We decided to drop by here for lunch on a whim after going to the Carmel Valley farmers market this…read morepast Sunday. The place looked packed out. It was a beautiful day in Carmel Valley. The veranda seating was pretty much filled up, but there were a couple of tables left, but it was too warm outside for me and so we wandered inside and got a table for two. It was very quiet inside except for the busy staff doing their thing. There was only one other table that had customers in the room where we were sitting. My sense was that there were more tables around the corner from the bar where several other people were sitting. They were super super busy, but the head guy who I suspect may be the owner was very attentive and kept a good eye on us. I love it when a restaurant is this busy but so organized they don't miss a beat. That takes good management and hiring good talent. I was thrilled to see German potato salad on the menu. You never see it anywhere you go around here and I grew up eating German potato salad regularly and loved it. My husband and I are in our 70s and we recently in the past few months started making our own German potato salad at home and have just become addicted to it. I ordered the special of day which is a lightly breaded cod that is pan seared covered in a berre blanc sauce and served with a huge helping of German potato salad, and then a huge side of lettuce salad. I was so sad because at this time in my life I have a medical device called an ostomy that prevents me from eating salads or most fresh vegetables, but I snuck a taste of that salad and I got to tell you that vinaigrette they need to sell that by the bottle there. I just wanted to lick it off the lettuce since I couldn't eat the lettuce. The German potato salad had well cooked potatoes not too mushy not too firm still in their red skin jackets, cut into nice large pieces and then marinated in the vinegar and parsley and I believe there was bacon in it, but I didn't see much of it. The cod was delicious flaky perfectly cooked with two large pieces and then a smaller portion too. I took my leftovers home and had a delightful second lunch when I got home. $29 My husband got the pork sandwich which looked good and also came with a side of German potato salad, which he enjoyed, but he said that his pork sandwich was very bland and could've used some type of aïoli or dipping sauce to bring out the flavors better $18. I had a split of Moet Chandon champagne $22. And my husband got a Stella beer x 2. $8 each. We also ordered two pizzas to take home for dinner that night. The Flammekueche $22 Alsatian style, diced prosciutto, caramelized red onions, fresh thyme, parsley & crème fraîche We also got the Dynamite $23 fresh basil, Italian fennel sausage, black forest ham, pepperoni, pizza sauce, and mozzarella cheese These pizzas were the exact opposite of each other, one light creamy and delicious. Both had a lovely thin crisp crust. The dynamite was full of meat with rich bursting flavors in your mouth. We chose this place because I wanted to go and have some Escargots À La Bourguignonne which are hard to find these days. As well as I was looking forward to their steamed clams. Since there will be a next time, I'll get them then. Another thing that looked intriguing to me was the egg salad sandwich that you can add some smoked salmon to. We saw dozens of salads being served, and they are huge portions and they have a very large variety of salads which was nice. So looking forward to the day when I can go back there and just eat a whole bowl of their salads. This place really reminds me of the type of restaurant that my family would go out to when we were kids and young adults. Not too fancy that we felt out of place but special enough to make it a memorable experience. We topped off our meal with the blackberry Cabernet sorbet. I want to tell you it was one of the best sorbets I've ever had and was full of flavors. The blackberry was perfectly mixed with the wine and it was a very smooth and creamy texture, even though it doesn't have any dairy in it. It was not overly sweet like a lot of Italian ices are and was the perfect cleanser for our palette after our lovely lunch $14. I had saved a little of my champagne to have with it and definitely elevated the whole experience. Total bill was $150 plus $30 for tip so $180 for a lovely leisurely lunch on a beautiful Sunday afternoon plus dinner at home with our pizzas.

It has been awhile since I've dined at Cafe Rustica. Tonight I brought my family for dinner here…read more Although the food was solid as usual, the service tonight was excellent. Lauren was our server, and together with the young men supporting her, the experience was professional, attentive, and genuinely friendly. Food: Although not my choice, we started with the grilled eggplant napoleon (4/5) to share. This is a fresh solid appetizer, surprisingly yummy for an eggplant naysayer. I had the roasted half chicken (4/5). It was good, but nothing to brag about. My wife, daughter, and grandson all ordered pizzas. The Loraine, Dynamite, and a cheese pizza. They all enjoyed their pizzas. I'm still looking for my 'go to' dish at Cafe Rustica, but with such great service, I look forward to continuing my journey through the menu searching for that perfect dish, probably sooner than later.

