Rachel Lincoln
Google
I had a lot of questions about this Mexican/French combo restaurant....
Mostly because the mix of the two put pressure on my food brain, they seem so polar opposite! Previewing the photos here on Yelp left me with more questions: they seemed to be professional and I was not sure if I would see the same when I arrived, or if I was setting my expectations too high.
Now, I love a good play on words, so the name had me captivated, 'Carte Blanche: complete freedom to do as one sees fit'. Well! Now I am just curious!!
My girlfriends and I met here around 6pm for a mid-week meet up. The patio was well lit and had a few nice fire heaters that were inviting. We grabbed a table just inside the door, and immediately sank into the comfortable space. Beautiful textiles in decor, clean aesthetic and fun music played overhead (maybe a bit loud for a group wanting to catch up).
We kicked off our 3 hour stint with some signature cocktails. Every single one was notable. Considered ingredients and perfectly balanced. You really can't go wrong on any choice.
The menu is meant to be shared, which is always my personal style because I always want to try everything. The chef has put together a great selection- not too much but enough to have a nice variety. Both hosting interesting game dishes (quail knots/duck tacos), ocean fresh listings (grilled octopus / pozole mussels) and vegetarian plates that would easily be made vegan (broccolini&carrots / quinoa negra), and menu is sectioned into small plates cold/hot and then main dishes.
We ordered a bit of everything: buratta salad, grilled pulpo, plantain chips, (we had ordered the crudo after being informed the catch of the day was yellow tail but it came out as shrimp. Our server, Nick, was so kind to take it back since we were really wanting the fish instead!) we shared two mains of the black cod and the short rib. Every dish was mouthwatering, balanced and delicious. The kitchen has great knife skills and textures were spot on- nice job!! The visuals on each plate were also fantastic. Remember, I was worried that the pro photos wouldn't be what we saw, but honestly, every plate arrived as a work of art! Impressive!
The dessert menu was short and sweet (pun intended) if you are coming for the Crepe Cake- sorry they no longer make it. But fear not, the beignets are really nice, and coupled with the brownie dish you will wrap your meal with that sweet, delicate finish you are looking for. The ice cream topper of the brownie dish might try to steal the show but the brownie is lovely too!
Service was well done. We are all well traveled and service expectations are high with this group. Nick was engaging and present, never imposing but always helpful. Thanks Nick for making us laugh with our Super Visa's!
Overall a great experience, I realized once inside that I had been there a few years before. Not sure why I didn't remember that, as once I made the connection I recalled it was just as great the first time too!
Pro tip: For the cod, we were able to add a 4th piece of fish at the servers suggestion so that we all got a nice serving. Just ask!
