Elite Event: Whisknladle

A very late review… but Whisknladle Elite Event was AMAZING! A very special thanks to Brad B and Whisknladle for a fabulous meal! Prior to the event, I saw that Whisknladle had 1100+ reviews at 4 stars; it was definitely bound to be amazing! Coincidently, we had a few friends in town and asked them to join us (on a regular tab).
I loved the following:
— Cutting Board Appetizer of Meats and Cheeses
— WNL Burger — Medium Rare
— WNL Pork Chili Verde
— WNL Apple Mille Feuille (dessert)
As for drinks — I am a fan of their House Bloody Mary, Nature’s Remedy, and Cucumber Mimosa. I will DEFINITELY be back. The food and drinks were delicious!

«Brunch at Whisknladle» sounded a little snooty, different from breakfast banh mi at Café Dore or brisket and eggs at Izzy’s. But my friends said nice things about the place, so I combed my hair and drove us to La Jolla for fancy bacon and eggs.
I’m glad I was skeptical. It made the reality a surprising pleasure, and as a bonus, I may have met my next wife.
We were seated on the restaurant’s patio, an elegant and casual space seemingly decorated by an extravagant aunt who’d spent her life traveling, then furnished her home with all the world’s tchotchkes. The air was warm, but overhead fans pulled a breeze from the street that lulled us as we prepared to eat.
Our server, Elliot, was competent and gracious. He explained the Elite Week arrangement and asked us to enjoy ourselves.
We began with drinks: my Beloved’s, a lovely Mure et Bulles with Blackberry Calvados; mine, a Bloody Mary that was neither dense nor cloying, its refreshing mix of juice and booze so bright that the bar might have squeezed San Marzano tomatoes that morning, just for me.
Elliot pointed out the «Wake’n’Bake» scone bar, which held Lavazza coffee, Banana Butterscotch Muffins and Honey Cream Cheese Biscuits. To top these treats, the bar held two inspired spreads: Vanilla Dulce de Leche and Honey Cayenne Cream Cheese. The cheese was tasty, and the Dulce was… well… imagine the best caramel sauce ever, with crack in it. Wake’n’Bake, indeed.
Next, we shared the Cutting Board, which was artfully composed but not so precious that disturbing it felt uncouth. My wife, not a fan of charcuterie, nonetheless enjoyed the delicate, smoky chorizo, and she quickly ate all of the olives. I heard they were good.
Also on the Board was a piece of Valdeón, a Spanish blue cheese blending goat and cow’s milk, shipped wrapped in a protective layer of sycamore leaves. The Valdeón was smooth and wonderful, not biting like some blues, redolent of vanilla and lovely dankness and enhanced by bits of pickled persimmon, all crushed onto crusty ciabatta.
That’s right. Pickled persimmon. And as I ate, I wondered why Whisknladle bothers with a menu. I thought, «Just serve Valdeón and pickled persimmon, with maybe some grilled shrimp every now and then…» Why does no one listen to good ideas?
Later, my Beloved ordered Lemon Pancakes accompanied by roasted pears, almonds, powdered sugar and raspberry syrup. They were dense, but neither gummy nor «eggy.» The restaurant’s kitchen, which doesn’t serve breakfast every day, was shining.
Then came my Eggs Benedict, a dish so debased by «brunch cooks» that when I ordered, I assumed it would be adequate, but no better. The bread would be tough; the eggs would be overcooked; or the sauce would be over-​rich.
In fact, I was foolish to doubt Whisknladle… scoretto… dead wrong.
The muffin was tender and absorbent, a perfect platform on which to build the dish. The ham was lean, savory but not salty, and sliced just thickly enough to deliver a gratifying bite. The eggs were perfectly poached. Arugula added a clean, spicy chew to each bite. And that morning, Whisknladle served me the best Hollandaise sauce I’ve ever tasted.
The sabayon was light but substantial, providing a quick, tantalizing taste of lemon that was subsumed by other flavors — butter, ham, egg yolk in rougher forms — which were, in turn, enveloped by the velvet sauce. I asked Elliot who’d made the Hollandaise, and soon he presented a young woman in kitchen garb, Sous Chef Sarah.
We chatted about the sauce, me praising her perfect creation and asking about her work and Sarah, demur and genial, telling me a bit about life behind the scene. Then, because I wasn’t sure she understood how much I appreciated her skill, I asked if she’d marry me, suggesting that my Beloved might consider a «sister wife» arrangement if it meant we always got to eat so well. Sarah demurred again. Damn it.
I’d eaten caramel and cream cheese and biscuits, salumis and Valdeón, and ham and eggs with a buttery egg yolk sauce, so when Elliot offered Cranberry and Pear sorbets, I was ready for a palate-​cleansing finish to my meal. I nibbled happily at the icy delights.
Before leaving, we sent a round of beers to the cooks, then one of them came out to thank us for the «Kitchen Sixer.» Not necessary, but nice of him. And speaking of thanks, Brad B. and Estefany B., arranged such a pleasant and rewarding experience for us; I’d like to know where to send their beers.
Finally, it turns out that Sous Chef Sarah created the three things I enjoyed most that morning: pickled persimmon; a marvelous Hollandaise sauce; and fruit sorbets. Sarah, if you’re reading this, my offer still stands.
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Café Dore:
Izzy’s Café:

