Porta Bella

A GuestLife Monterey Bay
Great Restaurant

In Italian, portabella means beautiful door. In Carmel, it’s a threshold well worth crossing. During the day, passersby on Ocean Avenue are lured in by the sight of diners happily engaged in food and conversation on the picturesque flagstone patio. At night, heady aromas and laughter waft innocuously out the famed front door each time it is opened.

Once inside, you’re instantly transported to the sun countries of the Mediterranean with “La Cuisine du Soleil.” In between the animated chatter in a mix of European dialects you can hear the melodious chansons of Edith Piaf in the background.

Inspired by regional dishes, the menu takes you on a gustatory tour of Italy, Southern France and Spain, complemented by a wine list offering an excellent selection of California wines, many by the half-bottle.

An outstanding opener is the Dungeness Crab and Scallion Cakes — plump, delicate disks of flaky crabmeat paired with fresh greens and a toasted sesame aioli and cilantro-chile sauce. If soup’s more your style, try the Roasted Corn and Crab Bisque or the Soup du Jour, which on some lucky nights is a hearty Mediterranean vegetable version teeming with fresh portabello mushrooms and chicken.

A standout among the entrées is a gloriously tender Grilled Chilean Sea Bass with a tangy citrus confit and a mound of fragrant, saffron-laced risotto. For those who prefer the fruits of the land, the couscous, made with lamb shank, chicken and six fresh vegetables, is a guaranteed crowd pleaser.

For dessert, you won’t want to pass up the signature Floating Island, a miraculously lightweight towering wedge of baked beaten egg whites crowned with a toasted almond caramel sauce and served with crème anglaise.

Circulating among the diners on any given night is managing partner Csaba Ajan, who generates an atmosphere of effortless congeniality as he welcomes and checks on his guests. The Hungarian-born restaurateur was trained in the Black Forest region of Germany and is well known locally as the former managing director and vice-president of the Mobil five-star rated Quail Lodge, where he spent 19 years.

“A restaurant first and foremost should have good food,” notes Ajan. “Good food starts with good ingredients. I taste everything for freshness. If something isn’t up to snuff, we simply won’t serve it.”

Quintessentially Carmel, PortaBella occupies a space that over the years was a favorite gathering spot for writers, artists, and a variety of celebrities. The historic “Comstock”-style building was designed by Edward G. Kuster in 1925 for bohemian author Harry Leon Wilson. It has housed a host of notable eating establishments since then.

Menu Highlights

Warm Wild Mushroom Napoleon

Roasted Corn and Crab Bisque

Scampi al Diavolo
Picante Sauce, Chardonnay, Shallots, Garlic, Peppers, Saffron Risotto

Paella Valenciana
Shellfish, Chicken, Chorizo, Organic Vegetables, Simmered in Saffron Rice

Côte de Veau
Grillec Veal Chop, Pink Peppercorn Sauce, Cauliflower Gratin, Roasted Potatoes

Open daily for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
and dinner from 5 to 10 p.m.
Year-round heated garden patio dining (dogs welcome).
Cocktails from 11 a.m. to midnight.

Located on Ocean Avenue between Lincoln and Monte Verde,
Carmel.
(831) 624-4395.

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