Press

2020 Best of San Diego Awards:  “Best Chef: Chef Jason Knibb”; “Best Sommelier:  Chris Russo”; “Best Fine Dining Restaurant”

2020 La Jolla Light Best of La Jolla Reader’s Choice Awards:  “Best Cocktail”; “Best Seafood”; “Best Hotel: Grande Colonial”

“NINE-TEN, inside the Grande Colonial, is also set to reopen its dining room September 2nd….”

2020 San Diego Union-Tribune San Diego’s Best Reader’s Choice Awards:  “Best Chef: Jason Knibb”; “Best Business Lunch”

“NINE-TEN Restaurant has added more tables along the sidewalk for dining and people watching, as well as additional dining on the back terrace overlooking the pool, where guests can get a peek at the ocean and take in the sunset.”

“An Upscale Classic: Chef Jason Knibb Shares a Longtime Crowd-Pleaser”.

“We were already thinking of ways we could assist our fellow restaurants and food banks locally.  To be given this opportunity to come together as an industry on a national level was inspiring, and we knew it was important to play a part.”

“When I think of herbs, I think vibrant and fresh, like springtime itself after the winter months.”

“There’s no shortage of fine-dining experiences in La Jolla, but for a meal you’ll remember long after you’ve gone home, head to NINE-TEN Restaurant…”

“La Jolla Restaurants Fight to Survive in Corona-Verse”

2020 Best Restaurant Awards:  “Best Hotel Restaurant”; “Best Wine List”

“A hamachi sashimi, Baja striper crudo, and grilled octopus sound simple, but not in the hands of Chef Jason Knibbs. The excellent wine list offers lots of options.”

“For dinner we were at ‘The Mercy of the Chef,’ NINE-TEN’s name for a special, six-course prix fixe menu created for the two of us at the whim and inspiration of the chef. On our night, each inventive and elegant dish outdid the next.”

“When it comes to dessert, a fabulous sauce adds another layer of lusciousness to delicious decadence.”

“NINE-TEN Restaurant a pioneer in farm-to-table dining.”

“Jason Knibb at Nine-Ten is still one of the best chefs in the country, and most criminally underrated. In any other city, Knibb (and a few others) would have Michelin stars and Beard Awards and the like.”

“The bar at NINE-TEN is shaking up the traditional whiskey sour.”

“Wine Director Chris Russo offers sage advice on wines to accompany Jason Knibb’s cuisine…”

NINE-TEN: #1 Restaurant on TripAdvisor (out of 748 restaurants in La Jolla)

“It’s Cinnamon Season.  Celebrate with these sweet, savory treats!  Honey-Glazed Fig with Miso Ice Cream at NINE-TEN Restaurant.”

“Exquisite Pairings:  NINE-TEN Restaurant’s Mushroom Tortellini with Lopez de Heredia Vina Bosconia Reserva 2007 Rioja, Spain.”

2019 Best of San Diego Awards:  “Best Chef: Chef Jason Knibb”; “Best Sommelier:  Chris Russo”

2019 Best of La Jolla Reader’s Choice Awards – NINE-TEN “Best Cocktail”

“…with Nine-Ten having one of the most stunning terraces, and Pacific Ocean views, that we’d come across, it was a no-brainer.”

“Latin Chefs of San Diego:  Sous Chef Rocio Siso-Gurriaran”

“The first-ever Michelin Guide for San Diego included plenty of ‘huhs.’  No acknowledgement of Market Del Mar, NINE-TEN, George’s, or Fort Oak?  Huh.”

“If this spot is indeed the jewel of La Jolla, then Nine-Ten (the in-house restaurant) would be its pearl.”

“2019 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence”

“Executive Chef Jason Knibb says, ‘Chino Farms is the only local provider where the product is picked the same day – it goes from the ground to the plate within a matter of hours.’”

“Located in a spot that boasts more than a century of memories, NINE-TEN Restaurant celebrates nearly two decades as one of San Diego’s pioneer ‘farm-to-table’ restaurants.”

