I'm really disappointed with the meal my wife and I had this afternoon at taqueria del valle. We…read morelove, and seek out, local family owned restaurants. Unfortunately, this restaurant feels like they have lost their passion for creating flavorful food and a welcoming dining experience. Let me give some details. This is a counter service restaurant. We arrived about 2pm. We ordered the Carnitas combo (means rice and beans) and Al Pastor combo. They did provide complimentary chips and salsa. The food came out within 5 minutes. This meant the meat was already sitting in a warming table and may not have even gone on the grill. The carnitas was dried out like a pork machaca without the flavor. The Al Pastor had a powdered Mexican seasoning coating the pork that lacked salt and/or flavor. The rice was pretty much white rice with a little red color to it. Again no flavor. The refried beans were the best part of our meals. Where was the love when cooking in the kitchen??? We didn't taste any, unfortunately. As we were eating, they were sweeping the floor in the dining room. Really? Apparently they close at 3pm. It was 2:30. How rude! We were their only guests eating in the restaurant. Now I understand why. This is an uninspired taqueria that has lost its heart and soul. We won't be back.

The shrimp tacos I had was delicious. My friend liked his carnitas taco. Great carmel Valley local…read moreplace. Kind and savvy owner/server. We got there an hour before closing time but they stayed open a few minutes longer so we could finish talking.

Great food and drinks Amazing decor of all the racing…read morememorabilia, automotive supplies, signs posters ‼‼

Stopped by for some lunch with family while on a day trip to Carmel. This place looked promising…read morefrom pictures and the menu but that's about all it had to offer. I ordered the mango enchiladas which surprisingly had some flavors that definitely went together. The flavor profiles lack in the sense of giving you a desire for more. The chips and salsa are good. The chips have a seasoning which gives it a kick. Overall the enchiladas were ok but bland. The salsa from the chips and salsa was actually good. Service was ok, had to flag my server down a few times for the same item which happens but none of the order was messed up. The outside seating is perfect for the Carmel weather. Was enjoyable sitting outside.

Oh my gosh, I had the best meal here and I'm still thinking about it! I had the white mole with…read morebraised short rib and it was fantastic! The flavor was so amazing and nothing like I've ever eaten before. I usually don't finish my meals, but I couldn't stop eating this delicious meal! The homemade corn tortillas were so sweet and flavorful as well. I live in Southern California so, unfortunately, I can't come here very often, but I will make a special trip to come here again in the future. PS: My husband had the birria tacos and he said they were amazing as well!

This was a tough review because there were things I really liked and things that bummed us out…read more First off, service was great, no issues there. They were incredibly nice and let us bring in our lovely puppy who behaved greatly. The ambiance was wonderful, lighting was nice, not too loud, and good vibes in general. The singular best thing we got was the Queso Fundido. Literally the best one I have ever had. I'm from Texas and have had a embarassing amount of Latin/Mexican food. We were so incredibly hopeful that everything was going to be at the same level. We also got the Salsa Trio to start which was great. We got some house margs, and a Pinada which were all great flavor, the margs seemed a little light on the alcohol, but overall good. For entree's the adults got Short Rib and Molcajete. The short rib itself was cooked great, but the sauce was very sweet and the chutney like topper was also sweet. I think it would have done a lot better with some more acid or heat or something. The Molcajete was very average and a bit overcooked. The kids got the tenders, which I wouldn't judge any restaurant on, that's just nice for kids to have. The other kiddo got the bean burrito. The flour tortilla was great but it was mostly cheese and just a few beans. We decided to send it on desert for some redemption and got Tres Leches, Flan, and Churros. The Churros tasted freezer burnt, the Flan was extremely over done and hard (not a Flan texture at all), and the Tres Leches was dense and pretty dry which was a bummer. All that being said, I would give it a shot. My sister was with me and said they had been before and really liked the enchilladas. I would go back and try some other things to give them a shot. The Queso Fundido was so incredible I would go back just for that to be honest. Anyways, we will be trying something else around the area tonight and hoping for the best!

