Tucked away in the lush forests of the Santa Lucia Mountains, Carmel Valley Ranch resort enjoys luxury and simplicity. And the attached California casual dining spot, Valley Kitchen, offers the luxury of simplicity. Plus the food doesn’t get any more local than this.
The fun, vibrant restaurant embodies the unique values, spirit and tastes of the Carmel Valley Ranch experience. Think fields of lavender, fresh honey and even it’s own small batch winery. Inspiration comes easy with the breathtaking natural surroundings to the local gardens, orchards, pristine oceans and neighboring vineyards.
Designed by Rodrigo Vargas Design at the resort’s social hub and heart, Valley Kitchen offers a casually elegant, home-inspired dining experience where the rustic sophistication of Carmel Valley converges with sprawling outdoor patio (for fire pits, stargazing and s’mores), pool, endless hot tub with vineyard views and more. In the heart of wine country yet only an hour from Silicon Valley, a short drive from Monterey and coastal villages including Carmel by the Sea, it’s the perfect 500-acre Northern California escape.
Arriving at Carmel Valley Ranch after going through the gated community and halfway up the hill we see fields of gold course green at Carmel Valley Ranch.A little nippy at night for a swim, the sun is just right in the daytime at Carmel Valley Ranch.The fire pit that we had a nightcap at the end of the night, hidden away by the trees at Carmel Valley Ranch.We spied a vineyard and mountains from afar at Carmel Valley Ranch.Heading down the winding cement path toward the vineyard at Carmel Valley Ranch.A lovely sight to see at Carmel Valley Ranch with a wine tasting setup ready to go.If I wasn’t so jet lagged I would have kept walking on this inviting road at Carmel Valley Ranch.We arrive fashionably early and enjoy a tart Veuve Clicquot brut champagne cheers with smoky, tasty La Pinata (Vida mezcal, Grand Marnier, agave nectar, pineapple and lime juice and chili salt rim) with our favorite view.Always willing to try local oysters, these small but tasty west coast oysters paired perfectly with the brut bubbles.Going along with the seafood kick, sustainably caught local California halibut ceviche with torpedo onions was perfection eaten alone or with the house made chips.Fresh tuna poke bowls are the new low carb craze and this one was outstanding at Valley Kitchen. Seaweed salad and jalapeno olive oil really brings the flavors together.
Moving on from the brut bubbles to the sweeter strawberry Val de Mar brut rose was ideal for me as we were changing courses in our meal. The small batch wine they grow here is only available in a bottle for dinner and for sale in the store nearby, this is good to know before starting your meal so you can taste everything this self-contained resort has to offer.
ChefGreg Karjala comes out to greet us and after three photos, he finally smiles. Friendly and very knowledgable, he tells us he’s sending some more items out for us to try. We gladly oblige!If you’re going to have foie gras for your first time, this is the place to have it like our guest did. It was the best I’ve ever tasted with a flavorful crust and fatty inside cooked to perfection (and I’ve had it in France). Unfortunately, it will be banned in California in 2018 so eat it while you can here!Some damn tasty honey chili fall off the bone chicken wings at Valley Ranch with sweet succulent skin.Always a warm weather favorite, this prosciutto and cantaloupe was even better with a honey drizzle and fresh mint at Valley Ranch.A simple braised beet goat cheese salad (it’s underneath) at Valley Kitchen.Swank Farms heirloom tomato and burrata salad was so simple but flavorful, we were quite impressed at Valley Kitchen.I was super pleased with this Wratch 3-Clones chardonnay from the 2014 Santa Lucia Highlands with its rich, buttery vanilla flavors as the temperatures dropped outside.The “Jerry’s Line” catch of the day was the healthy option sea bass and was very light in flavor.We opted to try the risotto with Swank Farm royal trumpet mushrooms for some carbs. Our guest devoured this creamy parmigianno concoction while I wished for a medley more mushrooms.Both in the mood for steak, this rib-eye of beef was utter excellence with a perfect crust, cooked to chef’s recommendations (always unless you enjoy a hockey puck for dinner) and big enough for two to share. The chef joked we didn’t have to finish it but that seemed more like a challenge!We talked our guest into trying the Swedish Mule (because it has Absolut vodka in it) and he seemed happy as a clam with it, pinky out and all.Even though they have their own creamery, we wanted something light after a large tasting dinner and were treated to this amazing house spun blackberry sorbet. It was one of the best I’ve ever tasted, hands down.Usually one to always go to chocolate town, I switched it up because I had to taste those lavender fields at Valley Kitchen. This lavender panna cotta was also the best I’ve ever had with honey poached plums and a touch of sea salt, so light, creamy and delicious. Props to the pastry chef on excellence!We went out to the fire pit as planned afterwards to digest and I stuffed my face with a complimentary s’mores and enjoyed this ’10 Dolce (By Far Niente) late harvest white from Napa Valley. It was super sweet, strong and just the taste to lull me to sleep by the fire. It was lights out soon afterwards for a good night’s sleep!
