CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA: BAR & GRILL REVUE
Reflection, Rumination & Rhetoric from the Road
Charming Carmel is famous for Clint Eastwood, who got elected mayor of this town in 1986 after he told the then-regime of city mis-managers to make his day.
Clint first owned the Hog’s Breath Inn (no longer) and then bought Mission Ranch, which he stills owns (and visits). In fact, they tell me he was in last week, twice, and already has a new girlfriend since Christina Sandera (30 years his junior) passed away in July.
At age 94, you can’t blame Clint for not paying attention to the food at Mission Ranch Restaurant, which has (sad to say) degenerated into mediocre (at best). Or, as Clint once said (in Magnum Force), “A good man always knows his limitations.”
Sadly, the same is true with the Cypress Inn, which Doris Day (another Hollywood icon) transformed into a hotel to which dogs are allowed to bring their pet humans—because, let’s face it, dogs can’t check in by themselves.
But ever since Doris left us, the trust in charge of perpetuating my old go-to has been cutting corners, rendering it a no-go.
Consequently, Doris’s installation is replaced by L’Auberge, a slice of French heaven now owned by Patrice Pastor, from Monaco, who has for the last few years been gobbling up commercial real estate in the quaint oceanside town he fell in love with as a child. (Trust me, Carmel is a lot calmer than Monaco.)
A more modern option is 7D Steakhouse (Seventh & Delores). And, while of high quality to match its high ceiling, they make the monumental error of tacking on a 20 percent service charge after calculating tax (high in California), which to my thinking is a dirty trick.
Another eaterie I used to frequent (and now avoid) is Flying Fish. Once spectacular, now just okay. If you settle the tab with a credit card, you pay the commission. Again, a distasteful nickel-and-diming of the diner. (I’ve noticed this trend among business operators of Serbian nationality, notably Village Auto in Montecito.)
Instead, highly recommended:
La Bicyclette: Especially for pizza but everything is outstanding.
Mission Bistro: Nothing short of spectacular, from a true anchovy Caesar to succulent oysters-on-the-half-shell (served with shallot vinaigrette) to Monterey calamari to a grilled Niman Ranch Iberico pork chop.
Here is another gem that has been around for 30 years but took me until now to discover: Anton & Michel.
California red abalone (along with seaweed the only source of iodine) and mouthwatering seafood fricassee (shrimps and scallops, salmon ravioli, asparagus-mushroom cream sauce, chipotle pesto).
Of course, no trip to Carmel is complete without paying homage to the granddaddy of investigative journalism, Lincoln Steffens, who retired here in 1927 at age 60 (from San Francisco) to write his memoirs.
HOMAGE TO LINCOLN STEFFENS
This column was published in the Santa Barbara News-Press in August 2021.Thanks for reading ERINGER! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
The prize for best bar in Carmel-by-the-Sea goes to Bud’s inside La Playa Hotel: Classic ambience, super-stocked, polished service and soothing sounds to match the vibe.
And finally, a round of scavenging produced two new members for my parliament…
