Executive Chef Christophe Grosjean's cooking philosophy is built on spontaneity. With farmers delivering products daily to the Aubergine kitchen, Christophe and his team focus on making the most of these natural, fresh products. The ingredients are the stars of his menu.

Options abound on the Aubergine menu. Diners have the opportunity to create their own three, four or five course menu by choosing from a variety of dishes progressive in flavors. Or, guests may ask the chef to create an exclusive tasting menu, whereby a diner's only decision is to trust Christophe and his kitchen team as they guide guests through a gastronomic journey. Each course may be ordered with or without a selected wine pairing.

The intimate 12-table Aubergine restaurant features an underground wine cellar that was constructed beneath the inn's courtyard to house the restaurant's 4,500 bottle collection. The wine list features great wines from around the world but especially wines from Monterey County, California and France. The restaurant is open seven days a week from 6:00 - 9:30 pm.

Almost immediately upon opening, the hotel and restaurant received critical acclaim from national magazines. The restaurant was featured in the January 2005 issue of Bon Appetit, as "Best of the Year. Restaurant Hot Seat". Robb Report's 17th annual "Best of the Best" June 2005 issue selected L'Auberge Carmel as one of the new best dining destinations in the United States. Gourmet magazine named the restaurant #20 “America’s Top 50 Restaurants” in 2006. In January 2005, Conde Nast Traveler's Readers Poll selected L'Auberge Carmel as the #42 best hotel in the United States, and the magazine's January 2006, 2007 and 2008 issue listed the hotel on its prestigious Gold List. Travel & Leisure magazine added the hotel to its “World’s Best List” in 2007 & 2008. Most recently Aubergine was selected as one of the "Top 10 New Restaurants in the U.S." by gayot.com, November 2008.

Bouchée, our highly praised sister restaurant, is within walking distance. It is located on Mission Street between Ocean Avenue and 7th Street. At Bouchée diners will experience extraordinary food and wines in a setting of simple elegance. Bouchée serves creative California cuisine and offers an a la carte menu. There is also a wine bar and wine store at the restaurant offering an excellent selection of rare and hard to find wines. Bouchée is open every day for dinner only beginning at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are recommended. For information or reservations contact the Front Desk or telephone the restaurant at 831-626-7880. The Wine Store opens daily at 12:00 noon.

Cantinetta Luca, our popular Italian sister restaurant is also within walking distance located on Dolores Street between Ocean and 7th Street. The menu offers casual, informal dining, featuring items such as delicious pizza, baked in an authentic, Italian, no gas, wood-burning pizza oven. Luca also specializes in antipasti, a dozen or so varieties of salumis and handmade pasta. Whole fish and roasted meats are served family style. All of the presentations are simple and rustic; food prepared with fresh seasonal ingredients to bring out bold flavors. The executive chef is Jason Balestrieri who worked under Joachim Splichal at Patina, the famed Los Angeles restaurant. The interior decor of Cantinetta Luca is antique/modern, inspired by the old refurbished buildings of Italy. The design is a blend of stone, brick and glass, chiseled wood and bright Italian colors. The decor features a barrel vaulted ceiling, brick and chiseled beams contrasted by superb contemporary furnishings and modern lighting all set off by rich colors and textures.

There’s always lots of activity at Luca giving diners the opportunity to watch chefs in action because the restaurant and bar were designed around an open kitchen with the stove centered as an island, accessible to chefs from all four sides. Cantinetta Luca also has a glassed-in meat aging room where its house made salumis are dried and cured.