Citronelle in Carmel is terrific!

[josephnl]

Had dinner last evening at the year-old Citronelle at the Carmel Valley Ranch. It was outstanding in every regard! First off, the setting is beautiful, the architecture of the hotel, bar and restaurant is stunning, and the ambiance in the dining room wonderful. The room is contemporary, but very warm. It looks out over trees and a golf course. The lighting is just right. The table linens, china and crystal are all first rate. The service is impeccable, but friendly. Our servers were extremely knowledgeable and professional without being stuffy or pretentious. Most importantly, the food was interesting, delicious, perfectly prepared and beautifully presented. They feature a three course prix-fixe dinner which at $65 is a bargain considering the quality of the food. I had a lobster starter which was astounding! It was presented in a caviar can, with butter-poached lobster on the bottom, a beautiful sauce layered over a poached egg yolk in the middle, and topped off with squid ink died Israeli couscous. Thus when the caviar tin is opened, it looks just like caviar! My main course consisted of a boneless rack of lamb presented as four perfectly cooked noisettes of lamb, each encircled with a basil, herb, breadcrumb mix. This was served with a beautiful medley of vegetables. Dessert for me was a delicious "tarte tatin" presented as a perfectly poached half apple on a millefeuille crust presented with a small pitcher of a caramel sauce, and two small bowls of whipped cream and ice cream.

Cocktail service was perfect. The wine list wonderful with many excellent choices in all price categories, including many in the $30 range! Breads were freshly baked and delicious.

With tax and a very generous >20% tip, our tab was $115pp. We thought that this was a terrific value considering everything.

We all left the restaurant thinking that this is for sure the best restaurant in the Monterey Bay area, and clearly one of California's finest. The restaurant boasts it's association with Michel Richard who is the proprietor of Citronelle in Georgetown, one of D.C.'s best spots (and one of President Obama's favorites!).