Park & Main — Restaurant in Carlton

We came here looking for a mid-to-upscale lunch experience after wine tasting. Here's what we found:

You order at the counter...or you can take a menu, seat yourself and go read the menu, and then get back up and go to the counter to make your order. Ok, not preferred but that's how it's done.

Secondly, you must prepare yourself for the fly bys from a bartender type who is constantly pushing alcoholic drinks in an effort to upsell your ticket. This was VERY unpreferred, as we already HAD our alcohol for the day at wine tasting, and really just wanted food and water. When we made this clear, we were then subjected to side-eye and eye rolls as if we'd done something wrong. Again, nothing major, but it definitely inhibited the chances of a repeat visit.

Thirdly, the food: we had a pizza that was very mid. Not bad, not great, just mid. The sauce was tasty but very watery, with clear juices pooling up in places that should have all been pizza sauce. The basil was used VERY sparingly, as if the last few leaves on the plant had to last all day...and the mozzarella cheese was flat out rubbery and had no stretch or gooeyness whatsoever, which means it was likely a no-fat or low-fat processed cheese rather than a nice quality mozz. The crust had good flavor, but was very tough to actually bite through because there was no crunch at all to the bottom.

But the pizza, in spite of the shortcomings, wasn't totally terrible. I was able to tell that it wasn't a frozen pizza reheated...it simply lacked any character or wow factor whatsoever.

While eating, there were a few other fly bys soliciting a drink order, and by that point in time I would have preferred dying of thirst rather than allow myself be bullied into a drink purchase.

If you are on your way to Hagg Lake for afternoon swimming, this could be a nice informal lunch stop...or if you've been across the street at the Carlton Pool and you are hungry, it's a perfect very informal place to stop in and get a quick, unremarkable but filling bite to eat...so long as you are prepared for The Red Baron of Bartenders to strafe you with cajolings to buy more alcohol.

But if you want to wind down after wine tasting with a nice and quiet lunch with a bit of elegance, this is definitely not the choice to make for that.

No offence intended...it was our own misjudgment because we had no idea what the place was like, and at least we were no longer hungry when we left...but we weren't satisfied either. Perhaps this review will give guidance for others, and maybe even be a nudge towards improvements, should the establishment have any aspirations to become more than they are...and it's definitely a choice if there are no such...

We LOVE Park and Main! We have visited every time we are in Carlton and had multiple things on the menu - all delicious! Their gluten free pizzas are fantastic - GREAT pizza dough. They are very accommodating to special requests/dietary issues. Last night I had the halibut special, but was not able to eat the sides that were included with the fish. Dustin made a wonderful substitution suggestion - a delicious roasted beet salad on arugula with Lemon Vinaigrette - and it was the PERFECT meal! My husband had the shrimp and grits special and was delighted with the entire meal. We have tried multiple pies and salads as well, and have I mentioned their ice cream?!? Again - because of my dietary restrictions, I can't have milk, but they have PLENTY of dairy-free flavors to try. My personal favorite: "Gold" - which is this beyond-description blend of warm spices (tumeric, cardamom, and??) in a coconut milk base. I have honestly driven down from Portland - just to pick up a pint! They just released a dairy-free Spanish Coffee flavor, which is amazing, but I can't give up on my "Gold!" This place is already our family's favorite in wine country, and it's quickly becoming a destination point for visitors as well as locals. Hurry up and try it before everyone...

Ended up going here twice during my two day visit to Carlton. The first time was for a salad and a cocktail, the second was for dinner when the restaurant down the street was unexpectedly closed due to a gas outage. The bourbon cardamom peach cocktail I tried had a lot of interesting flavors, however it needed a little bit of sweetness to tie it all together. Also, on the patio outside, some of the benches are starting to splinter and can snag your clothes or leave a splinter in your leg so be careful with this. The roasted chicken on the chicken salad was good but a little bit overpowering with the mesquite flavoring, although it did have a nice flavor but needed perhaps a bit more vinaigrette on the salad.

They do offer gluten free crust for pizzas which is great!! Tomato sauce on the Margherita pizza was very bright and flavorful. The crust could have used just a few more minutes in the fire to get crispier but overall it was good. Jamaican jerk wings were delicious, and fell off the bone. All the wines tried were good.

Park & Main seems like a great community place. So grateful to have been...