Restaurant "Wickets" at Bernardus Lodge,
Carmel Valley, California, USA.

Chef Stamenov wanted us to sample a wide range of his dishes to gather a full impression of his approach to food. So he had brought to us an assortment of his fresh California/Mediterranean dishes, and we were delighted to leave ourselves in his masterful hands. As it was quite a warm evening, we sat outside on the patio terrace of the bistro in the shade enjoying a cool glass of white wine from the Bernardus's own winery, a "Griva" Sauvignon Blanc, and watched a vociferous and happy game of "Bocce Ball" over on the nearby croquet lawn.

Chef Stamenov is that ultimate chef whose talent is the rare ability to perfectly match an immaculate preparation with the very best of ingredients and orchestrate the flavors so they weave and blend from one to the other. No gewgaws, no clever foams, no chopping into micro cubes - just really fine tastes of meat and vegetables at their peak of ripeness and quality. The Bernardus in addition to its own vineyards and winery, has its own two-acre kitchen gardens so raised much of what is on your plate straight from their own soil with most of the rest coming from "Earthbound Farms" the organic farm down the road (http://gourmetvoyageurs.com/country-pages/pages-usa/pages-carmel/earth-farms.html)who actually helped them set up their own organic kitchen gardens.

Why go to all that trouble? Chef Stamenov says that after his apprenticeship with the top French chefs, he learned the importance of using the freshest ingredients from the same micro climate and "terroir" in which it is eaten. A lucky lesson for us to benefit from.

But to the food. Our tasting started with several plates for us to sample. So we found ourselves helping each other to one dish after another that arrived simultaneously. The first dish was of some perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes paired with mozzarella and basil. The next was house cured salmon with red and yellow beets. Then a platter of perfectly grilled prawns and we devoured them all. All of these plates were superb and the vegetables at the peak of ripeness and flavor.

The fish course was a lovely display of color supporting our delicious sea bass in the form of a Succotash of fava beans, sweet corn and peppers - perfectly prepared. This was followed by a truly delicious breast of free range roast chicken sitting on a nest of fingerling potatoes and crisp green beans. There was not a dish that we could fault and all were evidenced the exquisite talents of Chef Stamenov. And each dish was accompanied by a different Bernardus wine perfectly paired with the food.

The "pre-dessert" of a smooth Blackberry soda with honeysuckle ice cream was divine and took us back to our youth sharing the refreshment with two straws, heads touching. They even rekindle long lost youth! The two desserts were consumable even by those watching their waistline. One showcased fresh strawberries grown on the property with a lovely, light short bread and poached meringue over a vanilla crumble, the other was Fresh Candy striped Figs with Pistachio Ice-Cream over Pistachio crumble & Pear Spears! Heaping praise on Chef Stamenov, we look forward to a return visit in the very near future.


Wickets is open daily for breakfast from 7am to 11am, lunch from 11:30 am to 3 pm and dinner from 6 pm to 10 pm. The restaurant also features a light all day menu from 2 pm to 6 pm. The menus are created daily and draw on the best local produce and seafood available. The full bar is open from 7 am to 11 pm.