When John Resnick and Eric Bost opened their newest restaurant, Wildland, in Carlsbad Village last month, they hoped the huge all-day, no-reservations-required restaurant, bar and bakery on State Street would become a community gathering space.
That’s usually the goal for owners of mid-price restaurants, who prefer running an always-busy neighborhood hangout than a special-occasion-only spot. But finding the right location, vibe and menu to make that alchemy happen isn’t easy.
I’m not a Carlsbad resident, but I decided to dine there like a local. So I visited the 190-seat restaurant three times over the holidays during the breakfast, lunch and dinner hours. I found friendly and welcoming service, bold and unique dishes, strong coffee and great pastries and desserts. But most of all, I found community.
So many of the diners walked or biked to Wildland during my visits, I was able to find free street parking within 100 feet of the restaurant each time (hopefully I haven’t jinxed my parking karma by writing that). I saw people hugging old friends they ran into on the patio or in the walk-up bar, remote workers settled in with their laptops and lattes, and young families with small children dining from the “kiddos” menu and scribbling in coloring books.
Despite lines that formed out the door during the busy morning/lunch hours, the service was pretty quick (five-minute wait in line and 10 minutes for food delivered to the table). It’s the busiest new restaurant I’ve ever seen, but because of its vast amount of seating and 8,000 square feet of space, it never feels crowded.
Bost — who is also executive chef of the company’s Michelin-starred Jeune et Jolie modern French restaurant across the street, as well as the woodfire-focused Campfire restaurant a half-block south — has created a rustic Southern European-inspired menu of wood-fired pizzas, pastas, rotisserie chicken plates, sandwiches, soups, salads and shareable plates. Pastries start at $6 with breakfast and lunch entrees in the $14-$20 range. Pizzas start at $19 and pastas in the mid-$20s, topping out with one or two dinner items in the mid-$30s.
During breakfast and lunch hours, diners order at the counter and food is brought to their table. During dinner hours, diners are seated with menus and order from their tables.
With three restaurants on the same street and another set to open this coming spring a block away (the tasting-menu spot Lilo), Bost wanted Wildland’s menu to be wholly unique and it is. There are lots of unusual ingredients and flavor combinations here that I haven’t tasted before and really enjoyed. Here are some of my favorite dishes for every time of day at Wildland.
Breakfast (served 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
Wildland’s top-notch bread and pastry program is overseen by James Belisle, formerly the founding boulanger (baker) at 11-year-old Lafayette, an all-day French bakery and café in New York City’s NoHo district.
The feather-light Viennoseries are some of the best I’ve eaten in San Diego, including the crispy-sweet pain aux raisins swirls, the savory ricotta olive oil Danish and the lovely croissants. For bigger appetites, the hearty Breakfast Sandwich on house-baked brioche, with fennel sausage, fried egg, 2-year-aged cheddar and tart gribiche aoli is excellent.
The house coffee comes from Carlsbad’s Steady State Coffee, a nearby roastery known for its bold but never bitter flavors.
Lunch (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
Wildland is making its own porchetta (Italian-style rolled boneless pork roast), so I tried the porchetta sandwich on house-baked sourdough. It didn’t look very big at first, but it was filling and satisfying, with charred onions, pickled cabbage and tangy green olive salsa verde.
Grain bowls are all the same — except at Wildland, where this richly flavored, chunky, multisensory dish is served cold with heirloom wheat, big bites of nutty-flavored Tuscan kale and peppery radicchio, fine slices of red apple, feta cheese spicy salsa macha and the unexpected surprise of warm roasted seasonal squash. Add some of the house rotisserie chicken for extra protein.
Dinner (3 p.m. to 9 p.m.)
The best way to eat dinner at Wildland is to order three to four plates for the table.
The standout starter for me was the robustly flavored charred maitake mushrooms, with thinly sliced Bresaola (Italian dry-cured beef salumi), Parmesan cheese, crispy bread crumbs and torn mint leaves. We also enjoyed the invigorating ‘Nduja pizza, made with spicy ‘Nduja pork sausage from Italy’s Calabria region, as well as ricotta, shaved fennel, red onion and herbs.
The ricotta agnolotti pasta was a heartwarming seasonal dish, served on a bed of warm roasted pumpkin purée and topped the sliced Parmesan and tiny sprigs of citrus-y fennel pollen.
Save room for the delightful and surprising pistachio tiramisu dessert, made with orange blossom mascarpone and crunchy pastry bits sprinkled on top that reminded us of Fruity Pebbles cereal.
Wildland
Hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily
Where: 2598 State St., Carlsbad
Info: 442-339-4812
Online: wildlandallday.com