Hot tamale, this event was on FIRE!
5 stars to Brad & Unilocal for coordinating this for us. Talk about Unilocal perks! It pay$ to be Elite!
5 stars to Whisknladle for hosting this amazing event for us.
5 stars to our server, Anthony, who was out-​of-​this-​world friendly, knowledgeable, accommodating. Best server I’ve ever encountered.
What we ordered:
Burrata cheese and persimmons appetizer — The cheese is made in house. This was a beautiful dish and so tasty. Loved the fall flavors and the cheese was a soft consistency. YUM!
Diver scallops — This plate was packed with plump, perfectly seared scallops. Loved the pomegranate seeds and the sautéed veggies.
Lamb chops — Perfectly executed, downright delicious. The boyfriend loved it so much that he was gnawing on the bones haha.
Caramel corn parfait — sweet and savory dessert. I’m obsessed with popcorn so this dessert was just heavenly.
All of the drinks we had were delicious — Thorn St. Red IPA, Nature’s Remedy, 100 Picket Fences and Talk About It.
I can’t believe how amazing this Elite event was! Our meal was $ 149 and it was completely FREE! Thank you Brad, Unilocal,and Whisknladle!
This was my first time dining at Whisknladle and I can’t wait to go back. Downright delicious and the service is impeccable.

After seeing all the great reviews posted and drooling over everyones pics, I’ve been looking forward to my Sunday brunch all week. And man it did not disappoint! To Brad, The Whisknladle staff; Thank you so much for such an awesome and fun experience. This event was off the hook! I liked that it was kind of private, i was sat alone with my +1 and no one was the wiser that i was at a Unilocal event. I did notice a table across us with «the envelope» so i knew that they were participating in the event too, but other than that it just felt like i just went out for brunch.
Our server Ryan was so friendly, personable, and relatable. He really took care of us and answered all our questions, and knew not only the food but the drink menu in and out. For the most part we went with his recommendations and it did not disappoint.
We started out with the cutting board, i liked that they cured all the meats in house! Who does that anymore? This was one of my favorites, i like the variety of meats (chorizo, salami, and a pork terrine) 2 cheeses (a blue and gouda), a bunch of different olives, mustard, and some sort of hot sauce (paste), mostarda and pickles. It was so fun to mix and match all the flavors to make all kinds of combinations. My favorite items were the sweet mostarda with the hot paste thing with any of the meats and cheeses. The thinly sliced sweet pickle, was really good i think i could just eat that on its own. We ended up finishing the whole cutting board! Just left a hand full of olives behind, it was really too much, i think we both agreed that we could easily come back and just have drinks and the cutting board.
For our entrees i chose the chili verde, my +1 chose the fried chicken salad. We were deciding between the yellow tail and the chicken salad, but once Ryan explained that the chicken was brined for a day, she immediately knew what she wanted. The chicken was super crispy on the outside and tender and moist inside! She also really liked the dressing too.
My chili verde was so tender and the egg on top was perfectly done, the chili verde was sweeter than I’m used to but a welcome change to my preconceived notions.
We also had a honey cream cheese biscuit from the scone bar. OMG SO GOOD! Probably the best biscuit I’ve ever eaten! Even though it was not hot out of the oven, it was still ridiculously good! and the Honey cayenne cream cheese, i could just eat a pint of that thing with a spoon! It was so good, i almost requested a special dessert of a biscuit ice cream sandwich. But i wanted to taste one of their creations so i’ll have to return to try my own creation next time.
We decided on the caramel corn parfait. Wow popcorn flavored ice cream I’m still trying to wrap my head around this one. it came with caramel corn, blondie (blond brownies) bites, and peanuts. It reminded me of «poppycock» the upscale version of cracker jacks.
All the food we had was excellent, and reasonable for all being made in house from scratch. But what i did not expect were the craft cocktails! They blew me away!
Natures Remedy — Bourbon, orange peel, ginger, and lemon, So good and strong, i think i turned bright red after just a few sips or maybe i was drinking too fast! It was so good we had to order another one. (Thanks Conrad for the suggestion)
Wendy Peffercorn — Vodka, pink Pepper, pineapple and rhubarb. Tasted exactly like a pineapple lifesaver! Yummy.
London’s burning — Gin, jalapeño, avocado and lime. This was my favorite, it was spicy hot, and perfect for sipping and also went well with my chili verde because it tasted like drinking a spicy guacamole. A perfect food paring, like beer and pizza or a burger.
Over all a fantastic experience! Service, food, cocktails, a trifecta experience!

