Marinus

First bite

Marinus located at Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley is often considered the pinnacle of Carmel dining. I have been wanting to come to the restaurant and the lodge for quite a while, but it's not dog friendly. But leaving Shaddy at my parents for one night allowed us for a quick visit. Luckily, we'd arrive just one day after the restaurant had returned from a three week winter hiatus. We didn't even look at the menu and knew we were going all in with the chef's six course tasting complete with wine pairing for two, which we later decided was a bad idea. The dining room is small with about twenty tables, about which only a third were filled. We were seated as requested, in the corner of the room with booth like seating. It gave us a full view of the entire dining room and allowed us to take pictures in peace without bothering nearby patrons. Our first bite was a gruyere cheese puff, similar idea to the ones found at TFL, only differing in that they sucked. We didn't put much thought into how difficult it was to make these awesome, but our attention was quickly diverted by the following items.

Brioche and Wheat roll

The bread service was diligent and unique in that only about a dozen fresh rolls filled a basket, lined with fresh rosemary. There were two options, a wheat roll and a brioche. The brioche was extremely buttery and addictive, and the wheat was very tasty, bursting with wheat flavor. We appreciated the good bread and consumed a lot of it, as we tried to keep pace with our pairings throughout the evening.

We were started with a glass of 2007 Blanc de Blanc's from Schramsberg Vineyard in the Napa Valley. We're still wine rookies, so we tend to enjoy the lighter whites first, and this was no different.

Amuse Bouche

The accompanying amuse bouche was a minced smoked salmon concoction that mixed with a little cream and celery tasted like a crab louis salad, a clean fresh start.

Hiramasa sashimi, piment d'espelette, yuzu vinagarette, herb puree

Our first course was Hiramasa sashimi, served with a 2009 Sauvignon Blanc from Bernardus' Griva Vineyard. I wasn't extremely impressed by this first course. The fish was undoubtedly fresh, with a surprising bite to the texture, but both sauces killed the flavor of the sashimi. But even on its own, the over peppering of the fish, really distracted from the product. 

Dayboat Scallops with celery root puree, braised leek, and black winter truffle

The second course, which later proved to be Chu-Toro's favorite, was a dayboat scallop. The interesting twist was that the scallop was sliced horizontally in thirds with a thin black truffle in between each layer. The scallop was cooked as well as could be expected since it was later cut into thirds, which wasn't my preference but a original dish in our book. The truffle itself wasn't overpowering to the sweetness of the scallop, although pretty much everything else on dish did. The celery root puree and braised leek overpowered the natural scallop flavors, but as a whole, everything on the plate tasted good. It was paired with a 2008 Ingrid's Vineyard Chardonnay from Bernardus winery in Carmel Valley.

Sonoma Duck with Carnaroli Risotto, Chanterelle fois gras sauce

Although we always say we don't have any dietary restrictions or allergies, which we don't, Chu-Toro does not eat rabbit. She still has rabbits at her parents and can't ever imagine eating one, so the chef offered duck to her instead. The first bite I had of the duck was so-so, maybe simply overpowered by the risotto which I found a tad salty. But the bite I had of the duck on its own was excellent. There was a layer of fat and crispy duck skin that made the bite I had superb. Chu-Toro definitely enjoyed it as well, especially the risotto which she really liked. 

Rabbit from four story hill farms, carnaroli risotto, chaterelle, sauce fois gras

I've only had rabbit once before in Italy because Chu-Toro hates to see it on the table. But the combination of a couple glasses of wine, made her forget to guilt me away from it. The dish featured two parts, the loin and the leg. Both were amazing, juicy and melt in your mouth delicate. The loin was extremely tender and moist, perfectly seasoned and went well with the risotto (which was one level too salty). The second preparation was braised leg, which was also melt in your mouth delicious. The courses were paired with a 2008 Rosella's Vineyard Pinot Noir from Bernardus Winery in the Santa Lucia Highlands.

Colorado Lamb, oak grilled, roasted cipollini, pomme ancienne, bernaise

We were already getting stuffed, probably from bread and wine by the time the last savory course arrived, we were overwhelmed by the size. The large cut of lamb was perfectly cooked and beautifully presented. We actually switched plates since mine was a little less gamey than Chu-Toro's cut. I actually prefer that anyways, and the juicy lamb was one of the best pieces I've ever had. It was just so juicy and tasty that I ended up finishing half of Chu-Toro's also. This was one of those dishes that chef Cal Stamenov let the product stand on its own and cooked it perfectly. The roasted cipollini and crisp pomme ancienne were great accompaniments but I didn't need or use the bernaise. This course was paired with a 2003 Bernardus Winery Marinus from Carmel Valley Estate.

Artisan cheeses (left to right) ossau-iraty, epoisses, blue d'auvergne

We were both stuffed by this point, so we really only took a bite of each cheese offering. The presentation itself was gorgeous, probably one of the most precise cheese plates I've ever been offered. It didn't beat the stinson cheesecake from Meadowwood as my favorite cheese course, but the selction and presentation will remain memorable. 
The cheese I liked the most was the soft epoisses, mainly because it was paired with the best honey I've ever had in my life. I didn't know honey was supposed to taste like that, and it was a perfect balance to that cheese. The apples were also a good pairing to the blue cheese. I appreciated the small pairings that went along with each cheese. A 2007 Castelli Knight Ranch Syrah from Wind Gap in the Russian River Valley moved us from really drunk to super drunk.

Intermezzo - Kiwi Sorbet with almond crumble

Although this was just a quick pallet cleanser, this was the best kiwi sorbet I've ever had, simply awesome.

Yuzu Citrus Parfait, green tea biscuit, blood orange, forbidden rice pudding, mango sorbet

The dessert course was all over the place, and although there was some really awesome components, the mango sorbet and yuzu, the dish as a whole just didn't blend together. It was served with a 2008 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Bernardus' Griva Vineyard. I ended up downing both of these sweet apricot port like dessert wines.

Petite Fours

We couldn't eat anymore and our heads were pounding from all the wine, so we simply asked for the petite fours to go. They looked cute the next morning.


All of our meals in the Carmel area to this point had been good at best. But Marinus did actually live up to the hype as the best place in the area. There's debate between here and L'Auberge Carmel, but until I do the comparison myself, chef Cal's fine dining gem wins. We are the most critical of protein courses and tend to appreciate fresh organic products cooked to perfection with minimal sauces. Marinus was able to accomplish that and provided really down to Earth, attentive service. I didn't even mention that our sommelier was really nice, providing refills to our wines whenever he spotted an empty glass. It probably helped he was drinking with another table who graciously shared their bottles with a lucky few servers. The ambiance is nice with a huge fire in the front of the dining room. Although we were definitely the youngest people there and feared for a snooty attitude, our server Mike made the evening comfortable throughout. By the time we attempted to stumble back to our rooms, our leftovers were in a box waiting at the door, with a sealed envelope with our menus, titled Mr. and Mrs. Law's tasting menu, a classy touch. If you're looking for a special meal in Carmel Valley, make sure you check out Marinus.


Rating 8/10
January 21, 2011