Carmel-By-The-Sea, Highway 1, PCH * Abalone appetizer 1.5÷5 — tasted weird. A 180 from last weekends abalone experience. * Bread n butter — decent. They asked at least 4 times if we wanted more, very gracious but wanted to minimize carbs. * Paella 1.5÷5 — In my opinion the most important element is the rice. Here the rice was wet, hard basically 5 – 10 minutes undercooked. Seafood within was ok besides the couple of super dry pieces of fish. * Sea Bass .50÷5(evening special) — unbelievable how overcooked it was. After cutting into it — a cross section looked like beef jerky as you can see the threads of meat. Rather than a succulent piece of fish. The rice that was plated w the sea bass. 10⁄10 awesome. *Summary — How can I push back everything but the bread? I can’t and won’t. After settling the bill I brought up the issues with the food. The server immediately mentioned he would get management over, very nice gesture. I said not needed, he did a great job, deserved and received a 20% tip but I asked they take notice for the sake of other diners that evening.
J L.
Place rating: 2 Novato, CA
Ate here on a Saturday night recently and I should have known better to skip it, however, the tall windows looking into the courtyard blinded me — it looked like a lovely spot. Disappointing, boring food. Seriously, it’s sizzler with tablecloths. To me, any place with rice pilaf should be a warning sign(but I didn’t see that on the posted street menu). My husband and I also both had stomach aches that night. He had the beef(tenderloin?) and I had the chicken. The dessert was ultra boring lemon tart with tasteless whipped cream. The also brought around these ancient looking carts to flambé some of their dessert offerings. So so so 70s/80s. Skip it. Move on. Go to La Bicyclette on Dolores
Yutong J.
Place rating: 5 Westchester / LAX, Los Angeles, CA
Very good place! Nice and comfortable! Will come back! We order three cocktails and enjoyed a nice time in the yard.
Carlos K.
Place rating: 5 Santa Clara, CA
Wonderful ambience, great service, delicious food! The prawn fettucini was quite tasty. Totally recommend it for a romantic scene.
T l.
Place rating: 1 Seaside, CA
Romantic location and ambiance, but the food fell below expectations. The place is beautiful and the setting is impressive. However, the fish was overcooked and dry and the steak was bland. It’s a shame.
Tara B.
Place rating: 2 Monterey, CA
I wish the food matched the ambiance, service and prices. It’s a lovely space and the service is very good but the food quality was… I hate to say it, but it was bad. The steak was gristle, the patè was inedible and corpse-grey, plated with average brie & average marmalade. My poor, dried-up, fried, barramundi fish gave me visions of the foil-wrapped burritos languishing under 30 hours of gas station food heater lamps. *But* the house Champaign was PERFECTION, and the 5 – 6 very tasty spears of carrots and green beans were in that near impossible middle kingdom of not too cooked, not to crunchy. I loved those. Carmel knows most of its customers are only passing through and i think sometimes they let the town’s reputation for great food and art bring in diners, but do nothing to uphold that reputation.
Brenda M.
Place rating: 5 Brentwood, CA
Exactly what we were looking for on a perfect day. Beautiful weather, nice atmosphere, great wine, and delicious food.
Paul F.
Place rating: 4 Scottsdale, AZ
I am changing my rating because Luiz and his team are a class operation. Luiz replied promptly to my poor review with an apology, and directly addressed my concerns. I am in the food business, and therefore can absolutely understand and appreciate that sometimes things are not executed to specification. A&M has demonstrated to me that they value their customers, and that serving great food and providing excellent service are a priority. I will be returning.
Timothy D.
Place rating: 3 Chandler, AZ
My wife and I have visited Carmel 14 times over the last 10 years, but this was our first visit here. The décor was nicely done, and we enjoyed a glass of wine in the cozy bar before dinner. Once seated for dinner we chose the«classic dinner for two» which included a Caesar salad prepared table side, lamb chops, and a table side-prepared flambé dessert. The menu also priced these three items a la carte. After we enjoyed the first two courses, which were top-notch, we decided a big dessert was too much, so we ordered a single, simpler dessert to share. Unfortunately, when we were presented with the bill, we were charged the full 3-course amount, not the sum of the a la carte prices plus the simpler dessert. Upon confronting the waiter about this, he proceeded to argue with us that we ordered the full menu, but never mentioned that when we ordered a simpler dessert($ 8.50) he would still charge us for a flambé for two($ 26). Needless to say, I confronted him on this and said if that was the restaurant’s position I would settle the difference in the gratuity. He then apparently took care of it with a manager, and came back with a hand-written adjustment, but the manager never made himself known. Poorly handled, to say the least. We may return because the food was good, but they sure could do a better job of presenting the menu.
Catherine F.
Place rating: 5 Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
Went for dinner with my husband and had a flawless dining experience. Our server waited on us as if we were his only table. The attention to detail was excellent. I had the Kobe beef short ribs and would order it again. It melted in my mouth and the sauce was incredible. My husband had the fillet mignon and it was cooked perfectly. He could cut it with a dull butter knife. The crepes Suzette is a MUST. If ever in this area agin we will make it a point to dine there.
Heidi B.
Place rating: 1 Pacific Grove, CA
Very disappointing experience. Waited 10 minutes at the bar to be served. Moved to a table for dinner. The experience continued to be poor. The food was very marginal. We did not feel welcomed. The left overs were dumped on the table before we had even received the bill. Will not be returning. Would have been almost comical had we not invited friends from out of town.
Courtney G.
Place rating: 5 Alameda, CA
Fantastic pan roasted chicken with root vegetables and spinach gnocchi in chicken ajus. Hearty, not heavy. The iced tea was fresh. The petite brunette server was so sweet and such a wonderful sever. The host was very professional and knowledgeable about the art and the galleries as well. My mom lives around the corner, so when I’m in town this is our new go to. Also! This is one of the only upscale restaurants I am familiar with which still offers flambéed desserts. They offer three. Crêpe Suzette, Banana Fosters and the last slipped my mind. Definitely a must.
