Adventures in Carmel

If you missed part 1 and part 2 of my Carmel recaps make sure to check them out! Today I’m recapping the food, the shopping, and the wine we experienced while we were in Carmel. A big thanks to Chatterbox PR for making this trip happen!

When Erica and I got to California we were hungry. We stopped at Wagon Wheel after reading Yelp reviews and I am so glad we did. The place was tiny but the staff was so friendly and the food was so fresh and delicious. California knows what’s up.

We had to do shopping in Carmel. I loved how beautiful and unique all the stores were. I wish my house could look like this!

Adrienne recommended Casanova to us so Erica and I knew we had to check it out. We each got the spinach gnocchi. It was to die for. I literally used my finger to lick my plate clean. #ihavenoshame

For dessert we split creme brûlée and it was delicious. Creme brûlée is one of my favorite desserts.

We did a lot of walking around and exploring of the towns. I loved how quirky all the houses were in Carmel-by-the-Sea. They were all so beautiful and had so much personality. I would gladly live in any of them! haha

Of course we had to visit the beach while we were there. I love living in Omaha but I really miss being close to water. The ocean is my happy place.

So beautiful. So calming. So refreshing.

We had dinner reservations at Anton and Michel and were so excited to get to try out a place everyone we met raved about. As we were told by a local bartender, “There’s not a bad thing on the menu.” The restaurant is stunning, and has such an up-scale, romantic vibe.

We started off with a local bottle of chardonnay. It was great.

I got the chicken dish and ate every bite.

The highlight of the night was the bananas foster flambee. Having our waiter prepare it for us table-side was such a treat.

And it was so good! Anton and Michel went out of their way to make us feel special and to give us an incredible dining experience. I would love to bring Josh here one day so he could experience it for himself.

One of the coolest things Carmel offers is the Wine Walk Password. For $65 you get a flight tasting of your choice at 9 of the 14 wineries on the tour. All the wineries are local to Monterey County and all are fabulous. It was the best way to learn about wine and find out about our wine likes and dislikes. My biggest recommendation if you do this is to pace yourself because that’s a lot of wine!

We started off at Alexander Smith and loved our time here. We got to ask a lot of questions, learn a lot, and try things off-menu!

Silvestri is owned by a movie executive that decided he wanted to run a vineyard in his spare time. I love that!

Dawn’s Dream had a bath tub for photo opps! I loved that!

They also had chocolates that paired perfectly with the wine they were serving.

Caraccioli Cellars had lots of sparkling wines and the cutest blinded out wine bottles.

Of all the tasting rooms we went to our favorite was Scheid. Scott went out of his way to educate us on different wines and created a complete wine flight menu for us off the cuff based on our personal tastes. I loved absolutely everything I tried. It was a phenomenal experience and a place I plan on buying wine from in the future. Erica already ordered a case from them!

A great map showing the different types of wines and the different and the different climates they grow in. I found this so educational.

Somewhere in the middle of all this wine tasting we got lunch. All that wine led to very hungry appetites! We went to Dametra Cafe and got the best Mediterranean food. I know I keep raving about all the food but we did not have a bad meal in Carmel. Everything was excellent.

My first ever chicken shawarma sandwich. It was SO good. I definitely see this becoming a go-to Mediterranean order for me in the future.

On our first day in Carmel we ran into a bartender who gave us directions, told us about the town, and invited us to try Brophy’s Tavern, where he works. To be honest, I do not remember much about the food at this point. We had been drinking wine all day and I was definitely a little silly. I remember having so much fun with Erica and thinking the bar was really cool. I woke up the next day in our hotel with a box of to-go nachos in my lap. Apparently after dinner and a few more drinks I got a really strong craving for nachos. The kitchen was closed at that point but the bartender went back and made me nachos to take back to the hotel. Drunk Erin appreciated it. Sober Erin did not appreciate waking up with nachos everywhere. 😉

Erica and I didn’t feel the greatest when we woke up the next morning. We were hungover and it was not fun. Thankfully Carmel was feeling a little dreary too. The ‘storm of the century’ was arriving with wind and rain and power outages. That was more than enough reason for us to stay inside and sleep away our headaches. We were bummed about missing a walking tour we had scheduled for that day but it all worked out for the best.

When we did venture out for lunch we were greeted by pretty sites like this one. I love how everything is in bloom!

Lunch was courtesy of 5th Ave Deli. This place blew my expectations for a deli out the water. They had everything you could possibly want and then some.

There was almost too many options. Everything looked so good.

Our feast that we ate back at the hotel before packing to head home to Nebraska. It was such an amazing trip and one that I will never forget. Carmel is an incredible place that I hope to get to visit again soon. If you have the opportunity to visit I highly recommend it. It’s such a beautiful place, with something for everyone to enjoy.

Questions of the Day: Have you been to Carmel? Are you a beach person? Do you crave food when you drink?