Aubergine the restaurant at L'Auberge Carmel — Restaurant in Carmel-by-the-Sea

L'Aubergine just received their second star this year and they totally deserve the stars.

To begin with, I reserved the courtyard dining, which turned out to be a wonderful choice. The dining area is at the hotel courtyard and it's extremely beautiful and cozy when the weather is nice. When I was there, the sun was just about to set, so the light was beautiful and it really didn't affect how the food was presented later on. I would highly suggest to reserve the courtyard dining if possible.

For the service, it was also impeccable. Every server was very attentive and friendly. They really attended every detail. My sommelier was also very knowledgeable and I am very satisfied about my wine pairing. A small surprise was that not only the server brought you the food, sometimes it could be the executive chef, Justin, himself and other sous-chefs. The dining experience was indeed two stars.

Finally, let's talk about food. I skipped the desserts because of word counts.

Gift from the coast The set of one-bites was composed of five dishes and they were paired with Japan junmai daiginjio sake. They were mostly seafood except the wagyu tartare, which happened to be my favorite. However, each dish was seasoned very well. As someone who is very picky with Japanese and Japanese inspired food, I would say they really present the ingredients well. For instance, the bluefin tuna and caviar combination was balanced very well. The caviar was not too salty to cover the umami of the tuna.

Kaluga queen caviar, tomato, gazpacho This one was an interesting dish. It was frozen gazpacho paired with champagne. Chef Justin presented the dish by himself by placing the caviar and I was suggested to eat the dish by scooping my spoon all the way down to the bottom of the plate. The reason why I say the dish was interesting is because California was experiencing a hot wave at the moment, and this dish was just the right solution. The frozen gazpacho, the tomatoes, and cucumbers, were just right to relieve you from the extreme heat. Let alone the nice cool champagne. Similar to our previous dish, the caviar was just right to the balance.

Amadai, corn, iberico, squash This dish was paired with German Riesling. The fish was handled very traditionally with fried scales, or 鱗焼き(uroko yaki). The scales were very crispy and the meat was very tender. The slightly acidic base paired very well with both the fish and the wine. One thing that I really want to point out is that, all dishes were served with different and astonishing plates. And if the dish is warm, the plate is also warm, which really shows the details.

Shiro dashi, carrots, Hokkaido scallop This dish was paired with Burgundy Chardonnay. I really like this dish because of the creativity it presents. on the scallop was the usual ikura, but underneath in the sauce was carrots made to the same shape of ikura, just visually astounding. In terms of the taste, it was less impressive but still above average. Another thing to note is that I really like this Chardonnay. The dish was also served with a piece of brioche. That's one of the best brioches I've ever had and it went really well with the carrot sauce.

Duck, pink peppercorn, plum The dish was served with a local Monterey Pinot Noir by Pisoni. The idea of using the acidity coming from plum instead of traditional orange based sauce is quite interesting and it works. The duck itself was cooked at the textbook level but nothing beyond. The major variety came from the side dishes but also nothing too memorable.

Dry-aged ribeye, turnip, eggplant There was an option to this dish where you could have A5 wagyu side by side with the ribeye but I didn't have that. This dish was paired with Napa Valley's Cabernet Sauvignon. How can someone come to L'Aubergine without having aubergine? The beef was cooked and seasoned very well, but what I liked most was the sourdough that came along. The butter was just amazing and I could definitely have another piece of bread only that I was...

Over the weekend, my family of three visited my favorite restaurant in Monterey Bay, L'Auberge Carmel. The restaurant's head chef, Justin Cogley, is a fun-loving multi-talented individual. He was born in Chicago and previously served as the Executive Sous Chef at the renowned Elysian Hotel, where he was responsible for opening a new kitchen. Additionally, he is a well-known figure skater. During his time residing in Japan, he became deeply fascinated by Asian culture and learned the techniques and essence of Japanese cuisine. His innovative dishes combine French creativity with the fusion of Japanese influences into modern American cooking. He has received multiple Michelin star ratings and, after joining Aubergine, led the restaurant to receive the Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence and Forbes Travel Guide's top five-star rating. Food & Wine magazine has also named him California's outstanding chef.