Wow! What an event for my first in San Diego! I just moved here from Hawaii three weeks ago, and I was anxiously waiting to attend an event. As a non-​social event, this has to be the BEST I have ever attended. We received a phone call a week ago confirming our time for our brunch. woohoo!
When we arrived, we circled the block for street parking… nada… we then saw a garage across the street with a sign «preferred parking for whisknladle» SCORE.
When we arrived we were first told about the coffee/​scone bar. We tried both pastries, the muffin and the cream cheese scone with the buttercream spread. Everything is homemade and absolutely delicious. The scones were flaky but melted in your mouth. The muffin was moist and spongy. The spread was thick and sweet.
We then received our instructions from Brad. oh poop this wasn’t included? No worries! We’ll cover it ourselves. but NO, the waiter said he would cover it regardless. how nice!
From the recommendations of those before us, we ordered the cutting board. Unfortunately we didn’t use a lot of what was in front of us, but with the bread, the 2 sausages, the cheese and the spreads, it was more than enough. Honestly, we were already full after that course! Damn scones lol.
The time between courses gave us enough time to muster up a bit of appetite before our entrée. We passed the time enjoying our cucumber honey mimosas. It tasted so light, a perfect treat for lunch more than breakfast.
I ordered the WNL burger while my plus one ordered the chilaquiles. We barely made a dent in it before we asked for a box. So much for mustered appetite! I love that the burger was once again super moist. The chilaquiles were also delicious. I only tried a bite, but the tortillas were still a little crisp despite being inundated in sauce, just the way I like it.
We ended with a scoop of gelato. I wanted to try the sweet potato fritters, but I might have exploded! The gelato was… homemade! You could definitely tell by the consistency that this was fresh whipped and not sitting for a long period of time. oh wow I love this place!
Lastly, they validated our garage for 2 hours of free parking, which we used one hour and 55 minutes of it. This place is definitely not a grab and go, but a sit, slow down and sip place. I loved it. Thanks Whiskladle, Brad, and Unilocal San Diego for such a great opportunity! I look forward to meeting you all IRL soon!

La Jolla was a happening spot on Friday night, and I was excited about our date night. Whisknladle was twinkling with tiny lights. Vin dropped me off, and the staff welcomed me for the YEE at Whisknladle, and seated me at a table for two. Vin joined me after parking the car in PB! (-;
I enthusiastically ordered the Old Forester 12-​year ‘Birthday Bourbon’, not realizing that naked bourbon has quite a bite. The staff kindly had the bartender turn that excellent bourbon into a wonderful cocktail with an orange peel.
We enjoyed the Cutting Board, with an impressive selection of house-​cured meats, artisan cheeses, and condiments. I especially liked the pâté and the blue cheese. The olives took me by surprise, as these were the first olives I’ve actually liked, as they weren’t too bitter nor too salty.
My Colorado Lamb Rack was succulent, and it was the star of the evening for me! Magnificent! It was nicely complimented by roasted cauliflower, mustard greens, Gremolata, and black currant soffrito.
I love white wine, and the Gruner Veltliner Loimer «Lois», Austria ’11 was well balanced, with a pleasant minerality.
For dessert, we shared a key lime tart or pie with meringue. It was a little sour for my personal taste.
Whisknladle serves farm-​fresh cuisine, homemade from scratch. It’s truly gourmet comfort food, with a menu that changes with the seasons. It was an honor to be invited to select our complimentary dinners from the entire menu! Thank you, David Balanson, Brad B, and the manager and staff of Whisknladle! Such a generous and spectacular YEE!
I look forward to returning as a paying customer, to try the Price-​fix early bird menu between 5:00 — 6:30, 3 courses for $ 45.

