My spouse and I
dined at Carmel Kitchen & Wine Bar for brunch on a Sunday afternoon in
mid-December, along with another couple. (Previously, we dined at Carmel for
the first time in early June 2015.) Carmel is open daily for lunch and dinner
(brunch on Sundays). They accept reservations by telephone and on-line using
the Open Table system. Carmel is a small chain of seven restaurants, most of
which are located in Florida. This location of Carmel has a large on-site
parking lot. If you sign up for the Carmel frequent diner card, you will
receive an email with an offer for a complimentary appetizer.
Carmel, which
opened in April 2015, is located in the spot of the former Mangos Coastal
Cuisine (and before that, the Ambassador Restaurant), although the new owners
gutted the building during the renovation process so that it retains almost no
shred of its former self (which is in contrast to when the Ambassador became
Mangos and the décor and layout did not change).
Upon entry to the
restaurant, you first encounter a large gas fireplace to the right of the
hostess stand. The restaurant offers both booth and table seating in several
different sections, as well as a 16-seat granite bar. The outdoor brick patio
offers table seating as well as a comfortable lounge seating grouping located
near the outdoor gas fireplace. A roof covers most of the table seating area.
Back indoors, local vibrant art hangs on the walls and colorful vases are
placed throughout. The restaurant also features a “wine corner” where you can
dine near the glass-enclosed wine cellar. A small room for private events is
available.
Carmel Kitchen
serves Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. For brunch, we tried the fried chicken
and biscuits, the veggie pita wrap (served with fries), the traditional eggs
Benedict, and the breakfast sandwich (egg, cheese, and bacon served on thick
Texas toast). The breakfast entrees came with a choice of grits, hash browns,
or fresh fruit. The menu describes the grits as “Best Grits on the Planet”, and
they were very good indeed. The hash browns were also clearly homemade and
quite tasty. The brunch menu includes traditional breakfast fare, but also a
good selection of salads and sandwiches from their lunch menu. We shared the
delicious mango-raspberry crisp for dessert, which the chef served warm and
topped with crumbled oatmeal and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. On a previous
visit, we tried the short rib and mushroom flatbread, the lobster risotto, and
the chicken sandwich (served with fries). The first time that we dined, the
waiter presented us with only an iPad menu, but on our most recent visit, we
were handed paper menus. (We saw a party of two diners who received an iPad, so
perhaps they reserve the iPad use for smaller parties because patrons need to
share.)
Service was
acceptable; however, the hostess seated every party in the same section so that
we were all right next to each other, even though the rest of the space was
completely empty.
We will return to
Carmel in the spring when the outdoor patio re-opens, or perhaps before that
time because the restaurant is open continuously from lunch through dinner,
which are times that tend to work for us.