Our dinner began with fresh oysters accompanied by yuzu sauce and cucumber jelly, which awakened our taste buds with their exquisite flavors. Next, we enjoyed an artful cake filled with blue mussels, honeycomb, and mint, creating a perfect combination. We also tasted sea urchin paired with sweet soy sauce and potatoes, offering a truly unique flavor. In addition to these dishes, we indulged in fresh tomatoes with lemon thyme and caviar, as well as sardines with a lemon-infused taste and trout roe. The dining experience lasted for a total of 2.5 hours, during which we immersed ourselves in the presentation of Japanese sushi served in a jewelry box, as well as lobster infused with creative soup. A few glasses of wine accompanied the meal, and time flew by.

The restaurant is also known for its extensive wine cellar, housing over 3,500 bottles of top-quality wines from around the world. We opted for the Reserve Wine Pairing, which offered unique and lesser-known boutique wines that perfectly complemented each dish. It's worth noting that the tasting consisted of 8 rounds, with the first round featuring Japanese sake, followed by 7 rounds of various wines, including mixed drinks. The portions were quite generous, so those with lower alcohol tolerance should proceed with caution.

As for the cost of the meal, the Tasting Menu for two adults was priced at $265 per person, and the Reserve Wine Pairing was an additional $250 per person. Additionally, my husband and I chose to upgrade to 2 ounces of HOKKAIDO WAGYU | A5 Japanese snowflake beef, which incurred an extra $200. Our child ordered desserts, grilled salmon, noodles, and milk. The total bill came out to less than $1,700. If you exclude the wine and HOKKAIDO WAGYU | A5, the price would be significantly lower.

Although the restaurant currently holds only one Michelin star, I believe it is even better than many two-star establishments. So let's conclude today's sharing by providing the address of this restaurant: Monte Verde at 7th Ave.,...

Don't book here for a special occasion unless you don't mind the risk of Aubergine calling to say you have to give up your spot the night before your big day, as just happened to me.

My wife and I got married in the middle of Covid. This year, we were excited to celebrate our first anniversary with everything open and back to normal again. We chose Aubergine because it is small and intimate, and had rave reviews. I booked the table months in advance, and agreed to pay $290 if I cancelled at the last minute.

The night before our dinner, Aubergine called me to say something had come up and 4 (of 9) tables had to be bumped. They told me since I only lived a couple hours away, and other guests were traveling from further, that I should just come another time. I explained that it was my first anniversary with my wife and that the date itself was important. They suggested I was being selfish and denying more worthy dinners the opportunity to experience Aubergine on their vacations. He said he would call others, but if they weren't willing to give up their seats he would call me back to inform me I wouldn't be able to join them tomorrow evening.

I spent the next two hours furiously googling and calling and thankfully found a last minute spot open at Birdsong (two Michelin stars and only $25pp more than Aubergine, perhaps the cancellation was a blessing in disguise). Rather than risk making the trip to Carmel and checking into our hotel only to get the dreaded call back from Aubergine that no other diners were willing to give up their table and our reservation was gone, I jumped on the spot at Birdsong.

Aubergine wasn't able to explain why they had to bump us (when I asked, he said he didn't know, he guessed it might be staffing). If I had to guess, I'd say some VIPs wanted to go on a Saturday night and Aubergine thought it would be fine to just pressure some plebians to give up their long-standing reservations to accommodate them. Even an airline that bumps people offers some form of compensation, but Aubergine didn't even offer to use their relationships in the industry to find us another table for our anniversary, let alone offer a discount or apology. Just a quick thanks when I called back to tell them I'd found another place on my own.

I think a huge part of the fine dining experience is the service and, on that measure, I'd say Aubergine missed the mark by a mile. (As a side note, if you find yourself in the area, instead of Aubergine, I'd highly recommend Birdsong, Lazy Bear, SingleThread, Saison, the French Laundry, and Manresa. We've had incredible meals and wonderful experiences at each, and all are...