My Carmel Food and Wine Tour

Ah Carmel, the whimsical, magical village by the sea.  I have such fond memories of this beautiful spot along the California coast. So, when I received an invitation to visit Carmel to experience some of its most pleasant lodging, dining, and winery experiences, what was I to do?  I had forgotten that it’s only a mere five hour drive from LA, which takes you through bucolic scenes of wineries, farms, rolling golden hills, and live oak trees.  And my husband Peter happily joined the trip, too.

Lunch and Wine in Paso Robles

We left Saturday morning around 8:30, and by 11:30 we were in Paso Robles, one of my favorite places in California (maybe the whole world).  This homespun town is at its heart an agricultural center, full of hard-working farmers and ranchers.  But in recent years, it’s been spun into one of the finest wine AVAs in the world. In 2013, Paso Robles was honored as “Wine Region of the Year”.  I used to come up to Paso Robles in the early 90s, when it hadn’t yet really been discovered.  Wineries were producing hearty Zinfandels at reasonable prices, and I loved the pretty countryside and interesting antique stores.  You couldn’t find a good restaurant to save your life, though!  Then along came these talented, young winemakers, like Justin Smith, and along came Robert Parker, who gave Justin’s wine a 100-point score, and voila, Paso was on the wine map.  The wine makers here are making boutique, Rhone-style wines and the yummiest SGM blends (Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre) you’ve ever tasted.  Some of my favorites include Villa Creek, Linne Calodo, L’Aventure, Terry Hoage, Brian Benson, and Justin.

We stopped and tried a few new wines we’d been hearing about, such as Clos Selene, where a young French winemaker (his family owned a winery in Languedoc) has started up his own French style wines, which were so elegantly crafted that I was excited just thinking about the future possibilities of his little winery.  We also visited Hope Family Wines, who produces some very approachable, reasonably priced wines, such as the cult classic blend Troublemaker (such a great wine for $20), as well as their best red, Treana, which was a beautiful, well balanced wine that we adored at the $45 price point.

Clos Selene, Paso Robles

Of course, lunch is tougher to decide upon, since Paso has now added so many wonderful restaurants to choose from.  We settled upon Thomas Hill Organics, which is in a delightful, rustic yet elegant space by the city square.  The food is California-inspired, with a dedication to the fresh, local foods in this region, which offers so many delicious plant foods.  I feasted on a lovely kale salad with avocado, macadamia nuts, and apple slices.

Kale Salad, Thomas Hill Organics, Paso Robles

Hofsas House, Carmel-by-the-Sea

Just a short two-hour trip led us to Carmel, just as the sun was setting.  When I enter Carmel, I’m always delighted by the sense that you are emerging through a fairytale forest, complete with old, twisted trees and charming cottages, and the next thing you know you open up to the stunning Pacific Ocean.  Our first two nights were at Hofsas House, a charming little family (and pet) friendly inn, with a homage to European influences.  The rooms are spacious, with amenities like refrigerators and microwaves.  We had a full view of the ocean on our little balcony.  Hofsas House has been a family-owned inn for more than 60 years, and the current owner, Carrie Theis, was more than willing to share her enthusiasm for this city, and all of its local activities.

The thing that’s unique about Carmel-by-the-Sea is that the city is host to all sorts of quirky little ordinances that help keep the town as quaint and charming as it’s ever been.  These rules include prohibiting street lights, neon signs (all signs have to be wooden), buildings above two stories from street level, and building addresses.  Carmel-by-the-Sea is officially a 1-mile square tract that blends adorable inns, restaurants, shops, and residences into the charming tapestry of the city’s allure.  I can’t get enough of it!

Hansel and Gretel House, Carmel-by-the-Sea

With Peter at Pt. Lobos Nature Reserve under a Monterrey Cypress

We took Carrie’s advice and started out Sunday morning with a gorgeous hike at Pt. Lobos Nature Reserve.  Just a 5-minute drive from Carmel, we enjoyed the majestic views over the Pacific, among twisted, wind-blown Monterrey Cypress that grows only in this region.  We spied harbor seals, sea otters, and even whales all in a short one-hour hike.  You could spend all day taking the meandering trails that crisscross this incredible nature reserve.  It’s really a must-see experience.

View a section of our hike here.

Fresh greens at La Bicyclette, Carmel-by-the-Sea

We enjoyed lunch in town at one of my favorite Carmel restaurants, La Bicyclette.  This little country French establishment is so utterly charming and quintessentially Carmel, you simply must try it when you’re in the area.  I had visited once before when I was touring Monterrey with Dole.  The rooms are fashioned in a trompe l’oeil style, with false walls resembling French bistros, and dangling copper pots.  And the food matches the ambience, with its humble, elegance.  I had a delightful salad made with wild greens so fresh they tasted like they had been plucked seconds ago.  And Peter had a mushroom pizza.  Did I mention that this place is famous for their hand crafted sourdough breads and pizzas?

