Kathy’s Little Kitchen

Carmel Valley Village’s Kathy’s Little Kitchen is low-key, affordable and almost old-fashioned, all at the same time. With a big hanging menu of easygoing Mexican fare and a modest patio dispersed around the building, the place brings a sense of nostalgia in its simplicity, and a unique go-to for valley residents in search of flavor without major expense. Recently they added a sister joint next door called Kathy’s Cafe, and the same corner store atmosphere carries throughout.

Longtime valley resident and Bernardus Vineyard manager Matt Shea is among the legion loyal fans of the place.

“It’s a quick stop for guaranteed good cheap eats,” he says. “It’s always friendly and you get to catch up with your neighbors.”

As I walked into the new cafe, I realized this is more of a complementary place than one to stand alone.

A short menu offers standard coffee options like espresso, lattes and cappuccino, and the main feature food-wise is soft-serve ice cream and frozen yogurt.

Two big swirl machines sit in the small dining room with easy access for the public to mix and match the flavors: chocolate and vanilla ice cream and strawberry and Oreo cookie frozen yogurt. Soft-serve prices go by weight ($0.40/lb), which can vary greatly depending on chosen toppings from many options, like crumbled M&M cookies, candy gummy worms, chopped nuts and chocolate chips. Other treats include pre-packed cookies, chips and candy bars.

Kathy’s Little Kitchen seemed a more fitting way to start. Breakfast is served all day (only pancakes end at 11am) and the list begins with morning-oriented meals that range from Kathy’s jumbo breakfast with eggs, potatoes, pancakes and sausages ($8.50) and “ultimate” omelets with sausage, bacon and lots of veggies ($9.50) to the bacon-avocado burrito ($6.50), huevos rancheros ($8.99) and red chilaquiles (fried tortilla strips served with scrambled eggs, red sauce, rice and beans, $8.50).

Lunch and dinner deliver burgers and fries ($6.75-$7.99) or a turkey sandwich ($6.50), plus more Mexican-leaning choices like tortas ($5.99), burritos (5.99), quesadillas ($5.99) and tacos ($1.99/each).

My friend and I opted to split a few things: a breakfast burrito ($5.99), a lengua (beef tongue) quesadilla ($5.99), tacos and rice and beans ($1.99).

The burrito came stuffed with eggs, potatoes, cheese and a choice of chorizo, bacon, sausage, ham or beans. We went with chorizo, which integrated with the eggs nicely. Although I’m a purist about the taste of scrambled eggs, the spicy sausage was a delicious enhancer.

Crispy potatoes added a very filling depth, and the burrito overall was pretty solid. Come to think of it, all of the dishes we tried were pretty solid.

The lengua came in tender little bites covered in melted cheese and guac, soft, warm and comforting to the core. Carne asada tacos expressed a good blend of spices. Carnitas tacos brought coziness and the chile verde, my personal favorite, had a delectable sauce that has clearly been perfected over time.

The rice could have been a little more cooked (or fresh – hard to tell when it’s ever-so-slightly crunchy) but the beans were creamy and satisfying.

We washed it all down with agua de jamaica (a popular Mexican hibiscus juice, or agua fresca, $1.99/medium, $2.89/large) – a slightly sweet refreshment with a bite of flowery tart.

After lunch, we wandered back into the cafe to try out the soft serve. An iced coffee was just what the doctor ordered. They made a good, strong drip coffee on the spot while I played with the soft-serve machine, creating my own experiment with a base of strawberry frozen yogurt and a touch of both chocolate and vanilla ice cream. I would have gladly thrown on the Oreo flavor, but they had run out. Instead I threw on crumbled chocolate chip cookies, a few mini marshmallows and a heap of chopped up Snickers. The cookies and marshmallows may have been sitting out a bit too long, but the Snickers and strawberry froyo’s slight tang and thickness were high notes. And even though my big paper cup was overflowing, the total was only $4.

All in all, Kathy’s is an upstanding part of Carmel Valley, something essential to the community. The locals running in and out all day are the most reliable indicator it offers decent grub at a very decent price. We walked out of there stuffed and happy, and we’d barely spent $30 between the two places.

It’s great that Kathy’s was doing so well that the cafe came along to join. While the tiny restaurant is buzzing with people, the cafe is a little more quiet and relaxing for a drink or a sweet-tooth indulgence (except for the children now and then having fun with the soft-serve machine). I like Kathy’s for what it is and what it delivers, and tourists and locals alike get it.

Mark C. Anderson contributed to this report.

KATHY’S CAFE
13 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley
7am-8pm daily; until 9pm Sat.
659-4601