I visited Cultura with my greyhound, so we sat outside in the courtyard near the firepit tables…read moreshared with Vin, next door. It was a cool, breezy night, typical when the summer marine layer moves in over Carmel, but the propane heaters kept us toasty. If you prefer dining indoors, the interior bar and dining spaces had an intimate, funky, but very cool vibe. The host and servers were all extremely friendly and helpful. Despite being outside in the courtyard, they were also incredibly attentive, checking frequently to see if we needed anything. Their recommendations were spot on, too. I was wowed by the cocktail menu. I'll have to return to try more of their bar offerings. This trip, I took advantage of Happy Hour to order the blood orange margarita, and I was not disappointed. I ordered the ceviche appetizer. My greyhound thought it smelled as wonderful as I did. He rested his head between my feet in hopes of catching any ceviche dropping from my hands. This was so tasty, he was out of luck on the table droppings. I also had the chicken enchiladas for my entree. It was one of the best enchiladas I've had in a couple of years. My server, Mario, brought me out a small cup of their take on Mexican hot chocolate, made with oat milk, as an aperitif. It was so delicious, I almost wished I'd ordered a full cup as dessert.

Stopped by Cultura for a light dinner takeout order after over overindulging in seafood during the…read moreday. Everything I ordered --Lime/hibiscus agua fresca, guacamole, house made tortilla chips, salsa and smoked mushroom taco, was on point and I enjoyed chatting with Gladys and Mario. Definitely plan to enjoy a full meal here the next time I'm in town.

Food was amazing and so tasty. Staff was so accommodating, recommended their favorites and did not…read moredisappoint!

Holy moly I love when a place surprises me (in a great way), and it's been a while since I've been…read moreas smitten with a breakfast place as I was with El Bistro By The Sea last weekend. My partner and I split the chilaquiles (at the recommendation of our server) with carnitas. We were both completely flabbergasted at how impressive this dish was! I'm still not over it! The carnitas had crispy little burnt ends but a delicious amount of tender fat. Eggs cooked perfectly. Refried beans as the base was *chef's kiss*. The GREEN SAUCE really sealed the deal... acidic with lime (maybe lemon too) but never too sour or too hot or overpowering. I could go on and on. The chips were a little soggy but it didn't matter because they held up all right for the whole meal. Ambiance is fine; nothing to write home about, but honestly the ambiance is a moot point because the food is just so mind-blowing.

We have been here twice now, and this time brought some friends who absolutely loved it. Between…read morethe group, the seafood pasta (one with each type of sauce) was a huge hit. I had the rice bowl with tempura tofu and it was amazing. The sauce was perfect and the vegetables were flavorful and it was a great vegetarian option. Our friend had jambalaya and loved it, and my oldest had a burger and fries which was perfect, good size and great quality. They have a really fun (and delicious) dessert with chocolate dipped ice cream scoops with toppings on the side that are served with a dry ice effect that everyone loved. The restaurant has a family friendly feel and great service with some fun drink options as well. We'll definitely be back next time we're in town.

After multiple failed attempts to find somewhere to eat with our dogs in tow, we arrived at Sur at…read morethe Barnyard hungry, tired, and a little defeated. What a wonderful surprise. It was just me, my two girls, and our two dogs, and from the moment we arrived, we were met with genuinely excellent service. The staff was kind, attentive, and welcoming. The food was absolutely fantastic, fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared. Sometimes a meal is more than just a meal. After a long day of searching for a place that would work for our little crew, Sur felt like exactly where we were meant to end up. We left happy, full, and already looking forward to coming back. Highly recommend.

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.