So when I went on my recent 36-hour golfing trip to Monterey,I only had two goals-To play golf two…read moretimes and to eat high quality food. The golfing goal was going to be easy since I had two tee times set up at two different amazing golf courses before I even arrived. The food one I thought might be a bit more of a challenge since I'd never been to the Monterey area,so I knew I was going to have to rely on trusty Yelp for some assistance. Well after a great day of golfing,the first thing I wanted was some high-quality pizza and Yelp pointed me straight towards Heirloom Pizza located on Cass Street. Parking at this location was pretty good as even though it was located in a busy part of town,they had their own lot they share with other businesses. Once inside I was able to see how cute this restaurant was-totally the kind of place one would take someone they cared about-date-night vibes for sure. We had called in our order before we arrived and since we were taking pizza back to the group,we ordered two large deep dish pizzas. We ordered the Pepperoni Deep Dish ($38.75)-which basically features pepperoni and a crazy amount of cheese. We also ordered The Slider($38.75) which featured meatballs,mushrooms,onions,roasted garlic and a crazy amount of cheese. Each pizza was 12-inch size,smaller than I'm used to when ordering deep dish but with the high quality ingredients and elevated cooking techniques they used,it seemed like a fair price. Both pizzas were incredible tasting and choosing between them would be like picking between a Lambo or a Ferrari.Both were an amazing eating experience and both established a new standard for deep dish pizza for me. But if I had to pick-Slider all day-I really loved that pizza,perfect crust,perfect variety of toppings,perfect seasonings,perfect sauce-yeah that was a really great pizza. I hated that I had to share it if I'm being honest. In closing, If you're ever in the Monterey area and you would like to try some high-quality deep-dish pizzas,give Heirloom Pizza a shot-I'm sure you will enjoy quite a tasty bite.

Called in to get a couple of Deep Dish pizzas to go. Order…read morewas taken by a pleasant gentleman, and when I arrived, pay and pickup was easy, and handled with a smile The restaurant had a very nice area outside to sit and dine, as well as inside with a nice bar area. Our pizzas to go, got a large pepperoni, and a large slider (meatball, mushroom,onions and garlic) This was perhaps the best Chicago Deep Dish pizza I have ever had. The crust was flavorful, just thick enough to hold up, but thin enough not to fill you up. The sauce, was to me, a perfect tangy zesty tomato sauce , not spicy, containing chunks of fresh tomato. Under the sauce, enveloped within a succulent bed of cheese, were the items. The pepperoni was solid, fresh and a flavor delight, but the star was the Slider Pizza. Packed with succulent meatballs, with mushrooms, onions and garlic, each bite was a savory flavor bomb on my taste buds !

The chef tonight was amazing…read more The tomato bisque with butter was so so so good Then we had to try a fun cocktail Cucumber margarita Was very summer festive We felt so special with the attention to service Cary is been one of the best best in the industry for years Always when you plan a dinner at Lucia you know it's top notch

Beautiful Ambience and Setting…read more Decent Service. Our server was a nice guy and helped with the menu selection. Good Food that was beautifully plated. - Bread service - I know it's just bread but damn this bread is a beautiful creation of dough and baked to perfection. - Harvest Vegetable Bisque is fantastic! And completely plant based so don't let the "bisque" in the name scare you away. - Red Abalone appetizer - don't bother as you don't get to taste the abalone. The brioche and sauce overpower the abalone... so all you taste is brioche and butter sauce. - The farm fowl is hearty and comforting. The quail is quite tender. Loved all the veg in the dish too. - Salmon was perfectly prepared... meaty yet tender. Sadly the low points.... outweigh what should have been a lovely dinner out. - We received our wine AFTER we were mostly done with our appetizers. We even waited to start enjoying our appetizers thinking our wine would be out at the same time. Since my soup was getting cold, I could not wait any longer and had 1 bite left when our wine finally showed up. - Our server seemed overtaxed. It appeared he was trying to help literally everyone from what I could tell and disappeared for long stretches of time. - The 1 mom (sitting at the table behind us) constantly telling her toddler to sit down (the toddler was actually quiet, it was the mom that was irritating). - The multi family, multi kid large table that sat in the middle of the patio (while not super noisy) was disruptive with the kids constantly walking around all the tables and going back and forth from the patio to the "outside" down the stairs by our table. Seriously... your kids don't care that you want to sit and drink and hang out... they want to move and play and be kids. Eat and then take them someplace else.

