Another big highlight for me during our stay in Carmel a few weeks ago was visiting Earthbound Farms, a familiar place to me only by name, as I buy their salad greens each week. I got excited when I saw their farm, while on our way to Carmel Valley Ranch, where we were staying.
I made Dan promise me that we can stop in for lunch the next day, so I can make myself a farm fresh salad.
Atmosphere:
To say that the atmosphere at Earthbound Farms is magical is an understatement. Situated in Carmel Valley, the farm is surrounded by nature’s finest beauty, including colorful rolling hills, tall redwood trees and just spectacular countryside.
The property is large, but not overwhelming, consisting of the actual farm land, a general store and café, as well as an outdoor sitting area, and a few smaller gardens that cater specifically to visitors.
Staying true to its rustic vibe, the café is very casual and the salad bar is self serve, which I like. Featuring all of their different salad greens including arugula, fresh spinach, a spring mix, kale and other varieties, it’s all there for you to make a colorful, healthy lunch creation. Of course they have other fixins too such as a tasty roast beet salad, dilly beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, a quinoa salad and other yummy things. It was fun to see everything decked with the Earthbound Organic logo, as it also educated me about other products they carry such as all sorts of fruits and veggies (not just salad), as well as pre-packaged goodies such as granola, cookies, nuts, and other natural snacks.
Salad and More!
As I already hinted above, I chose to make a farm fresh salad at Earthbound's little cafe, which was a lot richer and vibrant than the salads I make at home. Consisting of their signature spring mix greens, I also added other things such as roasted beets with onions, a crunchy bulgur salad, edamame beans, tofu, a mixed bean salad and tied it all together with balsamic dressing. Taking the salad outside and eating it in the open fresh air, it tasted wonderful and nourishing. It was satisfying to respect the earth from which this food came by eating it right on Earthbound's premises.
Dan ended up getting a grilled cheese sandwich at the cafe, which was also hearty and delicious. We appreciated the normal portions, especially while on vacation when it's so easy to overindulge.
As you can see from the above picture, we couldn't resist a little portion of garlicky dilly beans, which we took with us and ate during a BBQ we had during our stay in Big Sur. More on that soon...
Costs:
Since the cafe was super informal and really just a grab and go kind of place, it was fairly inexpensive, setting us back about $20 for our food and drinks.
If you're travelling to this lovely part of California, I highly recommend stopping at this charming, natural place. I'll never look at my ordinary salad the same way again.
3 Mmmms
Earthbound Farms - 7250 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel CA 93923
831.625.6219
www.ebfarm.com
After we left San Francisco, we headed South by way of California’s Monterrey Peninsula, which was just a spectacular experience. Part of what made the journey that much more enjoyable was the delectable, natural food we had at our disposal, and it was really difficult to have anything that wasn’t delicious.
I did some research on Carmel’s restaurants, as I usually do, only to find a lot of gems, which were also very pricey. Doing some more digging, I decided that heading to Carmel’s quaint town called Carmel by the Sea would be a nice place to have dinner, and I found a cute little, low-key restaurant called Basil Seasonal Dining that ended up being our dinner destination.
Atmosphere:
Set in the heart of Carmel by the Sea, it’s a wonder that Basil Seasonal Dining remains a hidden gem. It must be its stealth location, as Dan and I inadvertently passed it on our way over since it’s situated in a little tributary street right off of Ocean St.
We noticed a few tables outside, but since Carmel gets to be quite chilly at night, we chose to dine in Basil’s cozy dining room. It’s a good thing we had a reservation, since the place was almost full, which was a good sign.
Dan remarked at how tiny it actually was, the dining room housing only about 25 patrons – and we loved that. We hadn’t really had an intimate, romantic meal up to that point in the trip, and this created a nice opportunity.
Food:
While the menu wasn’t wildly extensive, it had just what we needed, and we were excited by a lot of the menu items. The wine selection was quite nice too, and boasted a few local varieties, which we naturally had to sample.
Tuna Tartare – We were totally taken with this appetizer special, which sounded delicious and hinted at Asian flavors. I enjoyed it very much, as the tuna was fresh and cut into bite size pieces, resting on a bed of chunky avocado salad. Refreshing and light, we both agreed that it was a great way to start, and to keep our palates neutral, in preparation of the heartier dishes still to come.
Braised Rabbit – I was curious to try Basil’s take on a braised rabbit dish, which was paired with locally grown veggies such as heirloom cauliflower and romanesco. A modest helping of homemade gnocchi also graced the dish, which was a big highlight for me – the soft, pillowy pieces catching the rabbit’s hearty braising liquid. The meat itself was really flavorful and cooked perfectly – not too gamey or tough but tender, juicy and a tad earthy.