I almost didn't make it to my 7:30 reservation. Another frou-frou establishment with lackluster…read moreexecution and catchy titles like "locally sourced", blah blah blah. Send me home hungry and bill me $$$ for 2, at least i get to stay in my PJs. I'm glad I stuck through with the original plan and was blown away by the endless mindfuck of plates that permanently altered my brain chemistry. In all seriousness, the menu itself doesnt seem too special: crabcakes, ceasar salad, creme brulee. Very unassuming and no real twists to it. BUT -- everything was executed to PER-FECT-SHUN and I found myself just shy of licking every. frikkin'. plate clean. No stone left unturned - in this case, not a single kernel of corn or garnish was left uneaten. I'll jump right to the food: - Half dozen raw oysters: honestly might be the more underwhelming dish of the meal only because the oysters didn't have much flavor. No brine. No sweet. The mignonette was so great though! it gave the oysters what it needed. Add a flake of salt and we're cookin'. - Caesar salad: Good all around. The assembly is what made it so over-the-top. The classic caesar but with ribbons of parm, light and fresh anchovies, whole thinly sliced loaf of crouton that held that salad up like a house of cards but crumbles to touch. I was picking up every crumb that tumbled off to the table and was audibly slurping the ribbons of parmesan. - Crabcakes: Not just another crabcake. The batter was crunchy but didn't make the dish heavy. a cooling and smooth avo creme. but OH MY GOD the grilled corn on the plate really made the dish shine! It added a nice sweet pop and smokiness that made the dish more complex. Not even assembled in a cute pile, just scattered little kernels on a plate got me out here picking them up one-by-one like a mere peasant dusting the sidewalk for nickels. yes, humble me chef. I had to apologize to the waitress who cleared my plate for how embarrassingly clean my plate was. - Thai mussels: A cliche of a mussel dish on every modern menu. I've had a lot of versions of this dish and this plate wowed me in that the mussels were simply cooked perfectly. the sauce was not thin, not too pulpy nor salty. The sauce actually penetrated the mussels. The mussels were fresh, and no empty shells, which is a low bar but so common to see these days. There might even be a couple straggling that i was able to fish from the bottom. Just a clean dish overall. The fries were the perfect accompaniment. The walls of the extra starchy and crispy fries grabbed alot of the sauce for dipping. So smart. - Beef cheeks: Perfect textures all around. It feels wrong to complain at this point but I wanted more unctuousness from the protein. The beef was actually a backdrop to the polenta and mushrooms. i wanted more fat, more melty gelatinous tendon bites. what it produced though was a perfect fancy gravy for the polenta - so creamy and perfectly seasoned. A leafy green here and there. The maitaki mushrooms were cooked perfectly, not greasy. I was really just scraping the plate for the polenta and grabbing a bite of beef cheeks as sauce. Not a bad way to live by any means. - Acai sorbet: I almost never order dessert at a restaurant. It tends to disspoint and overpriced but i have never trusted a chef so much with a full meal so of course i got TWO desserts. The acai was accompanied with raspberries and granola. Super fresh and light. The acai broke apart upon touch, didnt slide around eventhough it's on a plate, but the plate choice was nicely textured to grip the icy sorbet (WHY AM I THINKING ABOUT THEIR PLATE CHOICE??) Gronola was not clunky and added a (rice) crispiness rarely found in granola. Such great care and attention to detail. - Orange and Tarragon Creme Brulee: I looked at the creme brulee with distain. Why did we order a 2nd dessert when the acai sorbet was already perfect. Orange and tarragon sounds like they're trying to sound "complex" but rarely delivers on balance and impact. I cracked the torched sugar top and gave it a chance, knowing that i havent been dissapointed tonight yet... and CUE the hallelujah angels choirs. I looked my partner in the eye and audibly said "YUMMMM... TRY. THIS. NAOOO.". We switched from the acai to the creme brulee and never stopped until the sides were hallowed out and every crystal of torched sugar was scraped off the walls. The torched sugar top cracked with ease and stayed CRISPYYYY the whole time. The custard was smooth, thick but light, and packed with orange flavor that was fiercely tempered by the herbaceous tarragon. The one sliver of orange peel candy was not supposed to wow me with it's texture and left me wondering how they managed to get the cracker-like crackle without too much sugar and not leave it leathery?? What a way to end a meal. On my way home, I got a twinge of the orange peel left in my teeth and it instantly brought me back to the magic that was the Mission Bistro. and it was HOT.

Cute quaint dinner spot in Carmel. I'd give it between a 3.5 - 4 stars, depending on what you…read moreorder. Food: charcuterie board (jalapeño pepper jam was the best I've ever had), burrata appetizer & beet salad were excellent. Mussels were amazingly good. The steak frites & uni pasta were mediocre. Felt like it was missing something. Service: waitress was a little odd and unpleasant. She questioned some things we ordered and seemed judge mental. I would come back for the mussels! Everything else was good but for the price, could be better.