Cuisine:

• Italian
• Others
• Californian

Tusca Ristorante Description:
Tuscan cuisine prepared with fresh California ingredients. Chefs prepare cuisine in an open air kitchen with wood burning ovens. Views of the Del Monte Golf Course from floor to ceiling windows.
At the refurbished Monterey Hyatt, chef Mark Ayers steals away from his helm at the Highland's Inn to work double duty. TusCA's warm and spacious interior design with its sleek tabletops, rich red chairs and slick open kitchen commands views of the oldest golf course west of the Mississippi, Del Monte. The fireplace lounge and cheese room are the highlight of the bar; sample local cheeses from Carmel's Cheese Shop and sip house cocktails or choose from a compact wine list. The Cal-Italian food is as polished as the place. An heirloom tomato gazpacho blends subtle simplicity with the bounty of summer's best harvest. Grilled prawns are meaty and translucent, sharpened by a drizzling of local Hollister olive oil and roasted peppers. Seared duck breast sits beside a bed of wild rice, a hazing of hazelnuts and big pieces of chanterelle and morel mushrooms that play games in textures. One snafu: sea bass with grilled artichokes and fingerling potato may be overcooked. But things are back on track with dessert. Pastry chef Julliet Marshall reawakens days of youth with the tangerine granita that tastes like an icy Creamsicle, or revisit the orchard with an apple tart that bursts with farm fresh al dente apples. Each month chef Ayers changes the menu; its theme highlights one special local ingredient.


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