Fall 2023

Q: As the restaurant has gotten to be known, your customer base must have shifted somewhat. Do you tend to have locals, visi- tors, or both? What are some of the favorite menu items? A: Foray’s customer base is still mostly locals, and the majority are thrilled to have us as a new addition to Carmel’s bustling culinary scene. As for menu favorites, one dish that I hope will always be on the menu is our Lacinato Kale Salad. We source the organic kale and walnuts from two of our favorite Del Monte Farmers Market farmers— Spade & Plow Farm and Minazzoli Farms, respectively. The kale is cut by hand to a fine chiffonade, and we candy the walnuts in-house. Paired with a California yuzu vinaigrette, local heirloom apples and 42-month Parmigiano- Reggiano, this salad surprises many of our guests that are apprehensive about a raw kale salad. Q: Are there any particular farmers or suppli- ers that you work with that you’d like to mention? A: We work with over two dozen local farms and ranches, but some of our absolute favorites include Monterey Abalone Company for red abalone, Fogline Farm for heritage chickens, Borba Farms for berries such as ollalieberries and boysenberries, and Bee LaForte Agroforestry Farm for all of our duck and chicken eggs. Q: What type of ambiance do you have at Foray, and how does it influence the dining experience? A: Foray’s ambiance reflects our overall vision to use the highest quality local and sus- tainable products. Our ceiling and private dining room feature Monterey Cypress reclaimed from local beaches and milled in Watsonville. Our menu is printed on paper sourced from Gilroy garlic. We refinished the original 1940s cement floor that was hidden under several layers of subfloor. And we commissioned California artist Dwight Hwang to print original gyotaku artwork, featuring local ingredients such as spiny lobster, spot prawns and truf- fles…We had the opportunity to design a space that makes our guests feel equally com- fortable having a quiet conversation or cele- brating important life events. 164 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 3 • Craft Beers • Central Coast Wines • Hentails • Wood-Fired Pizza • Sandwiches • Pastas • Meatloaf • Ribs HAPPY HOUR 4PM - 6PM Daily BOTTOMLESS MIMOSA BRUNCH Saturday and Sunday 4 8 4 Wa s h i n g t o n S t . , M o n t e r e y • ( 8 3 1 ) 6 4 3 - 9 5 2 5 M e l v i l l e t a v. c o m • @m e l v i l l e t a v e r n • m o n t e r e y t a v e r n@g m a i l . c o m Photos: Jeff Bushnell “After I’ve found an interesting ingredient, we’ll try several different modern preparation techniques before heading towards a finished dish.”