Youth movement in Carmel food/drink scene
Affina, located on a key corner just a block off Ocean Avenue, has been packed since it opened in the summer.
Chef de cuisine James Anderson, 27, last seen pioneering the charcuterie program at La Bicyclette (see story, Page K4), helped build the tables and the menu.
Premium farmers’-market-driven fare in shareable plates from Anderson and co-owner/chef Nico Izard feed into the mingle-friendly energy.
Recent highlights from the rotating menu include a mason jar filled with melt-on-the-tongue Kurobuta farm pork rillette, laced with duck fat and zingy apple chutney, and a wild coho salmon special with a reinvented beurre blanc and crispy skin.
Longtime local restaurateur Rich Pepe — who runs Little Napoli, Carmel Bakery and Vino Napoli wine bar — brought on Tobias Peach, 37, and William Townsend, 36, of newborn PeachTown Hospitality Group, to inject some of the same verve that made them stars with Coastal Luxury Management of Pebble Beach Food & Wine fame.
“They bring a level of professionalism and experience I’ve been looking for to take my restaurants to the next level and into the next generation,” Pepe says.
Across Ocean Avenue, another 2014 debut, Barmel, builds upon the best youth movement Carmel has ever enjoyed, in its sister and neighbor, tapas hot spot Mundaka.
DJs who once appeared at Mundaka now drive the small-but-potent dance floor next door at Barmel, with live acts like Baby Gramps and troubadour Tyler Gregory taking the stage.
Sly accents like the 1950s Bel Air side panels above the comfy booths figure into the mood too, and the cumulative achievement supplants a onetime seedy dive bar with a dynamic and all-too-rare nightlife-spot-by-the-sea.
In that vein, art from photographer Kodiak Greenwood, 37, and painter-silk screener Forest Eggleston, 29, has moved around the walls amid the punched metal ceilings and repurposed wood.
All around these new spots are a record number of tasting rooms, offering mostly Monterey County and small-batch wines.
Most focus on straightforward and expansive tastings of Chardonnays, Pinots and vineyard blends, but others weave in events, entertainment and admirable ambience.
De Tierra Vineyards pairs regular acoustic music with great specials and a chalkboard-covered space accelerated by a variety of discounts.
“Residents are quite concerned about the protection of the village,” says Barbara Livingston, president of the Carmel Residents Association and a former city councilwoman.
Yes.
Because it’s restful, with no crazy nightlife?