Affina opens in Carmel with zesty tastes and wine bar.

The co-owner/exec chef is stranded overseas, the permit bureaucracy has taken the “wine” out of the social wine bar experience (for the moment) and opening night was as much a “kick in the butt” – as one co-owner put it – as anything else.

It seems like a mess. It’s not. It’s precisely what Carmel needs.

That’s because Affina (915-4756) has a whole lot going for it besides the fried chicken that sold out in two hours opening night – or the beautiful white Kimball Viennese classic grand piano in the corner.

To start, it has a polished U-shaped tasting bar that can seat 20 or so, beneath a big and beautiful wicker light, next to an open kitchen amid a similarly open floor plan. The cumulative effect – accented by designer Carissa Duncan’s clever canvas curtains and trapezoidal metal lighting details – is a welcoming and communal space, all centered at a crucial corner in the thick of downtown Carmel at San Carlos and Sixth. (Check out pictures on the blog, www.mcweekly.com/edible.)

It has fresh young collaborators at its helm – including co-owner/GM Dexter Salazar, co-owner/exec chef Nico Izard, earnest new restauranteur Shane Smit (ready to leave a cappella boy bandOvertone behind him) and chef James Anderson (last seen at La Bicyclette) – eager to deploy a fun wine list and simple menu to match the setting.

Salazar knows how to generate a warm and vibrant atmosphere. He demonstrated as much with Constance Wine Bar, the now-defunct spot next to Dametra where his dynamic Old World-New World wine list was more than matched by a lively and accessible crowd. For at least a couple years it was the most social wine tasting joint in the county.

After time working at Casanova with John Cox and Bicyclette, Anderson knows how to source supreme produce and protein and give them intuitive and tasty presentations. Or as he said when I swung by before opening night for lunch, “I like accessible food where the idea of the plate is front and center, and you don’t have to guess what you’re getting.”

With his natural-raised pork shoulder ($16) from Salmon Creek Farms, I was getting something incredible, thanks to four hours of braising, a layer of Matsu apple chutney, roasted organic broccolini and house-crafted whole grain mustard.

He takes pains to source premium spendy ingredients from spots like Colleen Logan’s Savor the Local to make the limited menu go – the first menu, with 10 items, is up on the blog – then uses every bit of the plant or animal to keep food costs from going crazy. Details like his Verjus vinaigrette on the Happy Boy greens ($7), the late harvest Riesling dressing on his bright and seasonal heirloom tomato-melon salad ($9) and the cinammon-vanilla whipped cream on his rectagular apple pie ($6) set off his ingredients nicely. His homemade tomato jam with the spot-on frites ($6) provides another taste-in-point.

A slick new Combi oven – a chef’s dream which performs every drying, steaming and baking task short of doing the dishes – provides all sorts of exciting possibilities. Regular conversations with Izard, who soon meets with the American consulate in France to iron out his immigration status, keep collaborative creativity high. His view of the entire dining room helps him keep everybody happy.

The result: Carmel’s youngest-feeling spot since Mundaka five years back. Or as Anderson says, “A place to belly up to the bar, where we’re all pretty relaxed but stay attentive. It feels like home.” And the piano music hasn’t even started.

QUICKBITES

• Arguably the best culinary event of the entire year – and that’s a competitve thing among the Pebble Beach Food & Wine, GourmetFest and Big Sur Food & Wine – is fundamentally changing, and without tweaking its actual DNA. Get the lowdown on the blog, www.mcweekly.com.

• Salinas’ new Northridge Mall Farmer’s Market (901-8290) is now open every Saturday 9am-1pm until Nov. 22, providing fresh produce including organics, cut flowers and potted plants. Located in the parking lot between Century 14 theaters and Forever 21.

• The fourth annual Monterey Bay Oktoberfest Sept. 13-14 will include weiner dog races. And they ice-bucket tested Miss Oktoberfest yesterday.

• Schooners Coastal Kitchen & Bar (372-2628) has a special seasonal three-course menu with choice of entrée (grilled black cod or roasted chicken coq au vin among the choices) served daily through Sept. 15 ($48).

• Check out the college guide insert in this issue for deals on cheap chow, happy hours, good vegan and more. No student ID needed. It works for any student of value. It’ll also be up atwww.mcweekly.com/studentguide Thursday.

• “Begin Your Bibimbap” Korean cooking demo comes with free samples 1-2:30 Tuesday, Sept. 2, at John Steinbeck Library (905-1572), courtesy of the Bibimbap Backpackers. What is bibimbap? Let my colleague Walter Ryce ‘splain you: “If bibimbap were a salad it would be a Cobb. If it were a hot dog it would be The Works. It’s a bowl of rice loaded with a rainbow of vegetables, topped with a bit of meat or raw egg for protein, and infused with spicy gochujang sauce. A bowl of bibimbap stands alone as a meal unto itself.”

• 10am-noon Sept. 6, guests can delve into Monterey’s fishing legacy with fisheries historian guide Tim Thomas (521-3304, RSVP required) for “Sardine Tales of the Monterey Bay,” part of the Old Fisherman’s Wharf’s monthly Wharf Walks ($20/adult, $15/kids), before complimentary calamari at Paluca Trattoria (373-5559) after the tour.

• Tequila aficionados whet their tongues at a tequila tasting at the National Steinbeck Center (775-4721) Sept. 6, 3:30-6:30pm, preceding their third annual Mariachi Festival. With a total value of prize tequilas reaching $1,700, the $50 admission is a bargain.

• If the backhoe and welders’ sparks are any indication, The Press Club is gonna be industrial and hot. Latest open date for the 1123 Fremont Blvd. spot next to the Weekly is late next month.

• Here’s one to look forward given the cause, chefs and backdrop: The Monterey Bay Area Chapter of the Red Cross (624-6921) invites Todd Fisher of Tarpy’s and Tim Wood of Carmel Valley Ranch to do a Farm to Table Dinner ($95) 5:30-9pm, Oct. 3 at gorgeous Gardener Ranch. Proceeds support chapter work.

• Carmel Valley Chamber of Commerce’s 21st Annual Chili Cook-off ($30-$35 in advance) is Sept. 17 at Carmel Valley Ranch.

• Struggling cooks are called to bootcamp to be whipped, folded, and blended by celebrity chefs Bobby Flay and Anne Burrell for season 6 of Worst Cooks in America on Food Network. Winner takes $25,000. Nominate yourself or someone else at www.worstcooksinamericacasting.com.

• The Monterey Bay Greek Festival (424-4434) offers a taste of traditional recipes from Mediterranean barbecue to baklava with music and dance enlivening Custom House Plaza Aug. 30-Sept. 1.

• The C Restaurant & Bar (375-4800) at the InterContinental – The Clement Monterey welcomes new Executive Chef Matt Bolton with a mixer Sept. 2, 5-7pm, offering tastes from the menu and chance to win a stay at the InterContinental San Francisco. Member fee is $10, non-member $20, register at www.montereychamber.com.

• “If you don’t like something, change it,” Maya Angelou said. “If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”