Quick Bites: closure and new chef in Carmel, Maddox's new jam, new summer menus and more.

Call it sweet news. Or a savory story.

Eden Hutchinson, formerly of San Franciso’s Tartine and Big Sur Bakery, now does the pastries and custom desserts at Carmel Belle (624-1600).

Think chocolate cake with Turkish buttercream; gâteau Basque; eclairs; lemon meringue; seasonal galettes; ginger shortbread cookies with plum and ricotta semifreddo; ricotta cake with seasonal fruit.

On the savory side, anticipate foccacia; vegetarian Argentine empanadas; and caramelized onion, goat cheese, and spinach galettes.

Housemade ice cream and Italian semifreddo too.

Meanwhile, Chef Kyle Odell's summer menu includes goodies like summer beans and burrata ($12), Belle’s ribs ($20) and sweet pea ravioli ($17).

Those two star at the latest MEarth chef dinners Thursday, July 30, doing treats like local halibut sashimi, slow-roasted Berkshire pork and fig leaf cream risotto ($65 benefits school programs and eco-literacy outreach). 

More food news nibbles follow:

• Still entertaining flavor flashbacks of dinner at Mundaka (624-7400) in Carmel last weekend—wild mushroom and sherried egg toast ($16), fried truffle salt garbanzos ($7), bravas ($8), tender octopus and potato ($14) and an incredible deviled pork pillard with a marion berry gastrique ($22) rank among the memories.

• Mundaka sister Monterey Bagel Company will change back to a Mundaka auxiliary space as Ramsay Elmachtoub's inspired run at homemade bagels and schmears comes to a close. Get in there before the end of the month for some of the best such grub the area's seen.

• Dan Dronsfield just sent me a video he did with about 200 portraits of different attendees at 2015's Pebble Beach Food & Wine.

• Mi Tierra Mercado's (394-8113) semi-undercover taqueria in the back of the Seaside grocery remains my top place to take friends for its Latino supermarket setting, chorizo quesadillas and al pastor tacos. It did not disappoint on Friday. Make sure to order the chorizo-dillas "super."

• Maddox Haberdasher will come on as head of hospitality at Restaurant 1833 (643-1833), a new position, but not before "MADDOX Presents: Summer Sultry in the Forest at Porter’s in the Forest" 7-11pm Saturday, Aug. 8 ($35 in advance; $50 at the door). Johnny DeVivo treats, Grey Goose bar, BMWs to ogle, sophisticated fashion, pretty people.

• Carmel Ridge (324-0035) has been hosting some impressive musical acts with free wine tasting Friday evenings down on Cannery Row.

• The Beach House at Lovers Point (375-2345) and relatively new Executive Chef Evan Lite just dropped new summer items like baked sea scallops pot pie peas ($15), crab-stuffed petrale sole ($28.90). 

• The Monterey Bay Aquarium extends hours to 8pm on Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day weekend. The Evenings by the Bay event includes a cash bar and live music; the full music line-up is available at montereybayaquarium.org (included with admission: $39.95/adult; $34.95/seniors and students 13-17 or college ID; $24.95/children 3-12; free/children under 3).