May 17, 2022 – Promesa is promising. Which means Carmel-by-the-Sea’s newest restaurant, opening May 18, will be one of its buzziest.
The reasons for that are straightforward.
• First off, despite the number of restaurants in tiny Carmel (around 50 eateries in a square mile), it hasn’t had a tapas spot since Mundaka transformed into Pescadero in 2017.
• It enjoys a welcoming backdrop with walls embedded with hand-painted tiles and Old World chandeliers, in the Mission Street spot that was formerly Casanova’s special event Harvest Room (and before that, the Clam Box). Executive chef Anthony Quintana was originally set to consult on the restaurant from his home base in Arkansas, but so liked the project that he moved his family west. “I fell in love with space, the concept, the community,” he says.
• Promesa’s team knows how to run a contemporary Carmel hot spot, even amid COVID chaos, having met rave reviews for Toro since opening in 2020. Promesa co-owner Stephen Wilson feels that experience is invaluable. “The biggest thing we’ve learned by opening Toro in the middle of the pandemic is that you need to be flexible,” he says. “Being able to roll with whatever the day throws at you is essential to the success of your restaurant.”
• The menu is authentic Spanish with a sprinkling of less common dishes. Classic tapas like patatas bravas, grilled pan con tomate, tortilla Española, Marcona almonds, croquetas, fried squid, little-neck clams and deep-fried Padrón peppers ($9-$22) appear next to an assortment of Spanish cheeses and charcuterie ($8-$20), bacalao-style black cod ($48), a super-tender cut of seared Iberico secreto ($58), and a ribeye cap with marrow butter and marinated white beans ($64). Even with all those attractions, Quintana—who draws upon his Spanish heritage to flesh out the menu—seems most eager for guests to try the gazpacho ($12).
• The wine list will prove enchanting with curated Spanish wines but also some surprises, namely sipping vermouths, madeiras and vintage ports dating as far back as the 1800s. “We’re going to have a lot of cool stuff,” Wilson says. As a reference, Toro’s beverage list is striking.
• Additional inventive drinks like wine-, port- and vermouth-based cocktails will reflect the strong beverage background of Wilson, co-owner Kristen Rideout-Wilson (like her husband, a sommelier) and operations chief George Thompson.
Reservations and food service begin tomorrow, Wednesday, May 18. To start, hours will be 11am-10pm daily, though—as will be the case with the menu—Promesa’s team anticipates changing according to both the seasons and what guests respond to.
“It’s a living, breathing thing,” Quintana says, “which is part of the fun.”
More at promesacarmel.com.
About the author
Mark C. Anderson, Edible Monterey Bay's managing editor, appears on "Friday Found Treasures" via KRML 94.7 every week, a little after 12pm noon. Reach him via mark@ediblemontereybay.com.