Spices for the scooping at a kitchen shop in Carmel-by-the-Sea

Next up, a meandering tour of the town’s streets, popping into shops along the way.  Also, we enjoyed sampling some local wines.  Carmel has something new—the Carmel Wine Walk By-The-Sea.  Several local wineries have opened tasting rooms in the village, all within close proximity of each other; you can purchase a “passport”, which gives you tastings at any of the nine participating wineries.  It’s the perfect way to taste wine—sip a few wines, and then walk around the city a bit before you taste the next one. You can also save your passport for the next day or for the next visit, really.  You can buy the Wine Walk passport at the Visitor’s Center, as well as many hotels.  Some of our favorites included Galante Vineyards (great Cab!) and Figge Cellars (loved their Pinot Noir).  In this region, with a much cooler climate than Napa, you can expect to find some yummy Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vintage.  And if they grow their grapes in the warmer parts of the inland valleys, some hearty Carbernet Sauvignon, as well.

Crudo vegetable dish at Mundaka, Carmel-by-the-Sea

We enjoyed two splendid dinners in Carmel.  The first was at Mundaka, a Spanish tapas restaurant, which was quite authentic.  I love tapas—the whole idea of flavorful, small tastes of food, which often focus on plants.  There were many plant-powered choices, and the dishes we chose included spiced chickpeas, crudo vegetables with a beautiful fuchsia-colored beet puree, and a charred squash, romaine and almond salad.  Our second dinner was at The Grill on Ocean Avenue.  This restaurant has been a central feature in Carmel-by-the-Sea for a number of years, and the place was filled with “regulars”.  This quiet and serene eatery, with incredible service, provided good, comforting food.  Though the restaurant is better known for seafood, I requested a plant-based meal that included a collection of roasted vegetables and grains, which was quite fresh and tasty.

Lunch at Pebble Beach Resort

For our last morning in Carmel-by-the-Sea, we decided to make the legendary 17-Mile Drive.  If you are ever in this region, you simply must take this pilgrimage, which winds around the most stunning scenery of cliffs, cypress groves, beaches, (and impressive mansions!).  We stopped in at Pebble Beach Resort for lunch on the veranda.  How can you beat looking out over the green, as well as the serene beach in one of the most famously beautiful golf courses in the world?  I love the old world vibe of Pebble Beach; nothing is too flashy and new.  But the accommodations overlook such breathtaking vistas.

Holman Ranch, Carmel Valley, Hacienda, wall of famous visitors

For our final part of the Carmel food and wine tour, we spent a night at Holman Ranch, an incredible place that is part winery, part gracious cowboy lodge, and part regal California history.  Holman Ranch has a long, illustrious history in the Carmel Valley, reaching all the way back to when this part of California was still Mexico.  In fact, it was originally part of the Mission in Carmel, but was eventually granted to one of the first Carmel Valley ranchers, and it passed through many hands over the centuries.  You can view the old, historic hacienda, complete with Carmel stone walls, original wood beams, and Spanish-style architecture, which has been finely restored recently.  The Holman family, of Holman’s Department Store, purchased the ranch in the 1940s, and made it into a “gentlement’s retreat”.  A whole host of Hollywood royalty visited the ranch, included Clark Gable, Charlie Chaplin, and Marlon Brando.

Wine cave tour with Nick, Holman Ranch

The Lowder family purchased the ranch in 2006, and they commenced an enormous restoration project to bring the ranch to where it is today.  The vineyards, planted in 2006, now produce about 3,500 cases of wines per year.  The Holman Ranch tasting room is located on the main drag—Carmel Valley Road, where we stopped by for a tasting.  The Pinot Noir was especially lovely, as well as the European-style Chardonnay.  We toured the newly constructed wine caves with Nick, who runs Holman Ranch with his wife Hunter (the daughter of the Lowders).  In addition to vineyards, Nick has planted olive trees, which produce incredibly aromatic and rich olive oil.

Lodging at Holman Ranch

We settled into our lodging, which was very reminiscent of the Old West, with low-slung buildings set high on the hill overlooking Carmel Valley.  Yet the rooms (ours was the Gene Autry room, named after its famous visitor) are elegantly and comfortably attired.  As the sun sets, you see nothing but the twinkling stars when you peer out.  We met our group for an evening tour of the grounds, which included a private tour of the hacienda by Nick, and concluded with a dinner in the stables, which has been remade into an event room.  Weddings are really big at Holman Ranch—you can rent out the whole place for a beautiful, country wedding, or special occasion or business meeting, for that matter.  Our dinner was catered locally, and comprised of wholesome, comfort food, such as herbed polenta, vegetable croquettes, local dressed greens, and freshly baked breads.  We stayed up late, talking with the other guests among the clear, country air, entirely under the spell of this magical place.

View a portion of our tour of the Hacienda at Holman Ranch here.

Happy cows on the Holman Ranch, overlooking the beautiful rolling hills.

The next day, our schedule essentially included hopping into the car, bright and early, to make our journey back to LA, which we accomplished in exactly 5 hours, with one pitstop for a quick lunch.  A totally doable—and worthwhile—weekend getaway from LA.  And a wonderful destination for visitors from around the world.