Cachagua Store

Carmel Valley, CA

Where are we going? What's the place called? How'd you hear about this place?  Cachagua Store, a general store located in Carmel Valley, serves dinner only on Monday nights. It's like a local foodie myth, secret, something those in the know are aware of. Well, maybe not much of a secret since it was on Jetsetter and San Francisco Magazine. Sounds exciting doesn't it? And we were going to be there on a Monday night! We never vacation on Monday/Tuesday so it was our chance to experience something unique. I made reservations a month ahead of time and was stoked, especially given the disappointment the night before with our meal at Grasings. So with 6:30 Monday night reservations, we embarked on what we didn't know would be a frightening journey into the dark hills of Carmel Valley. What I thought what would be a night filled with exceptional dining, started pretty terrible. The drive into the pitch black, treacherous, curvy, hillside was scary to say the least. Everyone in the car felt sick on the ride up and really feared for their life. All in the name of a good meal.  So was it worth it?

Absolutely not. 

This place is basically a dive bar with tables. If you want to drink bottles of wine, listen to a live band and know the locals, then this place may be enjoyable. Otherwise, it's going to be a two hour wait to receive entrées for hit or miss food. The menu is intriguing with a lot of options ranging from pizza, vegetarian dishes and various proteins (goat, beef, venison, and squab).

Duncan’s Pizza: Corralitos sausage, smoked ham and bacon

We started off with Duncan's pizza which was advertised with ham, sausage and bacon. However, what they didn't mention were the jalapeños and artichokes which had we known would not order for BroCo. Despite that, the pizza took forever to receive and by the time we did, it just wasn't very good. I would call it a solid frozen pizza.  

Roasted Bone Marrow Bruschetti with Chanterelles and Parsley 

The second appetizer that arrive about 20 minutes later was bone marrow. The flavor of the dish oily and really lacking the main component, bone marrow. After all, it was the name of the dish. However, if I had to guess, there was about two teaspoons of barrow in the bones. It was a stark contrast to the previous bone marrow course I've had which made me excited about the dish, but it was just another letdown to the night.

Clam Chowder

The clam chowder was another poor described dish since it was more like a minestrone with clams. It was an interesting variation on the dish, but I would have hoped that it was described as such. By the way, we received this course about 20 minutes after the last one. 

Mesquite Grilled BBQ Heluka Pork “Baby Back”* Ribs with Cachagua Molé 

So after another 45 minutes of waiting patiently and slowly losing our patience, I noticed that this was the norm at Cachagua. This was a makeshift kitchen and service staff that wasn't equipped to handle the mass quantiles of course being ordered. But then while walking by the kitchen later, I noticed that they go through a painstaking slow process to cook each dish one at a time. There were 8 people in the kitchen, but only one dish being cooked at a time? Really? This just wasn't a restaurant, it was a general store. When BroCo's ribs finally arrived at about 8:30, he was so hungry, he devoured it. I took a quick bite and it carried a smoky flavor and meat fell off the bone, but was not worth the two hour wait.

Fresh Lemon Stringozzi Pasta with Fresh Heirloom Tomato/Basil with Prawns and Clams

Chu-Toro went with the lemon strangozzi with shrimp and clams. Although the flavors were fine, the noodles were overcooked, almost mushy which made the dish texturally disappointing.

Goat three ways - braised, tongue and chop

I was excited about having goat, since its a rarity on many menus. The other time i had goat (in whey) was at Chris Kostow's Meadowood which was amazing, one of my fave dishes of all time. By the time I received my goat, 10 minutes later than everyone else's, I was even more irritated. The braised goat was simple, tender but the flavors were very one noted. The tongue was the same way, but notable well cooked. The chop was the worst offering simply because it was so difficult to find the meat hidden within the bones. 

Pan Roasted Yolo County Pistachio-Fed Filet of Beef with Mushroom ragut

Envelope ordered the beef filet with a mushroom ragut, the best item of the evening. The meat was juicy and tender and was a glimpse of what I was hoping for at the self proclaimed "movable feast," at the Cachagua store. 

As soon as we finished our entrées, we got up and prepared to leave. Nobody wanted to wait for dessert menus to arrive and spend another hour in the crowded restaurant for hit or miss food. It was a huge disappointment since I was expecting so much more. There were some really good dishes (Envelope's filet and BroCo's ribs) but most of them did not meet the hype. We spent nearly 3 hours to receive two courses each and feel sick on the trip there and back. We were all visibly upset by the end of the evening, mainly due to the wait from the kitchen. This place is a perfect local joint for a Monday dinner with old friends who want to drink bottles of wine, but for tourists or visitors, stay away, its not worth the trip. 

December 27, 2010

Rating 3/10