365 True Things: 275/Dining Out

Grant at another dinner

My friend Grant and I once had the goal of eating our way through every restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea. That didn't happen—not even close—but it doesn't keep us from having dinner together.

This evening we decided on a different goal: to hit new restaurants, whether new to the area or just new to us. That gives us many dozens to choose from.


Tonight's qualifies on both counts: Lucia, at Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley. Bernardus is also a winery, so wines are featured at Lucia. And the menu was deliciously eclectic and sumptuous. I was torn between getting a few starters vs. an entrée. The entrée—scallops on kale with teeny carrots and crispy onions, accompanied by a side of brussels sprouts—won. Grant had salmon. We started by sharing a beet/kale/quinoa/goat cheese salad. But the real kicker was a Meyer lemon soufflé tart—to die for. And I'm not a dessert gal.

Although Bernardus has great wines,
I wanted something other than
Chardonnay, so I ordered a
little Alsatian something from Oregon
—perfect with scallops

We agreed that next time we go, we'll focus on the starters: eat our way through all of them—a sampler food frenzy.

Or . . . we could just dine on desserts.

Though rather than there being a next time at Lucia, perhaps we should be focusing on the next new restaurant instead?

Or . . . why not both? No reason to have arbitrary rules that rob us of potential pleasures.

In any case, as always, it was fun having a meal with Grant. He's a good friend: together, we help each other assure that we don't just stay hunkered down under our respective rocks (socially speaking). Plus, he's my living proof that liberals and conservatives can be friends. On occasion, we even discuss politics, and still we're friends! That's what I call civilized.