We capped off a wonderful first day of our trip with a delectable dinner at André’s Bouchée, just a block from our hotel. Honora’s friend Megan recommended it highly and suggested we request to dine at the “chef’s table.” We made reservations on our arrival in Carmel and as we walked around Carmel in the afternoon, we met a local jeweler who recommended the best Carmel restaurant he’s eaten at in his twelve years here: André’s Bouchée. We were not disappointed. We sat at a granite topped counter looking into the kitchen and were entertained by the very outgoing Chef Jacques Zagouri and the very shy sous chef, Betoin.
Our appetizer was mussels with garlic, butter, bread crumbs and parsley, baked on a bed of sea salt. Here is the empty serving dish!
Honora ordered quail and I ordered scallops. We each sampled the other’s fare and both entrées were indescribably delicious.
Of course we had dessert: a fig tart and two flavors of crème brulée.
We had such a wonderful meal and such a delightful evening spent talking with Chef Jacques and observing a master chef in action that we decided to return tomorrow night for another exciting adventure. We told the chef about our trip and when we mentioned Morro Bay was one of our stops, he asked if we liked oysters and told us he would serve us oysters from Morro Bay when we return tomorrow. Honora said she didn’t like raw oysters and although the kitchen was closed by then, Jacques disappeared and returned with a single oyster which he shucked as we watched and then he came out of the kitchen to where we were seated and fed the oyster to Honora in the ultimate act of personal service!
