I had my best dish of 2024 at Aubergine

Aubergine is a one Michelin star restaurant located in Carmel, California. I didn’t know what to expect going in, but I was blown away by the food. The restaurant itself is small, only 5 tables:

The meal started with some amuse. One of the most beautiful presentation I have seen, and the food was equally good. The ceviche in a tortilla stood out as the flavor of the tortilla was amazing. Lots of corn flavor.

Next, a dish that defines perfect preparation of a vegetable. I believe it was local green beans with some sort of custard and frozen topping. First, the beans were perfectly crunchy. The flavor was one of the truest tastes of green bean I have ever tasted. That, combined with the perfectly seasoned custard, and the cold temp of the frozen topping made each bite a wonderful symphony in the mouth. If there was an award for best prep of a vegetable, I would give it to these guys.

Next, a delicious red mullet.

Next, they presented some Japanese Wagyu at the table and asked if we wanted to add 4OZ to the Omaha steak we would be served for comparison. We naturally agreed.

I don’t usually write about the drinks, but since I was in California, I wanted a local wine. This cab was OUTSTANDING.

The next dish just blew my mind. With each bite, I tilted my head back as the flavors gave me a rush. Scallop, with trout roe, sitting on tapioca cooked in carrot, all over some sort of beurre blanc like sauce. The sauce, was so incredibly perfectly seasoned and flavorful, there are no words to describe it. This is my favorite dish of 2024 so far, and will be probably impossible to top. 11 out of 10…and they don’t stop, they gave us a warm brioche to scarpetta all the sauce.

The next course was lamb, with pickled veg, and ball with lamb inside, topped with caviar. Very good.

The final course of the evening was the beef. The wagyu was perfectly cooked. The marbling was not overpowering like it can be with this type of beef. The Omaha steak was also well cooked but the sauce they put was slightly over seasoned. It was just over the border of perfectly seasoned. They also served a sourdough with the steak, and a Japanese butter that was really creative. Lastly, there was rice cooked in a Japanese pot, with uni and shrimp that was SO good.

I really liked how the chefs incorporated Asian touches into each course. I learned that the chef was obsessed with Japanese cuisine. It was very well done. Not trying hard at all. Lastly, the dessert. The dessert was not on the same level as the savory courses. The ice cream was good. Very nice dense texture. The ball in the middle was very disappointing. It was like a fried piece of dough with no flavor. I did not finish it. It felt like just having empty calories. The chocolate was ok. The cake itself was very good, and the strawberries were EXTREMELY fresh, but the pastry was just not at that haute cuisine level.

Overall, this was a near perfect dinner and certainly one of the most delicious I have ever had. Presentation, ingredients, and taste were all on point. Service was good. This is one of the few tasting menu restaurants I would return to and would consider making a trip JUST to eat here. Its amazing. Highly highly recommended. They deserve more stars.