Love Thy Neighbor, Not Just at Quail

May 30, 2025 – Things don’t always go as planned: ask Christopher Columbus.

Headed to Carmel Valley for my husband’s birthday, we had plans to meet my Edible Monterey Bay colleague Aga Simpson at the newly re-opened restaurant Thai Village. 

“Under New Management!” the colorful banner declared from the rooftop. Their website indicated they would open for lunch at 12:30. Closed. Oh well. Café Rustica, too. 

Headed to Corkscrew, I noticed someone stirring at ROUX, a place I’ve not been since Fabrice and Jennifer sold it eons ago. Doubting the veracity of the OPEN sign, we discovered that they were indeed open for lunch on a Wednesday. Pleasantly surprised, we enjoyed deviled eggs with smoked salmon, pommes frites with chipotle aioli and a garden salad with field greens, fennel and cherry tomatoes tossed in sherry vinaigrette and topped with two perfectly cooked lamb chops. 

Add a glass of Bernardus Sauv Blanc for a well-rounded meal and we left quite happy to discover that things are still happening at ROUX. Definitely looking forward to returning for the battered cod sandwich, the BLAT, fish and chips, shrimp in garlic butter or seafood fettucine. Such a pleasant, quaint and unfussy outdoor environment beckons summer visitors. 

Joyce Vineyards is one of the few tasting rooms in Carmel Valley open on Wednesday and we were delighted to find Kerry Winslow behind the counter. Each vintage brings new surprises to the ever-evolving lineup from winemaker Russell Joyce, and the 2024 Sauvignon Blanc, this year from Griva Vineyard’s musque clone, is sleek with citrus like lemon and grapefruit, turning to guava and pineapple on the finish. Winslow described this wine, which registers 12.1% alcohol, and was processed in concrete egg (80%) and steel (20%), as a Sancerre style. We’ll just call it crisp and delicious! 

The next wine Winslow poured us was the 2024 Le Blanc, under the Russell Joyce label. Joyce has been sourcing Vermentino fruit from Cedar Lane, which displays a very intense, minerally profile, with salinity and lime, very true to the Italian style. Winslow told us Joyce wanted to juice it up and create a wine that reflect the unique white grape strength of Arroyo Seco. He succeeded. Le Blanc is 60% Vermentino, 25% Chenin Blanc and 15% Sauv Blanc, all fermented separately and then carefully blended over many trial sessions to create a whole that exceeds the sum of its parts. In this case, the honeysuckle aromas and waxy texture from the Chenin Blanc helps coax out peach and apricot flavors from the Vermentino, and combined with the aromatic lift of the Sauv Blanc, creates a sensational blend with the weight and tension of Riesling. 

“We are very thrilled with this wine,” says Winslow. “We are big Riesling geeks.” He added that Virginie Boone of Jeb Dunnuck awarded it 94 pts recently, which is no small feat for a unique first-time blend that he calls “a real Monterey snapshot.” Seriously, Russell Joyce knows what he’s doing. 

This year’s Joyce rosé is a 60/40 blend of Gamay Noir and Grenache, all done in stainless. It dazzles with the tarty tangy zing of Gamay, and the underlying strawberry fruit of Grenache. “No more Mourvèdre rosé,” says Winslow, when I ask if he has any 2023 left. They’ve made a switch, he says. “We have ideal heat and soils for Gamay.” Joyce recently planted some at his Arroyo Seco estate vineyard, and sources the rest from Zabala Vineyard. 

The 2023 Submarine Canyon Pinot Noir (12.4%), is sourced primarily from the old Ventana estate, with some of the old Mission Ranch vines providing that classic earthy underpinning. The nose is pure Pinot Noir, fantastic, filled with rose petals, rhubarb and raspberry, along with a savory edge that piques interest as it glides along the palate like a ballerina wearing suede slippers. The sandy tannins in this ethereal yet serious wine, were impressive enough for Matt Kettman of Wine Enthusiast to award it 93 points. I’d give it a 95, for its tart cherry pie finish. And for $25…c’mon, it’s fantastic!

Winslow says a “Le Noir” bottling is due out this summer that will be an SLH blend of 50/50 of Gamay and Pinot Noir, sourced from the Highlands Vineyard (Gamay) and the Escolle Vineyard (Pinot Noir). That should be fun. 

