Who’s ready for San Diego Restaurant Week (SDRW) 2016!?? Whisknladle is!
SDRW kicks off officially on Sunday, September 25th and goes to Sunday, October 2nd.
As ever hungry food bloggers, Darren and I were lucky to be invited to an SDRW preview at Whisknladle in La Jolla.
If you’ve never been to Whisknladle, you’re in for a marvelous treat!
The front of the restaurant showcases a beautiful covered patio where you’ll definitely want to reserve a seat.
Kick back and enjoy their well thought out menu of wines and spirits.
Since cousin Darren and I don’t consume alcohol much, our intuitive server offered us hand crafted lemonades infused with a mix of berries and pomegranate ($5/drink).
These colorful concoctions were bursting with flavor and super refreshing while perusing their menu.
Now one of the best things about coming to Whisknladle during SDRW is that they don’t limit their menu.
What I mean by that is you are able to choose freely – one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert all for $50.
This is a fantastic deal considering you can choose ANYTHING. (A lot of appetizer and entree combinations already exceed the $50 price of admission!)
We were immediately started off right with their homemade bread and butter.
Spanish Octopus – Clams, Cipollini Onion, Proscuitto & Cha’red Focaccia – $19.50
This first appetizer was fantastic. They cooked the octopus just right so it was delicate and NOT chewy (which I usually find more often than not).
The clams added another layer of seafood essence. The sauce was magical! We both used the bread to soak up all the deliciousness.
Cutting Board – Charcuterie & Artisan Cheeses (gf) – $26.00
The picture doesn’t really show you how big the board was! It was a sizable platter that could easily feed 3.
But, since it was only us, we dug in…
Spreads:
- Watermelon Rind Mastarda
- Whole Grain Mustard
- Spicy Salsa d’ Erbe
Cheeses:
- St. Andre
- Danish Blue
- Manchego
Meats:
- Pate de Campagre
- Finno Chiana
- Soppressata
Pickles:
- Bread and Butter
- Dill
- Cornichons
Boy, everything was really good. I did enjoy the watermelon rind because it was so different!
The pate was nice for me, though Darren didn’t care for the texture too much.
The St. Andre cheese had a soft and buttery texture which we enjoyed. It’s similar to brie, but with a deeper flavor.
Anyhow, we polished off a good chunk of the board!
On to our entrees…
Check out the sear on these scallops! Perfect caramelization… YUM.
Not only were these cooked perfectly, but its was seasoned just right, and paired nicely with their mini squash.
As typical “guys”, we LOVE our beef!
This hanger steak was perfectly cooked medium-rare and chock full of flavor. Whisknladle knows how to handle its meats.
I’m not a huge fan of potatoes typically, but these were stellar. They had a deeper and earthier flavor than your typical potato. Darren concurred!
Loved it! I even ate a few green beans too. 🙂
As “professional eaters”, you’d think we would know how to pace ourselves at this point. WRONG.
Somehow we got to the dessert menu, we stared at each with a blank look on our faces of sheer and utter FULLNESS.
Then, within a fraction of a second, we both tilted our heads forward and did the “nod”.
The “nod” is our silent communication meaning, “OMG, I can’t believe we ate that much already! I can’t eat another bite… But, we’re going too.”
With that, we both dug down deep and fastened on our secondary stomach reserves and said, “bring on the dessert!!”
Butterscotch Bundino – Salted Caramel, Whipped Cream, Brown Butter Blondies – $10.00
We loved the deep caramel flavor of this dessert. The blondies were moist and a great accompaniment.
Chocolate Nemesis – Fluffernutter Semifreddo, Toasted Meringue & Graham Cracker Crumble – $10.00
Rich. Creamy. Textured.
How can you go wrong with chocolate? You can’t! This was a fun and playful dance between sweet and semi-sweet.
Thumbs up!
This was pretty cool to see. And electronic tablet where you can provide feedback.
Since we used to be in the IT business, we always get a kick out of technology in restaurants. 🙂
A special thanks to San Diego Restaurant Week, Whisknladle, and McFarlane Productions for hosting us this evening! We had a spectacular meal that was perfectly on point in every minute detail. Our server was fantastic as well.
Need a restaurant to visit during SDRW? Look no further than Whisknladle! Tell us what you got and your experience. 🙂
Disclaimer: Please note that our meal was provided complimentary, but no other compensation received. All opinions stated are our own, good or bad!
Whisknladle
1044 Wall Street
La Jolla, California 92037
For reservations, CLICK HERE.
I love the food at Whisknladle too! Your steak looks really good. You should enjoy Prepkitchen too as they are pretty similar.
Yes, Prepkitchen is delicious too! We ate there (the Little Italy one) during SDRW a couple years back with some friends.