We have not been in Carmel-by-the-Sea for a while and decided to re-visit it on Saturday.
After getting ready, we drove to Monterey at 09:30. We stopped for coffee and breakfast at the Alta Bakery & Cafe. Arriving at 10:30, we parked nearby and walked over. There was a very long line to enter the cafe and we queued up. About twenty minutes later, we ordered a croisant sandwich with pastrami and sauerkraut and a few pastries.
The croissant sandwich and the pastries were delicious, but the mocha and the latte were not exceptional. We sat outside as indoor tables were all full. It was a bit chilly (54 Fahrenheit) but felt even colder.
After we finished, we drove to Carmel, parking on Ocean Ave. We decided to walk to the beach and continue along the shore. Carmel was quite busy and the weather started to clear up (though it stayed mostly overcast). There was a high surf advisory and high tide, and most of the beach was underwater.
We saw two surfers paddling out into the large surf, and one catching a large wave (and a long, exciting ride). We also saw a few sea otters in the water.
When we returned to our Tesla, we spent some time trying to re-park it, finding a spot eventually. For lunch, we decided to stop at La Bicyclette Restaurant (but it was booked up and had no seating). We walked over to the recently re-opened Little Napoli and were seated immediately at one of the high chairs. We ordered the following items to share:
- Drinks: Bottled water
- Salad: Pear & Gorgonzola
- Appetizer: Burrata & Red Peppers
- Main: White Truffle Pie Pizza
Although service was a bit slow, the food was decent and the White Truffle Pizza was not bad at all.
After lunch, we strolled around for a bit, stopping at a few local stores. We stopped by a few art galleries to look at the paintings and photographs.
We ended up getting coffee at Mad Dogs & Englishmen Cafe, which has nice bicycle sidecards on display. Inna purchased some warm Apple cider which I enjoyed.
At 17:10, we started our return drive to San Jose. Thankfully, traffic was light and our return drive took 85 minutes.
Links
- Alta Bakery & Cafe, Monterey
- Little Napoli, Carmel
- La Bicyclette Restaurant, Carmel
- Mad Dogs & Englishmen Cafe, Carmel
