Returning to Carmel

With Alex out surfing with his friend at San Luis Obispo, Inna and I decided to revisit Carmel-by-the-Sea on Memorial Day. 

After waking up at 07:30 and getting dressed, we drove to Carmel around 08:30 (stopping for gas at Shell). I noticed that gasoline prices have really increased recently (to $4.40/gallon for 87 unleaded)

We arrived in Carmel-by-the-Sea around 10:00, parked our van, and ate lunch at Inna's favorite Stationery Restaurant. Since we did not make any reservations, we did not know how long of a wait it would be. Luckily, we were promised a place at 10:45. With 45 minutes to wait, we decided to stroll around downtown Carmel and explore the shops.

We returned to Stationaery at 10:41 and were promptly seated. It was still quite cold in the morning, with fog visible in the ocean. We asked for additional blankets (which we were given).

After looking at the menu, Inna and I ordered the following items (which we shared):

• Croque Madame
• Potatoe Pancake

Inna ordered a Seasonal Latte with Lavender, while I decided to try The Club J Hot Chocolate (spicy).

Both Inna and I really liked the Croque Madame! It was much better than the version we usually purchase at Fleur de Cocoa in Los Gatos. The Gruyere cheese and Baker's bacon were sumptuous.

Inna liked her Potato Pancake, too. The prosciutto and roasted asparagus toppings were delicious.

After finishing our breakfast/brunch, we walked to Carmel Beach. American Flags flew everywhere on Memorial Day, and many people were around. It seemed like pre-Covid days were back. Finding parking would be very difficult!

There was still fog over the water, and the wind sometimes made it feel cold. I was looking for surfers and eventually spotted a few. They were mostly beginners trying to surf beach breaks, as there were no other waves.

We kept walking south, enjoying the beautiful beachfront houses and flower arrangements.

Eventually, we reached the Carmel River beach and decided to rest there. We spotted a few divers in the water, too. It seemed like a nice place to dive, and the water was so blue.

I took a short, 45-minute nap, being really tired for no apparent reason. At around 14:00, Inna and I started our walk back to Carmel. Our total walk was about 5 miles.

Here is the Strava log of our walk:

After the walk, we decided to stop by for an early dinner at Little Napoli. When we arrived there, it turned out to be closed for dinner. However, La Bicyclette restaurant was open across the street, and Inna stopped by to see where tables were available. She made dinner reservations for 16:10 and decided to explore some other shops while I rested on a nearby bench. The beach walks tired me, and I wasn't enthusiastic about looking at shoes.

At 16:10, she returned, and we were seated outdoors at La Bicyclette.

After reviewing the menu, we settled on the following items:

• 2 Earl Gray Teas
• Pain du Jour (chunks of bread with Olive oil and butter)
• Stone Fruit Salad
• Parisian Gnocchi appetizer (5 gnocchi)
• Andrew Molera pizza 
• Tarte Grande-Mere (dessert)
• Espresso 

I enjoyed the large cups of Earl Gray tea, served with milk and honey. I was feeling a bit cold, and they helped warm me up.

The Pain Du Jour bread chunks were delicious but too much. We should have skipped them due to the pizza!

I really liked the Parisian Gnocchi and especially the cheesy sauce. We dipped our pizza crust in the sauce for added flavor!

The Andrew Molera pizza was exquisite! The combination of artichoke, Manchego cheese, and pumpkin seeds was unique.

We could not finish the pizza, so we stopped early to have room to try the delicious Tarte Grand-Mere (grandma's tart). The taste was fantastic - not sweet and with just enough dough to keep its shape.

We really enjoyed our dinner. As I was sleepy, I ordered a shot of Espresso, which helped keep me awake during the two-hour drive back to San Jose.