18 EVENTS: When you get right down to it, a single dinner out is, well, a single dinner out. It may have a few different dishes, or a beverage or two, but that will be a stand-alone experience, however superb it may be. But when you're craving not just the traditional meal-out line-up — appetizer, entrèe, dessert — but rather a whole sup-ready swath of tastes, dishes, and chefly interpretations, finding a swanky cuisine-focused weekend is the way to go. And when it is a long weekend, encompassing four days of grab-your-fork festivities? It must be something special. The Relais & Châteaux GourmetFest qualifies under the "something special" header, as it is a super-haute "foodie extravaganza" helmed by Relais & Châteaux chefs in the hard-to-top setting of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Adding to the general air of swanky special-a-tude are the 18 events on the roster, happenings that cover everything from your classic, learn-a-lot cooking demos to specific suppers that focus on a particular foodstuff or wine. The 2017 dates are...
MARCH 16 THROUGH 19, and the appetite-stoking highlights include a Black Truffle & Black River Caviar Dinner, a Georis Winery lunch, and a Rarities of the Sea "intimate lunch" at Aubergine at L'Auberge Carmel. Attending one of the lavish gourmet gatherings is on many a foodie's bucket list, but even if you can't make it, you can pore over some of the delectable dining details on the site. The weather is warming up but things are mightly haute, and creative in the best culinary sense, in Carmel this March.