Seaside bound seagulls
sand castle fortress rises
children in the sun.
This is one of my favorite parts of town. I love walking along the water’s edge and seeing sand castles rising from the sand and browsing the little shops that line the streets above the beach. I was excited to hear Unilocal was holding an elite event at Whiskeynladdle as I had not visited La Jolla in awhile and thought an after brunch walk would be perfect.
Whisknladle has a lovely fascade facing the street. Natural lighting and the sea air streamed in the front of the building which was open to the street. A friendly manager greeted us and offered us our choice of seats anywhere. We choose a comfy half booth in the back so we could admire the view of the outdoors.
It was my plus 1 Maggie’s first elite event. It was difficult choosing just 3 of the menu options but we did it. The complimentary french bread was soft and fluffy with a medium hard crust. Excellent flavor. Maybe the best french bread I have ever had.
The Sole mineral water was imported from Italy and very refreshing. A bit like Voss still water.
My first dish was the french toast. Very soft bread with awesome flavor. I tried it with the whipped cream and pecan sauce but preferred the flavor of just the bread with a tiny bit of powdered sugar. Best I’ve ever had!
Maggie chose the yellowtail. Texture was delicate like tuna and had a very distinct yellowtail flavor. I’ve made many yellowtail purchases from Ranch 99 and pan fried or deep fried it but the quality of the fish and preparation is much better here. The best I’ve had!
Next came the pulled pork sandwich. Excellent combination of flavors from the toasted bread and the savory and slightly tangy pulled pork. The homemade potato chips were awesome! Crunchy with a delicious flavor so much better than a bag of Lay’s! :-)
We decided on the gelato/​sorbet trio for dessert. Vanilla gelato. Very good flavor and really dense. Quince really awesome citrus flavor. Cranberry gelato tasted just like cranberries.
The service and food was excellent. Thanks to our waiter Elliott and Whiskeynladdle for the excellent brunch and Brad for working the behind the scenes magic to setup this event. I may have gotten Maggie hooked on this Unilocal elite stuff… :-)

Now I’m not the kind of person who expects to be spoiled or anything but when it comes to the Whisknladle Hospitality family of restaurants, you can pretty much bet on it. Admittedly, it feels pretty good too.
So what was so great about brunch at Whisknladle? Short answer: Everything!
Long answer:
A beautiful, sunny day in La Jolla, a restaurant with excellent open & patio seating accompanied with comfortable décor is just the start of it.
Additionally, the universal constant across every single other one of their sister restaurants applies to this one as well. Just in case you’re wondering what that is, which you shouldn’t be, is the phenomenal service. Smiles, enthusiasm, informative recommendations, a feeling of personal connection with your hosts, servers and the GM. Thus adding to the excellent dining atmosphere.
The second, universal constant… Just in case you’re wondering what that is, which you shouldn’t be, is the food! Breakfast & Brunch food probably couldn’t any better than it is here at WNL and here’s a rundown on why.
The tasty pastries and coffee menu. Seemingly simple items such as muffins, and other pastries are complex and extremely tasty and filling and those were just the warm up/​starters!
Appetizer wise, my friend and I shared the flatbread which is probably as literal in the sense of the word as you can get. The paper thin crust looks unassuming enough but definitely was a tour de force as far as maximizing flavor and ability to satiate in an something so light in appearance.
The main plates that were ultimately decided upon were the French Toast & the WNL burger. The French Toast was ridiculously good. The flavor, the portion size and the consistency were all flawless. My friend got this one and honestly, hindsight being 20/​20, I kind of feel like I should have gotten it too. It was epic French Toast. As for the WNL burger, I knew what I was getting with that one considering I’ve had it at PrepKitchen before, one of the best burgers in SD. As much as I wanted to change it up, I didn’t. Sometimes you know you just have a winning horse and you run it. It always gives em a reason to come back to try something new as well. Anyway, such an awesome burger.
Dessert: Taking the advice of a fellow Unilocaler as well as the expert advice from our server, we went with the Sweet Potato Fritters. Disappointed? Absolutely not! They tasted to me like a cross between a crumb donut hole, a churro and some tasty sweet potatoes. Then when paired with the caramel dipping sauce, it brought things to a different level. This one was awesome!
Drinks: They offer a great and pretty extensive beer list. I had the Lost Abbey Avant Garde and a Societe’s Apprentice IPA while I dined. They had several other great options as well but I was happy with the two choices that I made.
What an Epic event again thanks to B-​Rad and the great team at Whisknladle hospitality for allowing to experience what WNL had to offer. I had always walked by this place while heading to PK which was my go to brunch stop in LJ wondering how good it was. Now I have another «go to» in La Jolla.
Finally, major gratitude to our server, Valerie who was simply outstanding in every sense of the word. She was personable, filled with enthusiasm, passionate and informative regarding the food options and simply made the dining experience a pleasure.
Does it get any better? Doubtful. Thanks again to B-​Rad, WNL and everybody involved!