The brilliant work of Chef Andrew. It's clear that the chef loves food, has a huge heart, and cooks…read morewith joy and passion. We've been to Valley Kitchen dozens of times and the food gets better and tastier. It's evident that the chef and team explores how to incorporate fresh, local, and fine ingredients and bring to life the best of CVR's and California's identity to its dishes. Our favorites are the smoked salmon sourced from Santa Cruz and smoked at Valley Kitchen, Upside Down Hot Honey Cornbread .. and love how he uses the honey, cheese, and garden ingredients. At one point, we had strict diet restrictions and asked Chef Andrew to cook without sugar and to keep our meals below 5g of carb. Not only did we stick to our strict keto diet while traveling but we also fell in love with every single dish he made. Chef Andrew embraced this opportunity to test and adjust to meet our diet needs AND introduce us to new ingredients to include into our diet. We are forever grateful. On this trip, although we asked for his avocado dessert, he politely recommended Chef Molly's desserts. I love how he puts the entire team at the center of the experience. It's a team effort and the desserts were unique to Carmel -- especially with CVR lavender curd. The people who work at CVR and Valley Kitchen are top notch. They are extremely attentive, respectful, and friendly. Many of the servers have been there for years and it shows that when there is a good work culture that it translates to better customer service. The ambiance brings a combination of natural beauty, warmth and coziness (especially with the fireplace), and Californian modern and sleek. I love the Zafferano Pina lamps that provide an intimate experience and enough light to the table (need to see what we're eating!). Thank you, Chef Andrew and team for letting us experience culinary excellence while we rest and heal at our happy place.

Went out here after watching Chef Molly on food network. Mostly went for the desserts but the food…read moremenu had lots of good looking options. Went with the lamb which was cooked perfectly! For dessert I got both the lemon tart and the cheesecake. Personally the cheesecake was my favorite but both were amazing! Will definitely add this to my must visit when I'm in town.

Folktale is hands down my favorite winery in the area. Not only is it gorgeous but the wine and…read morefood are delish and the service is always next level. As a local I am really excited about all the live events they have going on and love that you don't have to be a member to go to any of it. it's a perfect spot to bring in out of town visitors or just a lovely Friday night with friends. Folk yeahhh!!!

Nick was our server today. He was so kind and knowledgeable in the wine. I have never been wine…read moretasting before and he made such good recommendations. He was nice, funny, and made this experience so nice. I appreciate the service and the ambiance of the winery. I would come back!

I love it, it's a delicious and savory Neapolitan pizza. I personally really enjoy the double…read morepepperoni pizza. The ingredients taste and feel extremely high-quality. Not to mention their tiramisu is very tasty as well. When I eat it, I don't feel terrible like you do normally with fast food. Everything is fresh and your body seems to really enjoy the nutrition that comes from it. The person I talked to was either the owner or the manager. Either way, he's very kind and welcoming, and you can tell that he cares about the food and the craft that goes into it. And that reflects in the atmosphere around you, as well as the quality of the food. It's very welcoming and feels cozy like in a relaxing way. A good time to go when it's not too busy is 4 o'clock. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Nice restaurant and one of the few places we found open late in Monterey. We ordered a margarita…read morepizza along with the chicken alfredo and penne arrabbiata to share. The food was great overall. I liked the pizza the most since it had that wood-fired flavor, and the crust was thin and tasty. The pastas were more on the basic side, but they were still creamy and fresh. The ambiance was decent and we were able to find seating. The servers were friendly, although everything was mostly self-serve. Service was a bit slow and we had to wait a while for our food to come out, but we still had a good experience overall.