Wild Boar Sausage Wrapped in Prosciutto – Dan was a very happy customer, devouring the sausage dish, but still managing to share with me. I was grateful, as it was a real treat, the salty, well done prosciutto being my favorite part. Boasting some fresh pieces of basil, it was nice to actually tear some into the dish for a hint of lemony freshness.
Service and Cost:
The service was yet another success at Basil, our waiter showing off his knowledge of food and drink, but also his professionalism, all at the same time maintaining that characteristic, Carmel laid-back vibe. We never felt that we waited too long for anything and generally felt well looked after.
All the food is very well priced, considering the locally sourced ingredients and their high quality. The entire dinner set us back about $95, including drinks, tip and tax.
3 Mmmms
Basil Seasonal Dining - San Carlos between Ocean & 7th, Carmel, CA 93921
831.626.8226
www.basilcarmel.com
Dan and I are currently on the West Coast, and I must say, there’s no shortage of delicious food. Every corner of San Francisco, where we’re currently staying boasts an interesting array of food options, including gourmet food trucks and stands, bakeries, organic salad & sandwich shops, farmers markets, and the like. However, even though there’s plenty of greatness to choose from right in San Fran, we couldn’t resist taking a short train ride over to Berkeley to visit Chez Panisse.
For those of you not familiar with this Bay Area staple, Chez Panisse is the mastermind of food visionary, Alice Waters, who practically invented the farm-to-table movement. Every foodie who’s worth her salt has been, and I just had to see what it’s all about.
Atmosphere:
Located on the pretty Shattuck Avenue in Downtown Berkeley, Chez Panisse is situated in an area the locals call the “gourmet ghetto.” Seeing its quaint exterior, I knew I’d love this place, as it was decked with a raw heads of garlic—a nice foreshadowing of what was to come during our meal.
As soon as we stepped inside, I was even more glad we came. The interior was beautiful and inviting, with cherrywood paneling on the walls, warm lighting and the most amazing smell that emanated throughout the dining room. Since we ate in the café area, we headed upstairs and were welcomed by a friendly maitre-d who sat us at a temporary table while we waited. This turned out to be a big highlight of our experience, as the table next to us hosted some major talent such as Sir Ian McKellen (yes…that would be Gandolfe the Grey), Patrick Stewart and Billy Crudup.
Food:
Since we chose the café as our first Chez Panisse experience, we were able to order a la carte, instead of from the elaborate tasting menu that’s offered downstairs in the more formal setting. I loved this approach, as it allowed us to be flexible and share an appetizer and dessert, which was the perfect amount of food.
Endive Salad – We couldn’t dine at Chez Panisse without getting a taste of their famous salads – simple, yet expertly composed veggie plates that Alice Waters is known for. Choosing the endive salad with chopped scallions, smoky bacon and crumbled farm fresh eggs was a perfect way to start, as each ingredient had delicate flavor and was thoughtfully composed into an earthy medley.
Steak with Shoestring Potatoes – Spotting this Monday night special on the menu, we both decided to go for it and weren’t sorry. The portion was modest, but ended up being just enough, as the grass-fed steak produced a melt-in-your-mouth bite and the herb butter on top melted into each delicious crevice. Devouring the shoestrings, they were super crunchy, almost reminding me of gourmet potato stix that were nice to pair with the peppery leafy greens.
Plum Galette – Dessert was an absolute must, and once again we went with an earthy, rustic option, which was this beautiful plum galette. I loved that it wasn’t overly sweet and the crust was the perfect amount of crumbly and buttery. The pretty pink scoop of ice cream you see was raspberry in flavor, which added a nice touch of tartness to this otherwise mild dessert.
Service and Cost:
Besides the food, the service is a big highlight here, as all the waiters are experienced and bring a touch of old world charm to the entire experience. I love that they have an opinion about what’s good, and it was refreshing to see that some of the waiters are closely acquainted with the patrons.
Costs are very fair and quite surprising for the quality of the overall experience you get. I really appreciate that Chez Panisse takes exceptional care of its customers and that they don’t exploit their popularity, as some restaurants of their caliber do. The entire meal set us back about $95, which included drinks, tax and tip.
3 locally grown Mmmms
Chez Panisse - 1517 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley CA 94709
510.548.5525
BART to Downtown Berkeley
www.chezpanisse.com
