An all-day restaurant set to open by the end of this month at Liberty Station is the most ambitious project yet for popular local chef Phillip Esteban. Wildflour will occupy 3, square feet in the historic Barracks 19 building, surrounded by the galleries and studios that make up Arts District Liberty Station.
The year-old Esteban grew up in the southeastern San Diego neighborhood of Paradise Hills but has had a lifelong connection to this part of Point Loma. His father attended boot camp there while it was still active as the Naval Training Center. After graduating from culinary school, the chef cooked through a number of local restaurants, including Tender Greens in Liberty Station before heading to Los Angeles to open several more locations for the company.
The Filipino American chef named his new Point Loma restaurant, Wildflour, after a well-regarded bistro and bakery chain in the Philippines.
And for its interior, which is done up in light wood with pops of blue, he took cues from the airy, functional style of Scandinavian design. It will also have a robust takeout component, with a deli and bakery case packed with cheese, charcuterie, and house-cured fish, as well as grab-and-go sandwiches like mortadella, stracciatella, and pistachio cream on Companion Bread focaccia. Coffee Co. Esteban and chef de cuisine Kareine Elecanal will also offer a refillable picnic basket that holds a bottle of wine and a complete meal for two, featuring one of their larger plates like porchetta, Thompson Heritage Ranch spatchcocked piri-piri chicken, or slow-cooked prime rib.
From behind the seat bar, beverage director Will Pidd and bar manager Johnny Alejo will oversee a drink list that includes classic cocktails like negronis and old fashioneds, plus beer, natural wine and non-alcoholic options. With a larger, sit-down White Rice location opening this fall in the Sorrento Valley area, the chef is shifting the focus of its menus from silogs, or protein-topped rice bowls, to offer his take on a range of traditional Filipino dishes, from kare kare to lechon kawali.
