Resturant Review: Whisknladle

Prior to my dinner at La Jolla’s gourmet bistro, Whisknladle, I was brushing off the first few chapters of Julie and Julia, the bestseller book by Julie Powell that you might recognize from the film-adaptation that starred Meryl Streep and Amy Adams.  But by all means, don’t get me wrong, I am not writing a book review or trying to get you to read the book or see the movie.  It just so happened that the first few lines into the book, Powell was describing a dish she was preparing that so aptly described the atmosphere and philosophy of Whisknladle that I have to include it here:

As far as I know, the only evidence supporting the theory that Julia Child first made Potage Parmentier during a bad bout of ennui is her own recipe for it.  She writes that Potage Parmentier—which is just a Frenchie way of saying potato soup—“smells good, tastes good, and is simplicity itself to make.”  It is the first recipe in the first book she ever wrote.  She concedes that you can add carrots or broccoli or green beans if you want, but that seems beside the point, if what you’re looking for is simplicity itself.

Simplicity itself.  It sounds like poetry, doesn’t it?  It sounds like just what the doctor ordered.

When Whisknladle first re-opened its doors on February 8^th, 2008, (previously the restaurant had undergone a change in ownership and a few name changes—Fresh and Fresher), they had renovated the place and the menu and basically tore down all the pretense in the establishment that can be like shackles in this industry, settling for a much more simple environment for their organic and in-season menu. 

Appropriately enough displayed on the restaurant’s website is their motto, a quote from Julia Child herself:  "You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces, just good food from fresh ingredients."

With a plain menu on a one sheet of recycled paper, even the menu exemplifies that “less is more”.  The menu is organized with appetizers being the first third of the menu, and then entrees, and so forth.  Recommended is the Carlsbad Aqua Farms Mussels & Fries and Brandt NY Steak.  Also popular is the “Sous Vide” Chicken, garnished with baby carrots, parsnip and butternut squash. 

The Spaghetti and Clams that I enjoyed that night was cooked to al dente.  I found the pasta had a bite to it, not hazardly over-cooked or under-cooked, which made the texturing of the pasta just right.  The clams had a little too much of the taste of the sea in it, but I found the flavoring of the spaghetti sauce to have a certain bite to it as well.  With the slightest hint of lime and spices that enhances the natural flavoring of the organic ingredients, I found the sauce to be the bonding-force that held the dish together. 

For dessert, my guest and I shared a Butterscotch Budino.  To my knowledge, it had three different layers and textures to it.  The first when you dip your spoon into the surface of this delicious dessert is the salted caramel layer which is lightly glazed on the top.  The second, which might not count as layering on second-thought, is the whipped-crème.  But the “meat” of this dessert has to be for a lack of a better phrasing, the “butterscotch-part”.  In the most delightful sense, it is extremely rich.  Spread this and all the layers mentioned on a pine nut cornmeal cookie and this is like a pizookie turned inside-out.  Instead of focusing and accentuating on the cookie, the master-minds behind Whisknladle had turned the emphasis onto the crème.  

The atmosphere of the restaurant while humming with activity was pretty laid-back.  With dim lighting and good music lowly playing in the background, the restaurant’s chill-factor allowed guests to converse and socialize casually.  For the most part, the restaurant is comprised of a patio-setting and an interior with a glass-window partition where you can look into the kitchen.  Seeing this extremely intimate setting being played out, with the dim lighting and inviting décor, I was suddenly reminded of the book I had left unfinished at home. 

In the following chapters of Julie’s book, Powell concedes that “simple” does not mean its “easy”.  I gather that to maintain the simplicity that Whisknladle professes, a lot of effort is put into living out its motto.  And they have done a good job of it.  I’m not just giving them an ‘A’ for effort here but also for carrying out their motto and living by its standards. 

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