Cypress Inn Redux
The historic Cypress Inn in downtown Carmel continues its reinvention following the passing last year of patriarch Denny LeVett, who partnered in the dog-friendly hotel with actress and animal activist Doris Day until her death in 2019. Terry’s Restaurant + Lounge underwent a refresh with new paint all around and a trompe l’oeil mural, and the menu has been updated to match.
For the regulars, several classics — like the delightful endive salad, seared sesame tuna and Monterey Bay sand dabs — remain untouched, but the kitchen recently debuted several offerings, among them a spring salad (fried carrots, diced garbanzo, grilled asparagus, charred avocado, radishes, berries and goat cheese over greens with honey lemon dressing), a lobster roll on a toasted brioche bun, and a pork loin chop with roasted marble potatoes, green beans and apple cider butter sauce. The menu isn’t cheap, but nothing’s higher than $50, so it’s not beyond the pale by Carmel standards.
Of those new dishes — with plenty of items on the menu to please a wide range of guests — the pork chop shined the most: succelent, flavorful and well balanced. The lobster roll is decadent (no butter is spared) and the salad is beautiful and aims high but falls a little short in execution, with chewy strips of carrot and similarly textured garbanzos.
On the cocktail side, a pair of spring-friendly tequila drinks please, with refreshing juiciness and balanced sweetness. Take Me to Jalisco features blanco with pomegranate liqueur, lemon juice, fresh cucumber and agave, while Honey Bee offers mezcal, chile liqueur, honey syrup, pineapple juice and fresh lime. Each is delightful.
Read more on the Carmel Pine Cone’s April 24th Issue:
