Trailside Café Carmel Valley is a Post-Hike Haven
Story by Camilla M. Mann
Photos courtesy Sean Allen, Trailside Café
October 21, 2014 – The new Trailside Café and Beer Garden in Carmel Valley Village is nearly complete and owner Sean Allen hopes to open within the next week. While scoping out possible locations for his second Trailside Café, Sean stood on the deck of the old Toast Café and he found himself staring at the fire watchtower in Garland Ranch Regional Park atop a crest in the neighboring Santa Lucia Mountains.
He realized that this new location retained the relevance of
the name—Trailside Café—and he set out to secure the space and transform it
into a post-hike haven. After months of renovation, Trailside Café Carmel
Valley has the look of a bucolic cabin. The motif continues inside with
rough-hewn beams, a redwood bar, and rustic lanterns. And a wood-burning stove
divides the main restaurant space from the bar. It’s a comfortable space with a
casual feel. It’ll be the ideal place to kick off your boots after a day on the
trails in Garland Ranch Regional Park. Meandering through thick chaparral, maple-filled
canyons, and ascending to spectacular vistas of the entire valley can work up
an appetite. Alternatively, if you’re looking for a pre-hike meal to bolster
your adventures, the new Trailside Café is the answer.
Trailside Café Carmel Valley plans to
open from 7:30am to 9:00pm, 7 days a week. Their breakfast menu will mirror the
original Trailside Café and Coffeehouse on Cannery Row with everything from
their overstuffed breakfast burrito to their delectable benedicts; the lunch
offerings merge seamlessly into the evening hours as well, including pasta
dishes, hearty burgers, and fish-and-chips. Allen plans to add some small
plates that can be devoured both in the dining room and at the bar. Sports
lovers can enjoy their favorite events on a trio of screens in the bar area.
The mural behind the taps is a topographic map by a local
artist.
In a village dotted with wine tasting rooms, Trailside Café
Carmel Valley is a welcome addition to the neighborhood for beer-lovers. Allen
will have thirteen beers on tap, comprised of rotating taps from up and down
the California coast as well as a three-door cooler with chilled bottles ready
to enjoy. He’ll be pouring selections from Carmel Valley Brewing, Peter B’s,
Drake’s Brewing Company, and North Coast Brewing, including their Scrimshaw
Pilsner and Old Rasputin on nitro. I have to admit the heart of this
beer-loving gal fluttered a little at mention of Old Rasputin. While I love a
good stout, Old Rasputin on nitro softens the standard high-octane edges of the
beer with a waterfall of bubbles that yield a thick creamy head. It’s
fantastically robust and simultaneously silky smooth.
Not to worry, if you’re not an ardent beer fan, Allen has a
selection of California wines – some local, some from slightly further afield –
ready for pouring as well. And, after your meal, there are sweet treats for
every palate in the family.
While Trailside Café Carmel Valley will carry some of its
Cannery Row history with it, it will be a stand-alone family-friendly spot
poised to win the hearts of locals, beer-lovers, avid hikers, and anyone in
search of a filling, home-cooked meal. I, for one, can’t wait to hit the trails
in Garland and find my way to the new Trailside.
Trailside Café and Beer Garden • 3 Del Fino Place, Carmel
Valley • 831.659.8500
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