The Whisknladle Hospitality Group are consistently on the top of the pops for neighborhood eateries.
This was my first time dining at the name bearer Whisknladle, having previously had the pleasure of experiencing both Prepkitchens, and it did not disappoint. Armed with pretty much complete reign over the menu for this Elite event, I decided to just make a scatterbrained swipe over the offerings.
Appetizer: Quiche
Such a simple dish, but a good test of a chef’s mettle. Too much heat and its a tart, too little and it’s porridge. I can happily report that the Quiche offered here is picturesque — flaky crust, velvety center, with fresh local mushrooms to add some savory to the mild sweetness of the cheese.
Entrée 1: Cheeseburger
Went with the lunchtime, anytime, classic. Medium rare as to taste the beef, melty cheddar cheese, and all the usual fixings. Basic and good.
Entrée 2: French Toast
Thickly cut brioche bread, Grand Marnier sauce, candied pecans, whipped cream, and powdered sugar. Not too sweet, and just the right flavor complexity.
Dessert: Caramel Corn Parfait
Housemade caramel gelato, housemade caramel corn, housemade caramel sauce, housemade brown butter ladyfingers… catch my drift? A soda shoppe sundae with infinitely more guts and gusto. Thoroughly impressed.
The long and short of it is I had a phenomenal time at this Saturday brunch, finally meeting some Elite comrades, and confirming what I expected… that Whisknladle is on the list of top fine/​casual restaurants in the city, and lives up to the reputations of it’s sister restaurants.
A 1000 blessings and thanks to Brad for allowing me to be apart of the great community and to be fortunate enough to experience this event.

I concur with all my fellow Elite reviewers – Whisknladle is Uhh-​mazzzing! I was told by a fellow Unilocal Elite to be prepared to be **spoiled rotten** and I sure was!
I had been looking forward to this event for weeks and was so excited to be a part of it! When the Elite Event week started on Monday at Whisknladle, I have to confess that everyday, I would go on the Unilocal page and look at all the photos posted. Yes, EVERYDAY I would go on and check out the amazing food photos. So when my assigned day, Friday, finally arrived, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to order, LOL!
The Lamb Rack and Scallops it was!!!
Appetizer: I was debating between the bone marrow or cutting board, but decided to go with the bone marrow.
Bone Marrow: Parsley, capers, lemon zest, and toasted pain de mie. It was just melt in your mouth meat butter! Excellent!
Lamb Rack: roasted cauliflower, mustard greens, black currant soffrito, and gremolata. It was prepared perfectly.
Now my favorite dish of the night:
Diver Scallops: pomegranate, roasted purple cauliflower, and cauliflower purée. I really LOVED the pairing of the scallops with pomegranates – genius! The texture of the pomegranate and the smoothness of the scallops were just a explosion of juicy goodness in your mouth.
The lamb and scallops were a great «surf and turf» blend of our two favorite entrée items, as my husband and I switched out plates back and forth trying both meals. :)
Cocktail:
The hubby and I ordered the Nature’s Remedy: Bourbon, Orange Peel, Ginger, and Lemon. I ordered mine without the bourbon, as I don’t drink alcohol, but even without the bourbon, it tasted amazing!
Dessert:
We ordered the key lime pie (which was not on the menu). Our amazing server, Ryan, recommended it and it did not disappoint. I’m not big on desserts, but I really liked it. It was very light and flavorful. My husband has a huge sweet tooth and loved it! The added macademia nut and white chocolate was a nice added touch. It went well with my cup of organic green tea :)
The service was excellent! From the very beginning to the end, Ryan went above and beyond: he is very polite, friendly, and funny! My husband loved him too and it reflected in the very generous tip he left for him :)
Parking can be a little rough on a Friday night, but we got lucky and found a good spot a block away. Special thanks to Brad and Whisknlade for hosting an unforgettable romantic evening.