“Eating lighter while still relishing bold flavors is how Chef Jason Knibb describes the perfect recipe for summer dining.”

“Happy Birthday to one of San Diego’s most revered restaurants.”

“NINE-TEN:  2019 Michelin Plate Distinction” – one of only 34 San Diego Restaurants to receive Plate Distinction

“Best Chef in La Jolla: Chef Jason Knibb”; “Best Dinner in La Jolla: NINE-TEN”; “Best Wine Selection in La Jolla: NINE-TEN”; “Best Bar in La Jolla: NINE-TEN”; “Best American Restaurant in La Jolla:  NINE-TEN”

“2019 Best Restaurant Awards:  NINE-TEN Best Hotel Restaurant/Critic’s Pick Winner and People’s Choice Winner”

“NINE-TEN Restaurant serves fresh California Cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. An upscale brunch is served on Sundays, and room service is available.”

“When I want to escape the bustle for a coffee date or solo lunch, it’s straight to the veranda at NINE-TEN at the Grande Colonial Hotel.  Chef Jason Knibb is legendary, affable, and one of the most talented chefs in San Diego.”

“Locally, where do you love to dine?  NINE-TEN.”

“I conducted a poll among some of the top San Diego chefs, and all of them pointed to four who should have already won a James Beard Award, and are among the best in the country…and Jason Knibb (Nine-Ten).”

“Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica – …inspired by an episode of The Office, this compelling libation is its own delectable bit of nonsense.”

“Then and Now:  Chefs discuss how dishes long in their repertoires have evolved.”

“Nine-Ten boasts one of the most respected chefs in San Diego, Jason Knibb, whose masterful cooking draws inspiration from his Jamaican heritage.”

“NINE-TEN has a farm-to-table philosophy, featuring the best of the harvest from local artisan farmers.”

“It is often said that we eat with our eyes first. Such is certainly the case with ‘perfect bites’ expertly crafted by the renowned chefs of Addison, Born & Raised, El Jardín, The Marine Room, and Nine-Ten.”

“NINE-TEN Restaurant:  Best Hotel Restaurant”

“There is an exceptional on-site restaurant called Nine-Ten, where they have evolved California cuisine into a culinary art form.”

“The dining experience at Nine-Ten was one of our favorite kinds — innovative and artfully-crafted dishes…”

“We’re even finding that diners will often order several starters instead of an entree, to maximize the variety of palate-enticing flavors.”

“If fine dining is more your speed, Jason Knibb, one of San Diego’s finest chefs, creates fresh and sophisticated flavours at the upscale and understated Nine-Ten restaurant in La Jolla, matched with an international wine list featuring excellent California wines.”

“Where the Chef’s Eat:  Chef Bernard Guillas enjoys a light lunch with the quinoa bowl at NINE-TEN, a favorite establishment of his for 17 years.”

“San Diego’s Best Desserts:  NINE-TEN’s Half Baked Chocolate Cake”

“You normally don’t see classical dishes cooked to this level of perfection.”

“NINE-TEN extends its timeless elegance and unwavering hospitality to holiday occasions of every description.”

“20 Essential San Diego Burgers.”

“The Art of Plating:  How do chefs make their dishes look so attractive?”

“Sweet Spot:  These desserts pack powerful flavor.”

“San Diego has several stellar hotel restaurants and this is one of them”.

“…delicious California cuisine at NINE-TEN Restaurant.”

“…the exceptional service of NINE-TEN.”

“…the sophisticated restaurant perched above La Jolla debuted its fried chicken taco”

“…once you get to the meat of it, the flavor is unbelievable.”

“…if you can’t be bothered cooking, the award-winning fine dining farm-to-table Nine-Ten Restaurant, which runs the room service menu, is on site — sit outside and watch the sun set.”

“It’s Hard to Beat NINE-TEN”

“Award-winning Chef Jason Knibb draws his culinary creativity from locally-sourced ingredients using a farm-to-table approach.”

“Enjoy the best of the harvest from local artisan farmers, where produce is selected daily for the restaurant’s seasonal menu.”

