By the time we finished our 2 1/2 hour segway tour, we were ready to eat. Our ad-ven-ture(!) continued to Whisknladle, a restaurant that Taro found on Yelp. He guessed that I would like it because it made him think of Church & State (bone marrow) in that they have similar dishes and style. Did I marry someone fantastic or what? I was enthusiastic and even more so when I learned that everything was organic and locally grown and/or raised! I didn’t even know where to begin on the menu just because so many of the dishes sounded appetizing!
To start, we ordered the soup of the day, which was garlic soup. First off, I have never been to Stinking Rose (garlic central) nor had garlic soup. However, I felt pretty adventurous and said, what the heck, and ordered it. It was definitely rich in garlic flavor, but not to the point of it being overwhelming, with finely sliced onions mixed in. The croutons sitting on top of the soup was a nice touch since it added that crunch. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised. Our next appetizer came out, which was flatbread. Similar to the soup, there is a flatbread of the day, and this one was pretty much like a pizza with cheese, sausage, and apples. The apples provided a nice crisp, tangy bite to the flatbread, complementing well with the cheese and sausage. And this is where the ad-ven-ture(!) really started.
What do I mean by adventure? Before our food arrived, the table next to us wanted to take a picture and Taro offered to take it for them. They politely declined, but then offered to take one for us. We said yes and shortly after, our food came out. When the flatbread arrived on the table, the girl at the table next to me pointed it out to her parents and mentioned that they had thought about ordering it. The conversation wasn’t directed at Taro and I, but she just casually mentioned it. Since the tables were so close together (You could hear neighboring conversations.) we could not help but overhear and Taro, being the generous person he is (I love this trait about him.), offered flatbread to their table. They declined, but we insisted, especially since there was more than enough to share. This one act started it all. We started talking and commenting on the food. And thus the exchange began. As our dishes came out, we shared it with our neighboring table. They had ordered an extra dish – they were there first and were eating by the time we ordered – and decided to share that dish with us! It was a passing of plates between the two tables and our waiter came back stunned by what we were doing!
So what did we eat and share? We ordered the Chorizo Date Fritters, which came out after the flatbread. The date is fried, perfectly crispy, and when you bite into it, you initially get the taste of a fruit,which is still soft and chewy, followed by the bite of chorizo. There is a mixture of sweet and salty – sheer perfection in your mouth! They are almost bite-sized and you feel like popping them into your mouth one after another. Next came the Stuffed Roasted Jidori Chicken – cipollini onions “agro dolce,” Tuscan kale, and pancetta. Usually I am not the biggest fan of ordering chicken – Taro has this chicken me crazy phase every once in a while – but this chicken was to die for. It was moist and tender, seasoned with just enough salt. The skin was very crispy and contrasted nicely with the tender meat. I was so full, yet I could not stop eating. Our neighbors shared their dish with us, which was Tagliatelle Bolognese – slowly braised beef, porcini, rosemary, and parmigiano-reggiano. I really enjoyed the texture of the pasta – egg-like and thick – and it reminded me of the handmade noodles of Mandarin Noodle House.
We didn’t stop there, though. After conversing with our neighboring table, they insisted on buying us dessert. It was so sweet of them and we decided to order the Plum Wine Panna Cotta – blueberry compote and sesame orange crisps. They, too, ordered dessert, but what was really funny was that our waiter brought out an extra dessert – it was his treat – so that we could all share the desserts! So in addition to the panna cotta, we also had the Espresso Custard – chantilly, chocolate caramel, and butter almond thins, Strawberry Shortcake – buttermilk biscuit, candied kumquats, and basil whipped cream, and Flourless Chocolate Pave – brandied cherries, morello cherry gelato, almond, and dark chocolate bark. Between the two tables, we passed around the desserts, continued to talk, and enjoyed our drinks – our neighbors even shared a glass of wine with us from their bottle! – together. This was the epitome of good food and good company.
At the end of the night, we had to get the kitchen a sixer – when you order them drinks – because we had too much fun at Whisknladle. It was definitely a memorable evening – segways and then good food! – and it could not have ended on a better note than by sharing and experiencing dinner with strangers…who are now our Facebook friends. San Diego was an ad-ven-ture(!) this time around and one that I will remember for a long time.
A picture with our neighboring table:
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