads.

La Mesa Flat Bread - made gluten-free

Of the Mushroom (Garlic, Cremini, Burrata, Truffle Oil), Fig (Shaft's Bleu, Arugula, Prosciutto), and La Mesa (BBQ Chicken, Red Onion, Gruyere), my hat tips to the Fig.  Simply bursting with sweetness and contrasting with the cheese and arugula, this will be my meal of choice on my next visit.  Note that all flat breads may be made gluten-free, and we made our BBQ Chicken flat bread as such and it received thumbs up all around.

Lunch for me included the Goddess Salad filled with fresh organic greens and site-grown organic herbs and pea shoots along with plump juicy cherry tomatoes, capers and chevre.  While I ordered mine with a side of quinoa as my protein, more mainstream proteins include shrimp, steak, tuna and chicken.

Crispy Kale Chips

We also tried the Corn Cob (Avocado, chicken, bleu, bacon and egg) and the Nice! (Olive, farm egg, albacore, beans, tomatoes, taters), which I'm told is one of the most popular items on the menu.

More menu choices include various Paninis, Burgers (including a vegetarian Black Bean Burger), Soups, Chili and multiple sides.  A favorite at the table was the Kale Chips... nice and crispy.

So next time you're in the area shopping at UTC, visiting the hospital, attending UCSD, or for whatever reason brings you, take a break at Green Acre.  Follow Campus Pointe to the end of the road and bear left (look for Green Acre sign), or if you are in the front of the Eli Lilly building, enter and walk through to the back where you will find Green Acre.

Thanks to Green Acre for hosting our lunch today... I had not been familiar with the restaurant before this visit and I'm so happy to have a place away from the bustle on our next UTC mall visit.  See you soon!