Carmel Belle introduces new juice bar, dinner menu and bigger space.

Read it from these carrot-pineapple-tumeric-juice stained lips: Carmel's ever-evolving food culture took a small but meaningful leap forward today—with another on the way in a little more than two weeks.

Carmel Belle (624-1600), a city pioneer in well-sourced green-eggs-and-ham breakfasts, meatloaf sandwiches and other wine-and-cheese sundries, debuted a juice bar as it opened this Tuesday morning. 

On the short, rotating menu of freshness, available 8am-5pm daily:

~The Clean and Green • cucumber, apple, kale, spinach, romaine, ginger and parsley

~The Dr. Feel Good • carrot, pineapple and turmeric

~The California Punch • apple, beet, carrot and orange

~The Sweet and Low • beet, cucumber and romaine

They all run $5 for a 12-ounce and $7 for a 16er.

"We wanted to go simple with it," says co-owner/operator Jay Dolata. "Simple's kind of what we do."

He's thinking one low sugar, one green, one fruity, another a little more inventive, adjusting with the available seasonal inputs. And resolutely organic.

The juices flow from a new service counter in their freshly expanded space.

The much-awaited opening up of the Doud Craft Studios indoor area essentially doubles capacity for the widening Carmel Belle following. 

On the advice of local juice consultant/diva Cindy Bittner, the Belle team acquired a masticator to mechanically juice the greens with zero heat and more resulting juice.

Along with other devices, it pushes out vibrant and colorful elixirs that already have part of the staff planning cleanses and me wearing that silly upper-lip stripe of electric orange (from the dynamite Dr. Feel Good). 

Arguably bigger news: simple, ever-shifting dinner service starts Sunday, June 15.

It will run Sunday through Thursday and feature two or three or main courses, three or four sides and a dessert each night. 

Their "Dinner Belle" Exec Chef Kyle Odell—a veteran of San Fran's Ritz Carlton, Casanova in Carmel and Commis in Oakland, among other spots—is playing with the possibilities, which include chicken pot pie, slow-roasted Fog Line Farm ribs and a farmers market veggie lasagna, and straightforward sides like roasted asparagus and fingerling potatoes for $10-$12 and $4-$6, respectively. 

The fundamentals remain the same as with the juice: simple, limited, fresh, tasty, thoughtful.

"We love adding another resource," says the other half of the dynamic mom-and-pop op, Chloe. "We love being a hub."

The Dolata idea there: Locals can eat casually without the pressure or price of sit-down dining, families and professionals on the way home can grab and go. It's a lot like a dinner version of the breakfast-lunch service that allows for satisfying 15-minute meals.

"When you want something but don't want to eat out or cook and you're tired of Chinese or pizza," Jay says.

In other words, a smart and practical approach which will have busy eaters soon thinking: I was just saved by the Belle.