Dametra owner takes over former Sade’s and Cantinetta Luca locations in Carmel.

In small-town fashion, visions of Carmel and what it should be are slippery. Attempts to retain—let alone define—its charm and character are often elusive, caught between the demands of tourism and the needs of locals.

Bashar Sneeh has his own vision, and it is one his landlords agree with.

Sneeh is the new tenant of the location that previously housed the historic Sade’s Cocktail Bar on Lincoln Street, where owner Parker Logan’s lease came to an end Jan. 31 following months of turbulence after landlords Maria Martinez and Lizete Fiallo decided not to renew Logan’s lease.

Sneeh also owns Dametra Cafe, the Mediterranean restaurant two doors down from Sade’s, separated by Xandra Swimwear—all under the same landlords. In addition, he owns Porta Bella Italian restaurant and Catch seafood restaurant.

He is also the new tenant of the former Cantinetta Luca space, a popular Italian restaurant on Dolores Street, a few spots down from La Bicyclette. He plans to turn that location into a steakhouse called Char.

His vision for the Sade’s location is to keep it somewhat similar: liquor only, open late night, retaining the horseshoe bar that has been there since Sade’s first moved into the space. Somewhat ironically, Sade’s Cocktails once occupied the space where Porta Bella now operates before moving to its most recent location.

As for changes, Sneeh envisions a light remodel rather than a radical reinvention. He says they’re considering adding daytime tasting experiences, but that idea is still conceptual. While he notes it is still early and certain permits and licenses must be approved, his goal is to open the bar within the next two to three months. The name has not yet been finalized.

“I'm just going to clean it up,” he says. “It's been there for a long time. It's very old. It's outdated. I'm just gonna do some light remodeling that feels more fresh and upscale a little bit, but in a way that it accommodates everyone and everybody feels comfortable.”

Sneeh expresses a kind of deference for the other businesses in town, saying he’s always been on good terms with Logan and had a good relationship with him as a neighbor. He says he found out with everyone else about the end of the lease, but struggles to understand the intensity of the reaction to the change in ownership, emphasizing that turnover is part of the business. 

“I said [to Logan], if you are going to leave regardless, someone is going to take the bar. It's a business. I might take it,” Sneeh says. “I totally understand the emotions, but let’s be reasonable about things.”

Sneeh says the restaurants he has opened so far have proven successful. Dametra was his first, opened in 2008 during the economic recession, followed by the other Carmel restaurants, and fast-casual Dametra Cafe locations in Monterey and Marina; the latter includes an adjacent bar called The General.

When Cantinetta Luca closed, Sneeh says he saw an opportunity to open what he viewed as a missing piece on the Monterey Peninsula: a quality steakhouse.

“I’m a little different. If you create a business that becomes successful, like Dametra Cafe, generally speaking, you duplicate that. I did not. I actually went all over the place,” Sneeh says. “I want my restaurants to feel like a living room in my house, and I am the host who's taking care of my guests. And I mean, there is nothing better than the connection of food.”