December 5, 2023 – Shearwater Tavern at the Carmel Mission Inn is a solid local favorite. Chalone winemaker Greg Freeman says he likes the bar and that it’s one of his favorite spots for breakfast, even though he lives in Carmel Valley.
Alex Lallos of Chesebro and No Limit Wines, says it’s a great place to stay and the rooms and views can’t be beat for the money, or the convenience of proximity to the Barnyard and Crossroads shopping centers.
The menu has a decidedly Latin vibe now that award-winning and globally-trained chef Fabian Di Paolo has taken the helm, infusing the already solid cuisine with the flavors of his native Argentina.
Chef Di Paolo trained at the Institute of Professional Gastronomy Mausi Sebess and Le Cordon Bleu in Buenos Aires and also at New York’s Le Cordon Bleu. With 17 years of executive level culinary leadership experience at notable east coast hotels and resorts, he comes most recently from Miami Beach, where he was executive chef at Esme Miami Beach and prior to that at downtown Miami culinary hotspot, CVLTVRA—where the restaurant at the Gabriel Miami Hotel was named one of the city’s 50 best during his tenure.
Kudos to him for his impressive take on frito misto which includes calamari, fennel, zucchini and red pepper, all moist and tender inside, ever so lightly battered for great mouthfeel and flavor. Frying lemon slices in the mix imparts a tang of flavor.
Ever had yucca fries? They are a stalwart and fibrous plant, but Di Paolo cuts and fries them perfectly, rendering them crispy on the exterior and letting their slightly nutty flavor shine. They were served with a piquant chimichurri that would taste great on about anything, and were also accompanied by a Caribbean salsa with zesty tropical fruit and coconut zipped up with a hint of sweet hot pepper. My glass of Joyce Winery’s Albarino, on special along with the Syrah, was a great companion.
My husband ordered the Caesar salad with olive tapenade and serious anchovies, topped with beautifully seasoned grilled salmon, and declared it awesome. The Piri Piri garlic shell-on prawns, sautéed in a spicy sun-dried tomato butter with parsley, and served with bruschetta, is one standout dish for its freshness of flavors.
The dessert menu looks pretty indulgent, and considering that Di Paolo is an award-winning executive level pastry chef, we felt badly about turning down items like ricotta cheesecake and flan caramel, but truth be told, we were pretty stuffed. We’d eaten lunch at La Bicyclette and the champignon pizza with truffle is a long-term tenant. However, as it was my birthday, our cheery and efficient waitress insisted on bringing us dessert, so she brought us two scoops of Bees Knees Revival ice cream with a candle. This is one flavor you don’t mind candlewax dripping into, as it already has bits of honeycomb embedded, along with little crunches of honeycomb candy. Truly a treat, we found it to be a marvel of ethereal texture and pure flavor.
To not eat breakfast here is to deny yourself the simple pleasure of abundant pancakes topped with fresh fruit and whipped butter, or perfectly cooked fingerling breakfast potatoes and chicken apple sausage that tastes fresh from the farm. It’s hard to beat this place for quality of food, ambience, service, setting and convenient parking. I hope Chef Di Paolo finds this coast to his liking: it’s a long way from Miami Beach.
About the author
Laura Ness is a longtime wine journalist, columnist and judge who contributes regularly to Edible Monterey Bay, Spirited, WineOh.Tv, Los Gatos Magazine and Wine Industry Network, and a variety of consumer publications. Her passion is telling stories about the intriguing characters who inhabit the fascinating world of wine and food.
