Ad Astra opened their new location in Carmel Valley last weekend; the impression on the quaint, sunny village was immediate and auspicious. Atelier, a word more commonly used when referring to art studios, perfectly encapsulates the owners' vision for their new digs. Spreads are painted on aromatic breads, pastries are sculpted into decadent shapes. Everything to come out of this kitchen should be a work of art and lines out the door prove that this community is here to try them all.
Mark Anderson from Edible Monterey Bay reports:
As Ad Astra creator/chef Ron Mendoza told Edible in April, AAA’s identity will center around experimenting with fun and flavorful foodstuffs based around bread.
“It’s the evolution of what we can offer that is the exciting part,” he said, adding that, compared to , the new sibling will be “totally different…no cookie cutters here.”
Early reflections include a Fra’ Mani Salame Rosa sandwich with sweet red peppers on the house sesame stirato, and a Danish breakfast sandwich on Ad Astra’s seeded sourdough bun with Comte cheese and Step Ladder Creamery cultured butter. Forthcoming intrigue, meanwhile, involves guest chef pop-ups.
Or as Ad Astra Operations Manager Randy Fairgarden puts it, “Delicious and mildly ambitious, to start, as we build the plane while we fly it.”
Core fundamentals remain, namely artisan breads that have become name-check hits at local restaurants and farmers markets, to pair with gourmet pastries, fresh-baked loaves-to-go and Santa Barbara-based Dune Coffee Roasters brew from the Slayer espresso machine.
No menu is in place yet, and more ovens are en route, but that didn’t stop locals from filling the place yesterday as Atelier chef/manager Cody Alias zipped out deluxe toasts—or deter eager souls from knocking on the door today (see hours below; even though the shop was closed, those visitors were gifted day-old sourdough loaves).
Like Mendoza, Alias enjoys a lot of high-level experience, at places including celebrated San Francisco spots Gary Danko and Tartine.
“I’m excited to work with our bread in a more established cooking space,” Alias says, “creating simple, good food that doesn’t have to do a lot with the ingredients, and keeps it fresh and clean while highlighting what we can grow in the area.”
Fairgarden notes local wine and beer—the latter from existing partners like Alvarado Street Brewing and Other Brother Beer Co. (where Ad Astra was first housed)—will eventually contribute to an afternoon/evening scene with additional outdoor seating (on top of limited tables in place at the moment).
“It’s not what happens on Alvarado,” he says. “We can do a lot more with prepared food, and it will be more like a wine bar vibe after lunch [once a beer-and-wine license is approved].”
Hours to start at 319 Mid Valley Center are 7am-3pm Thursday-Monday, with Tuesday and Wednesday dark for now, to provide time to adjust and evolve—in cahoots with early C.V. adopters and longtime fans alike (with plenty of followers occupying the middle of that Venn diagram), helpful feedback welcome.
Daily service represents the next step. “By summer we should be running full steam,” reads Atelier’s IG post from earlier today. “These days off give us time to reflect, rebuild, and relax a little. Deep breaths are always a good thing.”
Same goes for quality additions to a valley hungry for them. Suddenly Mid Valley’s less mid.
Read Mark Anderson's full article on Edible Monterey Bay.
