We went to Carmel over Labor Day weekend. Carmel is, as always, beautiful and quaint. Our agenda, as always, was based around our next meal. We pored over the restaurant lists and decided on go with what San Francisco Magazine recommended - Little Napoli - for our first dinner in Carmel. http://www.littlenapoli.com/The place was as warm and boisterous as described. The owners are from Jersey so that added the additional sense of familiarity for me. The food is definitely old school, red-sauce type but slightly dressed up in California style. We had a heirloom tomato caprese salad to start that we didn't photograph due to the dim lighting in the restaurant and me forgetting my real camera. Then we used the light from a video cam and I took pictures of the rest of the dishes with my iPhone. This photographic set-up produced the "alien aircraft landing" look in the pictures below that I find humorous .
Veal Marsala
Pasta JFK
Profiteroles for dessert
The next evening we had a late dinner at a tiny and charming little restaurant called, Basil. http://www.basilcarmel.com/ This was definitely California cuisine. Seasonal ingredients and letting the ingredients shine. Basil also opens to fairly late which is nice in a town that seems to roll up the sidewalks around 9pm.
Pan Roasted Halibut over butternut squash risotto, wild mushroom, brown butter vinaigrette
Duck Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken stuffed with Monterey jack cheese and oven roasted tomato in a white wine and sage sauce
Pan Roasted Halibut over butternut squash risotto, wild mushroom, brown butter vinaigrette
Duck Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken stuffed with Monterey jack cheese and oven roasted tomato in a white wine and sage sauce
The chicken dish, we both agreed, was outstanding and one of the better chicken dishes we've had in recent memory. 
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