If the third time’s a charm, then Wildland feels fated for success before it officially opens on Saturday, December 14. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Yes, the all-day restaurant in Carlsbad Village follows in the footsteps of Michelin-starred Jeune et Jolie and Michelin-recommended Campfire. Yes, that’s a hell of a high bar.
But partners John Resnick and Eric Bost have confidence in their methods. After all, it’s what’s gotten them accolades in the Michelin Guide, why food editor Troy Johnson placed Jeune et Jolie somewhere among the stars, and why he called Campfire “one of the most anticipated openings of 2016.”
I spoke with Bost and Resnick together about their third venture together, and occasionally got the sense they might be sharing a mind. At the very least, they share an idyllic vision.
“The start of any concept, I think, is trying to think about ‘What do we wish was here? What are we excited about?’” says Resnick. “For us, we felt really excited about the idea of creating an all-day restaurant that was really delicious, that had energy and vibrancy and was fun, but a place that was also convenient.”
They’re hopeful for a place where people can do grab-and-go foods just as easily as linger for hours, and have the same quality of service, food, and experience. “Choose your own adventure,” he jokes. However, he adds there will be one big difference between Wildland and their previous restaurants. “Wildland is a walk-in restaurant, so there are no reservations.”
As executive chef, Bost is the man in the kitchen, so naturally, his vision starts in fields and pastures. Wildland, as well as Campfire and Jeune et Jolie, could all be considered California cuisine in that they use local ingredients seasonally. But for Wildland, he wanted to take the menu further by redefining the very idea of comfort food.
Wildland’s menu revolves around the familiar, but with an elevated approach—bread baked in-house, wood-fired pizzas, housemade pastas, and a rotisserie oven for chicken, porchetta, and other meats. Bost says he took inspiration from the Mediterranean, south of France, and some Middle Eastern influence to create a coastal menu with “tons of rusticity,” especially through the bread program that they’ll then use at all three restaurants. “A bakery was something that I was super excited about,” he says. “It will help make the bread at Jeune better and the bread at Camp better.”
Design-wise, the space took shape with help from Barbara Rourke and Jason St. John from Bells & Whistles, the same design firm behind the previous two restaurants. TThe massive building, which once housed the Morey bodyboard factory, spans nearly 10,000-square-feet, with Wildland taking up around 8,000 of them. Think 30-foot ceilings, huge front windows, a sprawling front patio, an open kitchen, and a private dining room (the one area that will take reservations).
Around 50 of the estimated 200 seats are outside, and for the interior to avoid feeling cavernous, it’s divided into dedicated sections. To the left is the kitchen, and when guests first enter, the bakery invites them in, followed by the rotisserie, pizza oven, and then the rest of the line. The bar sits centrally in the space, but keeping in the theme of convenience and approachability, they decided to do something a little different and skip having bar seats altogether.
“Walk up to a bar that’s busy, when everyone’s sitting there, and you kind of have to elbow your way in,” Resnick explains. “So we wanted to create a stand-up bar where no one was sitting… we’re excited about the idea of what kind of social dynamic that encourages, which is what bars are all about and what we’re all about.”
The idea was to design a space that could “feel like it could have been here, in this condition, for the last 50 years or more, and that it will for that long forward,” according to Resnick. That meant using timeless materials like weathered tile, cinder block, and a lot of wood. And with the team they assembled, 50 years seems like an achievable goal. Jeune and Campfire’s beverage director Andrew Cordero continues his tenure at Wildland, along with wine director and sommelier Savannah Riedler (Juniper & Ivy and Vino Carta in San Diego; République in Los Angeles; most recently at Saison in San Francisco), head baker James Belisle (LaFayette and Per Se in NYC), and chef de cuisine Kaitlyn Jean Smith (M.B. Post in Manhattan Beach and previously worked with Bost at Auburn in Los Angeles). Expect a small, but well-curated wine list from Riedler, as well as plenty of low-alcohol options by Cordero with digestifs, aperitifs, amari, and other cocktails designed to complement the food program.
Once the restaurant-slash-bar-slash bakery is officially operational, Wildland will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, but it won’t be the only concept in the building forever. The pair’s fourth restaurant, Lilo (pronounced lie-low) opens in early 2025 on the east side of the building, taking up the other 2,000-square-feet. They’ll have completely separate entrances and spaces, so “you could be a guest at Wildland and have absolutely no idea Lilo is there, and vice versa,” promises Resnick. In the meantime, he promises Wildland is “going to be absolutely f**king awesome.” Bost agrees, laughing. “I don’t know how to top that.”
Wildland opens at 2598 State Street on Saturday, December 14.