“The specialty cocktails are also reason enough to try Nine-Ten Restaurant & Bar, which has critics and diners alike raving about it as one of San Diego’s best places to dine.”

“Led by award-winning, nationally-recognized Chef Jason Knibb, the ZAGAT-rated NINE-TEN Restaurant offers the perfect combination of sophistication and casual elegance with an ideal location along lively Prospect Street.”

“When I think of the taste of summer, stone fruit immediately comes to mind,” muses Chef Jason Knibb.

“NINE-TEN Bar:  One of the 12 Best Hotel Bars in San Diego”

“Best Chef in La Jolla: Chef Jason Knibb”; “Best Dinner in La Jolla: NINE-TEN”; “Best Wine Selection in La Jolla: NINE-TEN”

“Feeding San Diego’s Pairings with a Purpose”

“San Diego Meeting Attendees Can Savor San Diego’s Culinary Revolution.”

“2018 Best Restaurant Awards:  NINE-TEN Best Hotel Restaurant/Critic’s Pick and People’s Choice Runner Up”

“The La Jolla Drugstore, a town institution in itself…is now NINE-TEN, the hotel’s main restaurant which has won numerous awards and ratings of excellence.”

“For date night, head to NINE-TEN Restaurant and Bar in La Jolla.”

“Once a year I order the half-baked chocolate cake from NINE-TEN and experience pure joy as I devour it.”

“San Diego has several stellar hotel restaurants and this is one of them. Executive Jason Knibb is a favorite of both the food-obsessed and other local chefs for his precise and never pretentious California cuisine.”

“Get Evolved at NINE-TEN Restaurant & Bar”

“Believing that street food helps you to connect to where you are traveling, Knibb is inspired to modernize and elevate…”

“The chef at NINE-TEN, if cooking in any other city, would already have a James Beard Award.”

“San Diego Brunch Bites:  NINE-TEN’s house-made gnocchi is a taster dinner-leaning option.”

“NINE-TEN Chef Jason Knibb is a star, and now his dining room’s playing catchup.”

“…always an attractive haven for those in search of luxury fine dining.”

“It was founded in 2001 and has been recognized as the best restaurant in San Diego by the Zagat guide.”

“It is one of the most acclaimed restaurants in San Diego…”

“2018 Top Ten Food Trends:  Seacuterie Rising.  An inviting take on seacuterie at NINE-TEN, easy-to-eat Salmon Rillettes Toast…”

“Show Stoppers:  NINE-TEN Sunchoke Agnolotti with White Alba Truffles.”

“NINE-TEN has emerged with a major renovation.”

“NINE-TEN is not just a number.  It’s the name of one of the finest restaurants in La Jolla – and all of San Diego.”

“NINE-TEN:  A Perfect Ten!”

“Award-winning Chef Jason Knibb draws his culinary creativity from locally sourced ingredients using a farm-to-table approach.”

“The on-site restaurant is worthy of a visit of its own right – helmed by award-winning chef, Jason Knibb, it combines sophistication and elegance and a farm-to-table philosophy…” – Luxury Travel Awards/Grande Colonial: 2017 Luxury Business Hotel of the Year

“CODAmagazine, a monthly digital design + art publication which celebrates the best projects from all over the world, celebrates the NINE-TEN renovation and new artwork, created by renowned artist, Dana Montlack.”

“Chef Knibb follows the ethos of moderation, balance, and diversity.”

“NINE-TEN Restaurant and Bar looks good enough to eat, thanks to renovation.”

“Meet Jason Knibb of NINE-TEN Restaurant in La Jolla.”

“My Favorite Things:  By Executive Chef Jason Knibb of NINE-TEN”

“NINE-TEN Revamps in La Jolla.”

“Your guests will enjoy a variety of special event venues, as well as catering options from the award-winning culinary team at NINE-TEN Restaurant, led by Chef Jason Knibb.”

“…one of the best restaurants in San Diego, hands down.”

“Executive Chef Jason Knibb advocates adopting an ‘island-like, stress-free, easy-going spirit’ when planning holiday dinners.”

