San Diego Gourmet Finds Comfort Food in La Jolla

In case you missed the announcement, The Gourmet Club is now San Diego Gourmet. And we're going podcast only. But this week we air live one last time and our guest is Ryan Johnston, executive chef and partner with Arturo Kassel at neighborhood restaurant Whisknladle.


Whisknladle, at 1044 Wall St. in La Jolla, is about to celebrate its first anniversary. It's all about comfort food. But, not your mom's version of comfort food. This is seasonal fare, made from local organic ingredients. Chef Johnston also does most all dishes from scratch -- baking, churning, smoking, aging, curing and pickling. You'll find in-house cured and aged meats, churned ice cream, homemade pasta and even freshly made pickles.



You can enjoy a traditional main entree or enjoy a variety of small plates off a menu that can include seared scallops topping a fennel risotto, a platter of house-cured meats and artisan cheeses -- and those yummy pickles -- brick Jidori chicken on creamy mashed potatoes and a Moroccan vegetable stew.

We'll talk with the CIA-trained Chef Johnston about his approach to food and learn what his influences have been. Perhaps we'll even get some tips home cooks can use.

Tune in this week to San Diego Gourmet on Wednesday at 11 a.m. for our live conversation. Or go to signonradio.com and download the show to listen at your convenience.


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