Chow

Food is always a big part of our travels.  I've always prided myself on finding the unique, local hot spots but it is so much easier now than it used to be thanks to google and all the trip advisor sites.  I used to have to ask around or look for reviews in local papers or magazines.  One of our oldest favorites in Carmel is the Rio Grill.  We've been going there since it first opened and the "kids" were using the box of crayons they gave them to draw on their paper tablecloths.  I usually don't order chicken in restaurants other than in salads but they have a smoked chicken dish that I just love so I always order that.  Here's the description:  House-smoked half chicken with mild-smoked chile butter, baby artichokes and red potatoes.  It's delicious!  Jeff always orders something new and this time had Grilled Prawns on penne pasta with a leek, pea and bacon creole cream.

We always take whoever is home at Cousin Steve's house in Carmel Valley out to dinner as a thank you for their hospitality and this time it was Janie and their son Matthew who were home over the weekend.  We went to a charming restaurant in Carmel Valley called The Corkscrew Cafe.  When you first walk in the door, this is what you see... a big brick oven with loaves and loaves of fresh bread.  This is the restaurant I mentioned that made me feel like I was dining in the Italian or French countryside.  We sat on the patio next to a large koi pond and there was an arbor over our heads with grapevines bearing bunches of red and green grapes.  We each ordered a glass of wine and they came with a carafe for each of us!  Nicer than the usual half-filled glass!  I had a salad with chicken, Janie and Matthew had salmon salads and Jeff had the roasted cherry tomato pizza with fresh mozzarella, basil olive oil, goat cheese, black olive and tomato sauce.  They get many of their ingredients from their own garden.

It's tradition that we also eat at Roy's at The Inn at Spanish Bay.  It's on the 17 Mile Drive so we always take advantage of that beautiful drive which has an admission fee because the restaurant will reimburse you for the fee.  However, the entire 17 Mile Drive was closed to the public because of the Concours d'Elegance but they had our name at the gate thanks to our dinner reservation so we were admitted.  We could've just stayed inside the gates because we were already there because we had tickets to the Concours but we wanted to go have drinks and watch the sunset at another place we enjoy:  Mission Ranch Hotel and Restaurant.  This is Clint Eastwood's resort and there's an outside patio at the restaurant where you can see all of Point Lobos, the ocean and a lovely meadow with sheep.