“Red & Green Cocktails to Help Whet Your Whistle.”

“…a major renovation of the NINE-TEN Restaurant & Bar. Oh, you haven’t visited and seen it?  If you haven’t, you must!”

“NINE-TEN serves fresh California cuisine and offers a high quality Sunday Brunch.”

“The restaurant is a must.”

Best of San Diego Awards:  “Best Chef: Chef Jason Knibb”; “Favorite Restaurant: NINE-TEN”; “Best Service: NINE-TEN”; “Best Sommelier:  Chris Russo”

“In 2001, Putnam’s Grille was replaced by the Nine-Ten Restaurant which has won a ‘extraordinary to perfection’ rating from ZAGAT…”

“NINE-TEN Restaurant at the Grande Colonial ranks on the list of California’s best restaurants.”

“Celebrating White Asparagus at NINE-TEN Restaurant.”

“NINE-TEN Restaurant & Bar is known as much for executive chef Jason Knibb’s splurge worthy California cuisine, as for the extensive, estimable wine list.”

“Best Chef in La Jolla: Chef Jason Knibb”; “Best Dinner in La Jolla: NINE-TEN”; “Best Wine List in La Jolla: NINE-TEN”; “Best Overall Restaurant in La Jolla: NINE-TEN”; “Best Service in La Jolla: NINE-TEN”

“Their imaginative menu is paired with superb wines from an extensive cellar and if you can’t decide from the menu you can put yourself at the ‘Mercy of the Chef’ and indulge in a gastronomic adventure.”

The restaurant’s “Evolving California cuisine” places an emphasis on produce from local artisan farmers and features the unique seasonal style of cooking with menus dictated by the local harvest.

2017 Best Restaurant Awards:  NINE-TEN Best Hotel Restaurant Critic’s Pick Winner & Reader’s Choice Runner-Up

“Highly Recommended:  The reviews your customers have posted on Trip.com have earned NINE-TEN a stellar rating placing you in the top 3% of over 2 million restaurants listed.”

“But what goes on the plate is world-class perfection that clearly reflects the character and personalities of the chefs who brought it into being.”

“Jason Knibb makes use of locally sourced ingredients at this cool, little Californian in La Jolla’s Grande Colonial Hotel featuring a splurge-worthy ‘Mercy of the Chef’ tasting menu.”  2017 Zagat Survey® Recognition:  Food: Score of 4.5 (very good to excellent); Décor: Score of 4.3 (very good to excellent); Service: Score…

“Executive Chef Jason Knibb’s Roasted Asparagus with Foraged Herb Salad, Nettled Purée and Crème Fraîche Emulsion presents a garden of springtime delights.”

“103 Dishes to Eat Before You Die:  Chef Jason Knibb’s Jamaican Jerk Pork Belly”

“The seared ahi tuna was first rate and service outstanding.”

“The entire staff is well rehearsed in seamless transition from door to table and beyond. One is transformed from mere existence to full happiness and contentment.”

“His (Chef Jason Knibb’s) housemade pasta dish is vibrant with the flavors of toasted garlic, Fresno chile and lemon.”

“Karla Paez of NINE-TEN:  8 Under-the-Radar Chefs to Know in San Diego”

“The Grande Colonial also offers a great dining experience. Zagat-rated NINE-TEN has a children’s menu that will appeal to all budding palates.”

“What he deems ‘classic fall flavors’ are at the heart of Chef Jason Knibb’s Carrot Agnolotti.”

“More than a dozen years in, chef Jason Knibb quietly continues to deliver some of the most superbly executed dishes in San Diego.”

“For fine dining in the neighbourhood La Jolla, I went to Nine Ten in the Grande Colonial Hotel.”

“The newly redesigned NINE-TEN.com is a perfect ten!”

“NINE-TEN Restaurant was recognized by the California Restaurant Association with San Diego’s Best Hotel Fine Dining Restaurant Award.”

