Gastro Monkey // 美食家

Having had the fried chicken at Addendum before, I figured Ad Hoc would be just as good; or better considering that's their main restaurant. Also, it's in the Thomas Keller family, so that also boosted the credibility in my eyes. If you haven't been before, they only have a prix fixe menu. If you pay extra, you can tack on a few other main courses. Everything served is to share. We were a little disappointed that there wouldn't be any fried chicken, but the pork belly did sound good still. We decided to throw in some rib eye also for good measure. Since the weather was nice, we sat outside. It made it feel like an expensive picnic. Service was great. They came by frequently to check on us and to see how we were doing. The food was good, but not as good as I thought it would be. For the price and the name, I expected it to be better. I guess it makes sense for the location and name to charge that much, but I've had better. That poor rib eye had so much sauce on ...

For our anniversary this year we went to Auberge du Soleil. The price of Aubergine , the restaurant at L'Auberge Carmel, was pretty intense so we thought we would take it "easy" this year. First though, a little background on Aubergine and how I used it to rate Auberge du Soleil. I picked Aubergine last year based on it being in the Relais & Châteaux family. It didn't have a Michelin Star. Michelin Stars have nothing to do with restaurants I enjoy, and I hope to never become one of those snobs who can only eat or talk about Michelin Stars. It only came up because following our dinner, they mentioned that they are trying to get a Michelin Star. We were surprised that they didn't have one. It was, hands down, one of the best meals we had ever enjoyed. The presentation was on point, and the food was fantastic. Carmel is the perfect location for fresh seafood, and the chef definitely uses it to his advantage. That said, in choosing Auberge du Soleil this year, wa...

It just so happened that it was on a rainy day that I ended up making my first trip to Ad Hoc/Addendum. I ordered online ahead of time because everyone told me how the wait takes at least an hour. I am here to tell you that on this rainy day, there was only one other person in line for food who was actually ordering, and a lady with two dogs in a stroller sitting at the only bench eating her chicken. Since there were no dry seats, we ended up eating in the car.  If you haven't been before, Addendum is just behind Ad Hoc (I originally tried making reservations at Ad Hoc, but had no luck). It's in a nice little garden area in the back with picnic tables and shade for the sunny times. If you're in the area for wine, this is a good place to eat first so you don't have to tap out too early ;) The ribs were pretty good. The meat came right off the bone. The sauce was sweet. I think I would personally prefer a little kick or more savory taste, but don't let that stop ...