When I heard through the grapevine that Whisknladle was serving all of my favorite dishes (lamb, duck, scallops!!!) this week, I was as giddy as a schoolboy. The only problem with having such a stellar menu is that it took my party about an hour to decide what we wanted for entrees. These are the best kind of problems to have!
We started the night with the bone marrow and the cutting board. Holy cow, that was probably the best bone marrow I’ve ever had! Next up, I decided on the scallops. They were really good, but I have to admit that my wife’s fried chicken kind of stole the show. In reality, I’m sure there isn’t a bad decision to be made on the menu.
My sweet tooth must have been showing that night, because no sooner had I gobbled up my last bite of scallops, when four desserts showed up on our table. Were they good? Let’s just say that Brad and I had to arm wrestle over who got the last bite of sweet potato fritters.
I feel pretty lucky that Jocelyn and Brad let me join them as their cumulative +1 to this event. There were talks that they may forget to take me, and just eat all the scallops themselves. I guess I couldn’t have blamed them.
Many thanks to all the staff at Whisknladle — you guys killed it!

Ok, seriously guys I fell in love.
I fell in love with a fat, juicy, well prepared, probably very cute little lamb. If you’d met him you would be in love too. More about him later.
So how generous are these guys and how spoiled do we feel? Had a rough day at work and this was the perfect way to end a day.
Where to start? Well, it all started with the cutting board of course, of course! Amazing presentation matched with taste. I had one of the most delicious olives I’ve ever had and almost had a panic attack worrying about never having it again. I hope they keep this item on the menu forever and I’ll order it everytime I visit. The bone marrow was amazing. I’ve had bad marrow before and it’s bloody tasting, most of it cooks off or not cooked enough. These guys really know how to do it and it’s like/​is pure bone butter goodness.
The apps moistened our appetite and we were ready for the main course. My guest had the duck, which was great but I was not jealous. Back to «billy» the lamb. This plate of lamb was one of the most well prepared dishes I’ve ever had. The meat not gamy, it’s tender, flavorful; the perfect combination of flavors, seared on the outside and moist on the inside. The bed of greens tossed with pinenuts perfectly complimented the rich meat. Y-​u-​m-​m-​y-​e-​e-​E!
We finished this perfect meal off with a little deconstructed apple turnover served with a side of gelato. This complex dish had very surprising, interesting and intense flavors, it was a perfect ending to a perfect meal.
Thank you whisknladle for your generosity, it meant so much to my guest and I. Brad is my homeboy!

What a propitious evening from start to finish. Our lovely dimpled server Valerie led us on a culinary fairytale with vivid details and attentive service. Her animated descriptions of the wines by the glass helped me select a delightful nice pinot noir to start with.
The Halibut Crudo appetizer was quite possibly the best halibut my taste-​buds have encountered. The thin slices were topped with colorful peppers and pomegranate seeds with beads of lemon reduction. I loved the texture and innovation of this artistic dish. After our appetizers were complete our server cleared everything off and gave us a shiny fresh table complete with new silverware.
I was excited about the diver scallops photographed so nicely by godfather Jack that i did not even try to look at the menu. The golden sear on the outside romanced my tongue and kept the translucent inside tender and flavorful. I enjoyed every luscious mouthful with sweet pops of pomegranate. In order to taste the delicate flavors of this dish I sipped cucumber infused water instead of wine.
The final course was a rich chocolate tart which paired perfectly with a bigger bolder Cabernet. Every item on the menu is made in house using the freshest ingredients available. As a skilled cook I truly appreciate the top shelf delicacies that WhisknLadle served. Every plate looked like an artistic masterpiece.
This is one of my top restaurant experiences ever and I was thrilled beyond belief that I was selected to attend such a special event. This is a great way to kick off November and the holiday season for me, especially the rough October that I had.
Brad and WhisknLadle have outdone themselves once again Thank you (squared). In a nutshell, I am blown away.

Completely blown away!
First of all, Ryan our server is a legend… a Rock star.
Thank you Ryan for treating us so well and rolling out the red carpet. WOW…
WhisNladle is only two blocks from my spin gym, I could potentially eliminate any calories I burn by heading here for happy hour tapas.
I digress *sigh*.
You cant go wrong with the board, house cured meats and an amazing cranberry sauce made in house, it is not too sweet but just right.
Happy to see the Piper heidsieck as an option by the glass.
The scallops were wonderful but I truly felt envious for my husbands lamb, super thick rack of lamb pieces, medium rare.
We purchased a sixer for the kitchen staff and the Chef came out to thank us, everyone here seemed so genuine and lovely.
I cant wait to go back.