“Under the helm of award-wining Chef Jason Knibb, the menu focuses on farm-to-table dishes…”

“Octopus is a sea creature that you’ll find well represented in Executive Chef Jason Knibb’s repertoire.”        

2016 Reader’s & Critics Choice Restaurant Awards

2016 Reader’s Choice Restaurant Awards

“Top 10 Things to do in La Jolla”  

“Classically reimagined.”  

“This cake might remind you of when you were allowed to lick the spoon of cake batter in the kitchen.”    

“This molten chocolate cake is the perfect example of why sometimes there’s no sense in messing with perfection”

2016 Reader’s Choice Restaurant Awards

“A wonderful way to end our first day.”

“If you want to try something more gourmet, visit NINE-TEN.”

“The petite peas from Chino are pure, fresh and sweet as a pea can be.”  

“Para que todo siga yendo perfecto, reserva en uno de los restaurantes más aclamados de San Diego, el Nine-Ten, dirigido por el galardonado chef Jason Knibb.”

  “At NINE-TEN, Chef Jason Knibb, named San Diego’s 2014 Chef of the Year by the California Restaurant Association, presents market fresh, seasonally evolving California cuisine in a casually elegant atmosphere.”

An interview with Chef Jason Knibb.

“It’s also home to the award-winning NINE-TEN Restaurant, a highly touted bistro.”    

“Definitely make a stop at NINE-TEN.  You won’t be disappointed.”    

“Jason Knibb is one of the country’s best chefs…”  

“Alta California’s best chefs are bringing their unique styles back to Baja.”  

“San Diego’s Culinary Culture has grown into a global palette of good taste plus good tastes.”  

“At NINE-TEN, I had the best burger of my life.”

Destination La Jolla:  A Family Friendly Getaway

“…you’ll find a good looking happy hour crowd indulging in inventive drinks with cheeky names.”  

“A sundry group of celebrity chefs call this region home, creating a fine-dining epicenter with restaurants like 2014 Chef of the Year Jason Knibb’s bistro, NINE-TEN.”

“We were ready to try one of La Jolla’s finest restaurants, NINE-TEN”  

“The highly-acclaimed NINE-TEN Restaurant”

“Knibb produces plates that are almost too beautiful to eat.”  

“…a unique his-and-her tasting menu, titled ‘Mercy of the Chef’, that’s great for sharing.”

“NINE-TEN Restaurant is all about California style.”

2015 Reader’s & Critics Choice Restaurant Awards  

“Every venue serves up mouth-watering creations from the hotel’s award-winning NINE-TEN restaurant, led by star chef Jason Knibb.”  

“One of the most acclaimed restaurants in La Jolla. Led by Chef Jason Knibb, it is the perfect combination between a casual, sophisticated and delicious dinner.”

“Step out for a dinner at NINE-TEN, a bistro featuring seasonal California cuisine from San Diego’s 2014 Chef of the Year, Jason Knibb.”

“Local foodies know that few places deliver such a comprehensive wow factor as the Grande Colonia’s gourmet restaurant.”

2015 Reader’s Choice Restaurant Awards    

“Smiling chef Jason Knibb of Jamaican origin has made this address one of the best in San Diego and even California.”

“NINE-TEN offers a sophisticated and casual menu created by award-winning chef Jason Knibb.”  

“Chef Jason Knibb’s burger is a mainstay at the restaurant’s bustling bar.”

“Meet Jason Knibb, whose talent surpasses anything you think you may know of a real culinary experience.”

“Serving raw seafood showcases the delicious freshness of our coastal products.”

“We had an incredible evening at NINE-TEN and Ben and I both agreed that it was probably the best food we have ever eaten.”

“…one of La Jolla’s finest restaurants, NINE-TEN.”

“10 Foods Made to Pair with Cabernet Sauvignon:  NINE-TEN’s Port Wine Braised Beef Short Rib”  

“Cali cuisine is tough to define but you’ll know it when you taste it at NINE-TEN.”

“Jason Knibb leads a kitchen that’s racked up the accolades.”

“Acclaimed Chef Jason Knibb serves satisfying seasonal fare.”