Enjoyed our experience here on a short Father's Day weekend getaway…read more Was greeted with wine and rubber duckies for the little ones. Also got free cookies and wine in our room. The room was spacious, we added a roller bed and BabyQuip crib. Signed up for the little rancher and was super cute. The kids got to feed the goats, per sheep, alpaca, donkeys and mini horses. Did breakfast buffet daily, as we had credit. We also went to the pool, and the kids loved it. Walked around the golf course and saw some deers. There was a wedding so it was kind of loud. Wished the in room dining had more food. All in all, good experience here.

My husband booked this place for the family with good intentions but missed a few details that I'd…read morelike to share in the hopes someone else may be reading reviews for this place. Location: beautiful breathtaking views tucked away in a mountain valley, it is a perfect spot to get away from the hustle and bustle from city noise pollution and high populations. Customer service: there are only 1-2 check in desks, where they spend about 10-20 minutes with each customer explaining the property amenities, location of room, events, etc. when you've been traveling all day, every minute feels like a lifetime. Restaurant: there is only one full service, sit in restaurant that gets booked very fast especially for dinner. Plan ahead and make a reservation in advance for every night you plan to stay on campus and eat there, otherwise, expect to wait until 8 pm or drive to the nearby restaurants which include a Subway, pizza joint, or a small Vietnamese restaurant. Earthbound Organic Farm is a great alternative option for a small breakfast or lunch bites. There is another Mexican restaurant nearby. Clientele in the mornings consist of rowdy children and their inconsiderate parents. I recommend asking to be seated outside if you have well mannered children and want to eat in peace. Rooms: mediocre clean. For being a Hyatt affiliated hotel, I had higher expectations, rooms are carpeted with wooden floors and heavy rugs. This resort is pet friendly so if you have someone in the family that suffers from allergies or has a very sensitive nose, this is not the best place to stay. As most Californian hotels that have carpeting, you can smell odors in the carpeting and linen. When things got hot and humid in our room, I got a nice whiff of dog. Basically any pet friendly hotel means that your linens will be washed with dog poo or other animal fluids. Rooms are only dusted at eye level but if you're someone that is concerned about dust mites, be prepared to get a showering of dust mites on bed, where the headboards reach 6' high and hold lots of lovely layers of dust. Coffee pot is sad and comparable to a motel 6 version with blah coffee, and lastly the beds are super firm with no ability to adjust (like other Hyatt holidays offer), and pillows are huge and uncomfortable. Foam alternative is slightly softer but still too high for a back sleeper or stomach sleeper. Bathroom: limited. They do provide tiny handwashing bars of soap made of lavender, and provide a tiny sample sac of lavender salt to use in tub but for those with allergies, best to request an alternative if any. Shower corners contain black mold. Refrigerators: our room had a tiny refrigerator that could hardly fit anything and doesn't cool sufficiently so for those moms packing extra healthy snacks for your kids, consider your fridge useless. All the strawberries, yogurts and hummus we purchased made it straight to the trash. Room patio: dirty and useless. There was a couple of upholstered seats and one table on our patio that could not be enjoyed as they were filled with dirt, dust and leaves. Would I stay here again? No - due to the pet issue for me. Most Californians love their pets and don't mind staying in places that wreak of dog butts that they've habituated to. Like I said, my husband had good intentions but there were too many issues that made it undesirable for me.

WOW!! Food is outstanding. My monthly Diner Group (6) went to Jeffrey's Grill for Brunch. Food…read morewas so delicious. I had their Huevos Rancheros, my wife had Eggs and Ham, our friends had Buttermilk Pancakes, a Salad Nicoise, two eggs and sausage and two eggs with bacon. All very simple orders but amazing in their prep and presentation. Service was over the top by our waiter Leo and the Ambiance is very relaxed and casual and you can dine outside in the Mid Valley Center, Carmel. This is a hidden treasure!!

The food was fantastic and most of the staff were friendly and welcoming. Unfortunately, one of the…read moreladies delivering food came across as rude to us during the meal. She raised her voice at us a couple of times, mentioned that the plates were "too heavy," and when I politely reminded her about a few forgotten items, she responded with a sarcastic and dismissive comment that caught me off guard. It stood out because everyone else we interacted with was very kind and professional. To be fair, it was close to closing time, so she may have been feeling rushed or overwhelmed. Despite that experience, I still really enjoyed the food and appreciated spending time with my wife and mom on Mother's Day in their relaxing outdoor seating area.