Carmel Valley Marinus Bernardus Lodge

The oversize fireplace worthy of Citizen Kane burns throughout dinner, its embers cast a glow on a seamless montage of dishes. Intrigue lurks behind three-, four- or five-course categories like “Shellfish” or “Other Parts.” Or, let the kitchen fabricate a tasting menu. Mini Parmesan gougère and delicate house-baked brioche scented by stems of fresh rosemary engage until the amuse appears. Today, geoduck gazpacho with slow-cooked local squid sets the invigorating roadmap. “Acidic” beguiles as Monterey Bay spot prawn, Wickson crab apple (grown by a friend of the restaurant), red cabbage and apple gastrique. Tiny cubes of watermelon accompanying hamachi sashimi are as potent as their gargantuan offspring. And the bright fuschia color bled by beets gives new life to risotto from the “Garden.” Indulge in “Meat,” Wagyu braised short rib with pied de cochon ravioli. Pretenses do not foil this fine dining milieu—there simply are none. Servers’ “au natural” good nature appears inherent or inherited by chef Cal Stamenov. His natural and rustic artistry is nuanced by subtle poetic undertones of the region; a fortunate providence the finest local and global ingredients end up in his hands. Where subtlety pervades the dinner menu, pastry chef Ben Spungin stylizes desserts, sourcing unusual ingredients from his bohemian pastures, lighting campfires on the side of plates with cinnamon stick timber. Desserts conjure up a poetic beatnik netherworld: Rubinette: Apple fritter, pine tree caramel, candy cap ice cream and huckleberry compote. Mark Jensen and the other wine experts roam the intimate space matching food glass-for-glass from a notable collection that includes Bernardus’s own selections. Book the chef’s table, a comfortable in-kitchen booth with a bird’s eye view of the action.