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San Francisco/Bay Area restaurant reviews by Chris NorrisArchive for Coastal
Village Corner, Carmel
Village Corner, Carmel
Jan 2008
Way Good. The Village Corner is a little Italian restaurant in Carmel that has good food and terrific ambiance. The outside patio with open fire pit and heaters, a nice bottle of red wine, and a light dinner is truly an excellent end to a long day of walking and spending in beautiful Carmel by the Sea! And, just across the street is Thom Gregg Jewelry, a custom jewelry shop full of unusual pieces. Plus, Thom is the designer of most of the expensive stuff my wife wears. Well, and my bracelet. And my wedding ring. Oh, and my other bracelet…
Grasing’s, Carmel
Grasing’s, Carmel
August 2007
S’Ok. Grasing’s is a nice restaurant in Carmel that missed substantially on service and elegance, but served up a pretty good batch of food. I’d rate the abalone at the lower end of the top quartile of abalone we’ve had in the Bay Area, which means it was pretty good! Portions were large for the filet and pork medallions, but presentation and development of subtle flavors was missing. The drink menu has some interesting cocktails, but the wine list was light and our first and second choices of were both “out of stock”. We liked Grasing’s, but there’s better within a few blocks.
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Bouchée Bistro in Carmel, CA
Bouchée Bistro, Carmel
August 2007
Woo-Hoo! Laura and I had our wedding rings designed by Thom Gregg, a jeweler in Carmel, and have since gone on to procure a collection of other unique pieces from Thom. As a result, we occasionally hop in the car and drive the hour from San Jose to Carmel to drop in at his store on Dolores and 6th to say hi, and maybe even spend some more money! This time, after catching up with Thom, we decided to head for dinner at Anton & Michel on Mission between 7th and Ocean. However, as we were walking down Mission, we passed Bouchée and I remembered that the restaurant did pretty fine in the Zagat ratings, but with some dings on service. On a whim, we circled back and decided to give Bouchée a try and let A&M wait for another day, and that my friends was a mighty fine decision!
We were on the early side, about 6pm, but the service was excellent, attentive, accurate and well paced. And the food was very, very good! We started with an heirloom tomato salad, which is prepared with peaches, goat cheese and balsamic and is simply fantastic. But our other appetizer, the gazpacho, was to die for! The soup was poured over a mound of minced yellow pepper and tiny, crunchy bits of celery, topped with slices of raw tuna that melted in your mouth. Incredible! For a main course, Laura had the abalone, also prepared to perfection, while I had the steak frites, which was topped with a béarnaise and was simply wonderful. Quite an exceptional evening, indeed!
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