Carmel Realty News

 

Variety is important, now more than ever, and one of the easiest ways to experience cultures from around the world without leaving your house is through exploring different cuisines. Due to the pandemic, local restaurants have had to revamp their food service from inside dining, to takeout meals, back to inside dining with modifications in place, to special outside setups and at press time, back to takeout options only. Restauranteurs have since become very proficient in preparing food that will travel well and taste just as good eaten at home as it would in their establishments.

Getting food to go provides not only a respite from shopping for ingredients, cooking and then cleaning the kitchen, but it has also become a fun experience to explore diverse menus that we wouldn't typically prepare at home. It's also a crucial way to support restaurants right now so that they can stay in business during the most recent round of restrictions. We polled our agents and here's our top picks for local multi-cultural dining options.

 

 

Cultura Comida y Bebida in downtown Carmel is influenced by Oaxacan family style meals and prepared with local seasonal ingredients. Dinner boxes, including a new vegan option, are an easy way to feed the entire family delights like pozole, tamales and tacos. Tequila-based to-go cocktails by the bottle are a refreshing compliment to the heat that treats like chicken tinga can kick up.

 

 

Michael's Grill and Taqueria in Pacific Grove is a longstanding local favorite that subscribes by the philosophy that their food is "good enough for mama." You won't go hungry with the generous portions of traditional Mexican crowd pleasers like tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, tostadas and burritos. Freshly made guacamole and tortilla chips, taquitos, and a 7-layer dip make for amazing appetizers.

 

 

 

Tommy's Wok in Carmel has hit home runs with its Szechuan, Hunan and Mandarin-based dishes for decades, from flaming pu pu platters, to cheese crab puffs, egg flower soup, house chow mein, and fish, beef, duck, lamb, pork and chicken delicacies. Ingredients are fresh and natural and contain no MSG.

 

 

 

Krua Thai in Monterey sources their delicious ingredients from local growers and also directly from Thailand. The owners state, "born and raised in…Thailand…the Susawee family decided to bring the tastes and culture of their homeland to their new home in Monterey." Pad Thai, chuchee trout, pad prik khing, satay and spring rolls are some of the many delicious options to try.

 

 

 

Crystal Fish was opened in Montereyover 15 years ago by Chef Tamotsu Suzuki, from Tokyo, who trained as a sushi chef in Japan. The restaurant touts its traditional and California fusion preparation of favorites like sushi, udon, teriyaki and tempura. For something unique, try a green mussel shooter with quail egg, a smokey sake miso kama, or Japanese KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken).

 

 

Sushi Heaven in Carmel has been popular since it opened in 2003, and whether you want a 911 (shrimp, avocado, salmon roll), dynamite (sea urchin, flying fish roe and quail egg), or mama's boy (crab, nuts and sauce), you're definitely going to enjoy it. There are endless combinations of teriyaki, tempura, udon, and appetizers to please even the pickiest palate.

 

 

 

Dametra Café is full of ambiance, from the owners who greet each guest warmly, to the staff who sing, play instruments, and invite diners to dance alongside them during their meals. While the in-person revelry is temporarily on hold, yummy treats like hummus with warm pita bread, fried Monterey Bay calamari, spanakopita, pizzas and gyros are available to eat in the comfort of your own home.

 

 

 

Ambrosia India Bistro has two Monterey locations, one in downtown and one on Cannery Row, but for now, you can enjoy naan varieties, rice with prawns, lamb, chicken and veggies, tandoori sizzlers, seafood, lamb and chicken curries, soups and salads, plus vegan and vegetarian options from this popular restaurant to go.

 

 

 

Le Soufflé is a newer dining option in Carmel that is centered around the delightful dish it is named after. Due to the difficulty of transporting soufflés, the owners are currently offering a takeaway menu that includes a baguette and housemade butter, house cured salmon and a watercress salad, French lentil vegetable soup, rack of lamb, chicken, apple puree and French macarons.

 

 

While the above list is by no means comprehensive, it provides you with a sample of the many restaurants who have persevered during the pandemic and are committed to their patrons to produce excellent, authentic, creative cuisine to go. Try the latest trend of sampling from more than one restaurant at one meal and offer your family food from around the world at your dinner table.