Grasings

Carmel, CA

Although my parents wanted us to take the kids away, they ended up driving down to Carmel to check out Carmel Valley Ranch, the hotel that we stayed, and to have dinner with us.  There were a handful of other places that I wanted to try, but because my family is a little picky, we ended up going to Grasings. Their menu covered the requirements of a lot of various options (steak, pasta, seafood) and most importantly  fried calamari for BroCo.  I was skeptical before we arrived and even more so after we walked in. The white table cloth environment seemed stuffy and our particular server seemed to have a chip on his shoulder working the day after Christmas. The overall service besides the head waiter was quite attentive and friendly. I wasn't able to take too many pictures during the appetizers, because it's a free for all with hungry family members. We started with onion rings, fried calamari and steamed clams. Everything we pretty standard, nothing terrible, nothing memorable, but it satisfied the needs of everyone's opinions. 


When it came to entrées, the family ordered a wide range of items, from my mom's Rib eye (nothing special), my dad's lamb was good, but the accompanying lamb sausage was dry and there were only two ribs which seemed sparse for a $35 dish. Envelope went with the paella, a large dish with a good amount of seafood, but she was underwhelmed by the flavors. BroCo grazed off everyone's plates, but order a side of mac and cheese which was actually a very large plate. And although he liked it, it was probably one of the worst one's I've ever tasted. 

Sea Bass

Chu Toro went with the sea bass which she would later regret. You would think that in Carmel, you'd have access to some fresh seafood. Well, apparently at Grasings, they charge $30 to overcook a fishy flavored fillet of fish. Disappointing to say the least and she did not finish it.

Milk Fed Veal

My milk fed veal was okay, edible, decent quality but nothing memorable. My fears came true, it was a poor meal. My parents foodie standards are pretty low, so since they were unimpressed, I know it was unsuccessful on all levels. We didn't want to hang around for dessert, so skipped out after dropping $270 feeling unfilled. Grasings had awards on their wall for best restaurant from 2004-2007, which is probably the last time they served an overall good meal. Stay away, its not worth the prices and there are plenty of other dining options in downtown Carmel. 

December 26, 2010

Rating 4/10