Megan B.
Place rating: 5 Cool, CA
Nice ambiance! I swear they gave us the nicest table. We got the crazy early 5pm seating(all that was available) but since dinner takes about two hours we were walking out after 7pm which worked out perfectly! We brought our little one and she was treated like a princess. They even had a kids menu which surprised me. Our favorites of the evening: lemon drops! Mushroom risotto, cream of mushroom soup, duck, and salmon! The atmosphere was quiet enough we could hear each other! Our waitress was very observant and kind. I believe her name was Lauriel(?). She noticed my mom’s duck was rarer than she likes and instantly took it back to the kitchen before we had to ask her. I love observant wait staff! She was fantastic. We were celebrating a special evening and they made it a night to remember!
Sarah P.
Place rating: 5 Petaluma, CA
Gorgeous interior — incredibly polite and welcoming host who invited us in and showed us to the lounge area. We came here for drinks only and were treated with a gorgeous fruity margarita and a 7oz(rare) pour of cab sauv. Very busy but staff was polite and attentive. Adorable location downtown in Carmel. The food looked amazing even though we didn’t eat as we had reservations elsewhere :)
Faris N.
Place rating: 5 Pebble Beach, CA
Old charm with new world style, proper service and menu with nice variety .Our sever was really on the spot and front man, Luiz was wonderful(thank you for a wonderful dinner, Luiz We will be back Mr & Mrs F
Mark G.
Place rating: 5 Elverta, CA
My wife and I love coming here. The Duck is always magnificent and she almost always gets the pork tenderloin with the risotto. Always a great night!
Alison E.
Place rating: 1 Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
This is the 2nd time the Hostess has been very RUDE! to us. As a Local I went by this evening at 5pm to ask for a cocktail out in the Terrace. She quickly says No, we are completely booked tonight! Really? can’t get a cocktail??? No one was there yet it’s 5pm! We have spent so much money at this Establishment and have always felt welcome. Too bad the Blonde Hostess has to be the one at the front door. She never has been warm & welcoming. Remember the Locals come wintertime!
Katy Q.
Place rating: 4 Walnut Creek, CA
Despite the number of fancypants«modern European» restaurants in the area, most places are packed during prime dinner time. We were able to get in here without a reservation, and no silent judgements were made from the staff regarding my attire of overly casual flip flops paired with an overly sized sweatshirt. Bonus points for being chill. $ 135 got us — Warm starter bread Duck pâté appetizer Kobe short ribs Lamb chops Cream brulee The duck pâté tasted exactly what it should taste like, but I forgot I didn’t like this stuff. Oops. The pear and brie did help offset the reminders of cat food though. The lamb was amazing. I was given 3 very hearty and very meaty chops, lightly drizzles with yum sauce. Sided with a very tasty potato pie & fresh veggies. The boyfriend’s beef was also fantastic. Tender meat on top of thick noodle bed, lots of flavor. And I was pleasantly surprised with the dessert. Brulees are easy to mess up — too much too soggy too tart — but this one hit the spot with a great fruity finish. Really wished we could have taken advantage of the early bird specials! Maybe next time…
Daniel C.
Place rating: 4 Danville, CA
Updated dinner review. I neglected to make dinner reservations on Saturday night in Carmel, which is a big no-no. Surprisingly, Anton and Michaels always seem available via Opentable. We arrived at 730pm, which is too late for their bargain Sunset menu. We ordered many of the same dishes as a year ago — lobster bisque soup and Guinness-Hoisin Braised Short Rib with Basil-Garlic Pappardelle. Both items consistently good! The flawed dish(hence slight downgrade to four stars) was my wife’s grilled salmon. It had a nice sear and was seasoned well, but overcooked and hence dry. For dessert we shared the lemon tart — very good with palette-cleansing sour followed by sweetness from the whipped cream and cookie crumb crust.
Melissa G.
Place rating: 5 Salinas, CA
Last night was our first visit to this restaurant, and we had a very enjoyable evening. Our server(Rene) was helpful, and friendly, and quite happy to let us have a leisurely meal(we rarely get out without our kids and I think it showed). He had great advice on the meal choices, knew a lot about the local wine, and was very attentive — as was everyone there. Our water glasses were never more than half empty, our wine was poured by two different servers, our plates were cleared and our table crumbed promptly, and the maitre d’ came by to check on us after our main course was served. Potato & Spinach Gnocchi — Wonderful! Rich and cheesy, lots of flavor. I could have eaten a giant bowl of them and called it a meal(but then would have missed out on the rest of our courses). Short Rib — Very good. Tender, flavorful, and a very generous serving. It was served with pappardelle pasta, and I think it would have been equally good with potatoes. New York Steak — My husband had the NY steak and enjoyed it thoroughly. It was served with steak fries, which caught us a little unusual, but they were very good. Bananas Foster(tableside) — WOW. Such a simple dessert that is so impressive. It was fun to have it made en flambé right at our table, and the flavor did not disappoint. My husband and I both loved it and vowed to come back, even if it was just for dessert. Berry Crème Brulee — We are big dessert fans, so we had this one too. Also very good, and just different enough from the ‘classic’ crème brûlée to set it apart. While the Bananas Foster won in the battle of the desserts at our table, the crème brûlée held its own and we would enjoy it again. Great service, great food, and we wouldn’t hesitate to go back(whenever we get a night out without kids again, that is). Speaking of kids — they do have a kids menu and are relatively kid friendly. Not usually the right atmosphere for our kids, but we wouldn’t hesitate to eat here with them either.