California Market at Pacific’s Edge
120 Highlands Drive, Carmel 620-1234, highlandsinn.hyatt.com/en/hotel/dining.html
This place has one of the best views of the Pacific Ocean and the Big Sur coast. That’s half of the trick. The other half is what the Hyatt Carmel Highlands (where the restaurant is located) calls a fusion between its two award-winning restaurants, casual California Market and fine dining Pacific’s Edge. The result is a menu that offers salads made of local greens (think Swank Farms), seafood (Monterey Bay Abalone Company) and also eco-conscious options like Beyond Burger. One catch – romantic dining has to happen before 2pm and is for lunch and breakfast only, at least for now. The Sunset Lounge offers cocktails and small bites from 4-10pm and while the menu changes, the view and the romance stay the same.