Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Despite us having two birthdays and two anniversaries among us (literally within a span of nine days), my crew of besties always takes me out for a celebratory birthday dinner at the beginning of May. Okay, I'm not going to argue. I love these guys! And they - quite clearly - know how to make me happy. This year, we headed to Carmel Valley to check out Lokal ; we haven't been since they opened. We were due. This ceviche was my favorite from the evening! There were so many flavors on this plate: scallops, avocado, grapefruit, and crisp mole chips. We all ordered dishes and shared. I don't remember who ordered the Prawn Mac'N'Cheese Balls, but we all took turns saying it. Mac'N'Cheese Balls. Mac'N'Cheese Balls. Mac'N'Cheese Balls. And I know that Brian ordered the Bones, roasted bone marrow with mushrooms on the top. We tried the halibut over parsnip puree topped with arugula. And, when it came time for dessert, we ...

The wait it over...and the Garneaus and Gonzalezs wasted no time. Lokal opened this week, after an excruciatingly long process of undoing red tape with the County, for breakfasts; tonight was the first dinner and Pia made the first reservation. Just for us. Table for six. Yes, please! I've been dreaming about the culinary innovations of Chef Brendan since we attended the Edible Monterey Bay pop-up supper club in March . While we perused the menu, consisting of three sections - Veggies + Sea - Land = - we started with a round of Chock Rock Vineyard's Pinot Noir and made our way around the table with celebratory toasts. "To culinary adventure." "To wonderful wives." "To lasting friendships." "To laughter." And more. Cheers! Jenn and I started with the Beet Salad , a mosaic of red and golden beets and a creamy river that I thought was creme fraiche, but the menu read "coconut/goat dressing." I don't know whethe...