For those who prefer a more complex, dark-fruited Pinot Noir, the 2019 Russell Joyce Gabilan Mountains number from a 30-year-old vineyard in Chualar Canyon, west of the Pinnacles, offers a super earthy nose, with dark cherry and pomegranate. Made with 30% whole cluster, and 20% new oak (largely Raymond and François Frères), it shows good depth, with notes of tar, dark plum, chocolate and candied ginger. Winslow says that Joyce is now buying barrels that are custom made to his exact toasting preferences. My husband likes his bagels toasted on 7 and I prefer 6. It makes a difference—and when you know, you know—as John Madden would say. 

We finished with the 2019 Jouillian Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, which shows a bit of pretty cherry from the small amount of Merlot that shines through all those tea-like tannins of the Cab. This is the second oldest vineyard in Carmel Valley, next to Durney. It needs time to further mellow, but will appeal to those who like a bold mouthful of Cabernet. 

We could have talked for hours about barrels and vineyards with Winslow, but we were off to meet Luc Messier and Julie Fette of Domaine Messier at their amazing vineyard site bordering Albatross Ridge on one side and Diamond T on the other. I’m going to save that amazing experience for next time, in order to do it justice. 

Dinner at Covey Grill at Quail Lodge was on our minds, and we checked out the “Love Thy Neighbor” special they run every Wednesday from 5pm until 9pm. It’s a 3-course prix fixe for $59/pp, which is not just a great deal, but it also shows off chef Goran Basarov’s talent for cooking, plating and schmoozing—three of the many things he’s extremely good at. 

He is also a competent motorcyclist who currently rides a Triumph Trident, but aspires to a Triumph Triple, which he figures will give him a more suitable platform for taking the advanced motorcycling safety course offered by the CHP. Hope I didn’t just blow it with his wife.  But if you know anyone who rides or wants to ride, getting them as much education and training by experienced motorcyclists is the best way to guarantee they will ride safer and with more confidence. (motorcyclesafetyca.com) 

Confidence is not lacking with Basarov. Each course proved worthy of a Michelin-starred restaurant, about which he knows a thing or two. Far more interested in being creative and innovative, he’s not reaching for stars, just trying to make this restaurant and establishment shine like the gem it should in the heart of some of the finest dining in the world.  

We were welcomed by the friendly service team with Ad Astra bread, accompanied by a large coin of preserved tomato, red pepper and chive butter, and his Mother’s recipe for ivar, a tomato and eggplant tapenade, served in a glass jar. 

For appetizers, my husband had the ahi tuna with ajo blanco (a fabulous white cream sauce), serrano and chicharron and I ordered the NY steak tartare with spring onion, Dijon crema, preserved egg yolk and taro chips. Very happy campers, both of us, and at this point, filling up fast, but we valiantly dug into our main courses nonetheless. Greg went for the 38 North duck from Petaluma, served two ways with rhubarb and carrots, and I went for the grilled Branzino with artichokes and preserved tomatoes. 

The presentations were stunning and the flavors superb. Grilled to perfection without a bone anywhere that I found during my excavation, the Branzino was magic with the lemony artichoke aioli, and was served skin up over a smashed artichoke. Heavenly! 

The duck breast was also cooked expertly and the sausage made with thigh meat was rich, tender and satisfying. Rhubarb is such an excellent foil for duck. 

We passed on the dessert course, which I suppose was a no-no, especially given the choices of coconut panna cotta with grapefruit sorbet and German chocolate cake. Locals in attendance have this figured out and were taking theirs to go. We were spending the night and wanted to save room for breakfast the next morning, which proved to be outstanding as well. Quail is just a great place to unplug from routine, even if golf isn’t your jam. Comfy beds, excellent food, helpful service and beautifully manicured grounds, plus a sense of seclusion make it a perfect getaway. 

Everyone in the Covey Grill restaurant for the Wednesday night special, was having a great time, and the convivial atmosphere was heightened by the vivid gleam of sunset on the pond, and the joviality of chef Basarov who visited every table to greet the diners. 

He admits the Wednesday prix fixe was slow to start, but it’s gaining traction. Some of the dishes are finding their way onto the regular menu, including burrata with strawberries three ways, the arancini with mozzarella and grainy mustard and the Santa Maria seasoning rubbed short rib served with loaded potato and smoked bacon. 

With three choices for both appetizer and entrée courses, and two for the dessert course, all of which change weekly, Love Thy Neighbor not only seems like a no-brainer from an economic values standpoint, but also from a human values standpoint as well. And you cannot put a price on that.