What could be better than a complimentary three-​course meal from one of the top restaurants in La Jolla? Enjoying it in the company of smiling Unilocaler faces, especially those of my two tablemates, Mark A. and Brad B. What a perfect night!
The hardest part of the night was deciding what to order, and being the smart lot that we are, we chose our appetizers based on what looked the best on everyone else’s tables. Brad spied an order of the bone marrow, and man I’m glad he did. What a treat! We also went with the cutting board because… how could you not?
A round of drinks, and two appetizers later… we finally made our entrée selections. The scallops for Mark, yellowtail for Brad, and the fried chicken for me. What can I say, I’m a sucker for fried chicken. They spend three days preparing their chicken, as it goes through a full brining processes. I’d say it is worth the effort, as it was extremely moist. I loved the addition of pickled green beans on top — what a great combination of flavors! I ordered up Champagne to go with my chicken because I’ve heard that’s a thing, fried chicken and Champagne. No really, Google it.
At that point we were ready for a nap, but apparently there «ain’t no rest for the wicked», because four desserts showed up at our table (five if you include the biscotti that came with my coffee). Oh la la! They were all delightful, but we found ourselves crushing on the sweet potato fritters. The caramel corn sundae was no joke though — I loved the salty sweet combination.
After several enjoyable hours, our lovely meal came to an end, and our bill arrived. $ 250 dollars worth of fantastic food and drink later, we decided to add on not one, but two rounds of beers for the kitchen! I hope they enjoyed them, and knew how much we enjoyed their creations :-).
Thanks to my handsome dinner dates, and everyone at Whisknladle. It was fabulous!

As a brand new edition to the elite team, I was very honored to be Jack M’s guest at this Elite Event. The first word that comes to mind is «WOW». It was an amazing experience and I am very thankful to Whisknladle and Jack M for making this possible.
We started the night with water. Even their water is something to boast about! It had a nice hint of lemon and was extremely refreshing. We then ordered some libations. Jack ordered a beer and I had the Joseph Carr Cabernet from Napa Valley. It was seriously one of the best Cabs I have ever drank! I highly recommend it.
Our server Brittany was as sweet as can be and extremely knowledgeable about the menu.
As an appetizer, we ordered the cutting board. I know Jack enjoyed this more than I did as I’m not too big on cured meats, but for a cutting board it was put together exceptionally well. My only suggestion would be to add some arugula to the plate, I think the bitterness of the arugula would pair nicely with the cured meats and the gouda.
For dinner, Jack ordered the diver scallops and before he dove in, he offered me a taste. Not a huge scallop person, but these were melt in your mouth delicious. Must see pictures! According to Jack, «The scallop’s temp were just perfect at a medium temp… they were tender to the touch and brought on that melt in your mouth quality… The plating was smart, with it’s scattering of pomegranate seeds that provided a nice pop with sweet and slight acidity «~The Unilocal Godfather
I ordered the Colorado Lamb per Brittany’s suggestion and these did not disappoint. The lamb was not gamey, it was juicy and tender. And the flavors paired nicely. It was served on a bed of sauteed veggies, which as a dietitian, I always appreciate.
Now for dessert… we could not decide, so we ordered two! We got the sweet potato fritters and the caramel popcorn blondie cookie ice cream. They were both sinfully delicious and worth every single bite. I was especially impressed with the sweet potato fritters. I have never had anything like these before, think of a cross between pureed sweet potato filled crème puffs and donut holes filled with sweet potato. They were covered in sugar and came with a caramel dipping sauce. Yum!!!
This was an amazing experience. I cannot believe I have never been to the whisknladle before and I cannot wait to return. I wish I could offer more suggestions, but everything was perfect!

What a fun and delicious event! When it was announced, of course I asked friends who was doing what, and it just so happened that the Phungs were doing dinner as well. Little did I know that Nette was going on the same night… as was Cat, who brought her little pooch.
So once we were seated, they moved Nette and Tupac next to us so we could all eat together. The staff is so friendly and the manager came by to check on us. I ordered the highly popular Mary’s chicken which was moist and tender. I loved the pickled green beans. The partner had the tagliatelle which was delicious! I also loved the Syrah blend which went well with the barrata. We all shared the shared desserts which was fun… LOL!
Thank you Brad for arranging such a fun and delicious event. The chef also came out to say hello! Again, the staff was great which made the evening that much enjoyable! Can’t wait to come back!

