The Tree House Cafe

Years ago when my kids were very young my mom came to visit and help us with the boys. One night during her stay she insisted that Graham and I go out to dinner alone and enjoy ourselves. We headed to downtown Carmel with no particular destination in mind, eventually finding ourselves at a cozy Italian restaurant. We had every intention of staying out for a few hours enjoying the peace, quiet, and adult conversation; but, as parents of a toddler and a baby, we were completely out of dating and relaxing practice. We ordered wine, we ordered appetizers, we ordered entrees, and we even selected a dessert to share. What was so remarkable about this night and why I remember it so well is because even with our ‘free hall pass’ our recent parenting experience had conditioned us to gulp our wine, inhale our food and talk asfastaswecan – we were back home in 45 minutes!

Fast forward to today when my girlfriend Kim suggested we go to the Tree House Café on San Carlos for lunch. As we were walking up to the restaurant, now new owners and a different menu, I instantly remembered when Graham and I had been here all those years ago. What I liked the first time I was here and what I liked coming back, is the way this property is nestled among the trees…yeah, yeah, kind of the duh factor with the restaurant now being called The Tree House Café.

The Tree House Café has this wonderful area for casual outside dining. The inside dining area is lovely too; however, even though it was a little bit breezy and there was a slight nip in the air, we opted to sit outside on the deck patio at a great corner table right next to a heat lamp. The staff was very friendly and welcoming (it does help that Kim has been here a few times and they recognize her!) With quite an extensive menu including Middle Eastern, Greek, Thai, Russian, Italian, Spanish, and American options, we decided to share a hummus appetizer and the eggplant moussaka.

I did learn that at one time or another, both of the owners had lived on San Carlos Street, and when they saw that this particular space became available, they decided to partner and create the Tree House Café. One of the owners has another restaurant (at least one, possibly more) in town and I think they previously had a Thai restaurant in Pacific Grove – so they know what they’re doing.

The food, the ambiance and the company all blended perfectly for a fun and enjoyable belated birthday lunch (and thank you Kim for treating!).