The four of us ran up a $ 284.85 bill… and we didn’t have to pay it!
We left a nice tip though :)

Happy Elite Week 2014!
Being an invited Unilocal guest to attend a special dinner at Whisknladle is fantastic. It is a generous offer that I cannot refuse. Wifey and I always look forward to date night where we can enjoy each other’s company while the grandparents spoil Mini-​me for a few hours.
We have had an opportunity to enjoy the experience at their sister store, PrepKitchen, and kicking off Unilocal Elite week at Whisknladle is undoubtably one of THE best Elite events of 2014. I mean, c’mon, fancy crafted cocktails, three-​course gourmet dining by candlelight, and excellent hospitality. What more can you ask for? Oh yeah, total bill: $ 0.00.
I adore everything about the design space. The subdued lighting and dining from their covered patio. I also had a chance to peek inside and check out the bar/​lounge area as well as the semi-​private dining table room. We also caught a glimpse of the back of the house through the windows from our table.
Dinner was fantastic from start to finish. We began with the Cutting Board, a delectable charcuterie of house cured products to whet the appetite along with some delicious cocktails. Wifey enjoyed her sangria and my favorite drink was Nature’s Remedy. Can I get a carafe of this? For our main dishes we had the pan roasted beef sirloin and the colorado lamb rack. Both were cooked to perfection and plated beautifully. In our haste to devour dinner, I failed to snap a good pic and uploading images of our cleaned off plates wouldn’t suffice. We wanted a simple palate cleansing finale after finishing a robust meal, so we chose the sorbet trio: cranberry, green apple, and pear, served in a chilled bowl. Delightfully sweet and refreshing fruit flavors.
Anthony did a fantastic job and made our dining experience run smooth as silk. He was well versed with the menu and was helpful with any questions. It was an especially nice touch for Anthony to ask us about the timing as we were halfway through the Cutting Board before he followed up with the kitchen to fire up our entrees. We really appreciate that they didn’t just drop plates off and overlap the appetizer course. Everything just seemed to go exceptionally well, from the frequency of table visits, drink refills, and general courtesy to make sure everything was still going well.
The next time you’re at beautiful La Jolla, definitely check out what’s going on inside Whisknladle. The clear sense of pride in the product they use to create a variety of fresh, seasonal dishes and the performance of the professional waitstaff shines through on your plate or in that glass you’re enjoying.

So excited to eat some food!!!
Going to start with the Board… then some beef… and wine!!! oh how I miss my wine!
Thank you so much Brad for allowing this to be my first meal in 5 months! and what a way to bring it back. My favorite restaurant… yum yum
ok…here is the rundown…
arrived 20 minutes early and was seated in a fabulous location (right under a heat lamp and in a booth!)
I was greeted by Brad and Estefany promptly. Everyone was attentive and fabulous from the host to the servers to the owner himself! Thank you so much for making us feel so welcome!
My dates were child 1 and child 2… who were so excited to be here! Their eyes were wide with excitement that they could order whatever they wanted for dinner…
I started my evening with a glass of Champagne… yes champagne… not sparkling wine. yay!!! first drink =)…and it was fabuous!!!
For appetizer we selected the CUTTING BOARD (duh!)…the kids and I agreed that the Gouda was amazing!!! melt in your mouth… my son’s favorite item on the board was the Terrine… my daughters was the Gouda… mine …hmmm…i liked it all!
halfway through the appetizer i started on a glass of Pinot Noir… oh heaven! and it went so well with the blue cheese!
the kids decided on the Lamb Rack & the Beef Sirloin for dinner (it was between the beef and the scallops).
I ordered a glass of cabernet (joseph carr) with dinner…
the lamb had 3 pieces on the dish so we each had one, with some mustard greens and cauliflower. The flavors were amazing!!! the kids loved it… but my daughter kept telling everyone that she had the «sheep» oh goodness! ha! don’t need that imagery in my mind.
at this point we were stuffed… i took a bite of the beef… the kids couldn’t even fathom taking a bite of it (they wanted room for dessert!)…so the beef got boxed for the next day.
oh and i snuck over and stole a bite of the scallops from Brad and Estefany… yum melt in my mouth! i need to order that next time =)
for dessert… the kids kept asking for the ice cream with chocolate balls (ha! they thought we were at PK)…we went for the Caramel Corn Parfait…
it is caramel corn & peanuts served over popcorn gelato and brown butter blondies (3 perfect bite size pieces)…umm…all I have to say is move over Budino… I have a new favorite dessert… seriously guys… i don’t care for dessert… and you have made me a fan! I crave desserts from PK/​WNL. I had the paired beverage with dessert, which was Blandy’s 15 y.o. Malmsey. YUM!
having my kids as my date was fabulous! i had all 4 drinks to myself =)
Thank you to Whisknladle/​David/​Yelp/​Brad/​Estefany for a fabulous evening!!! i’ll be back!