Sugar Reef warms up and aims for the big leagues.

I have baseball on my mind. Sure, the Giants have barely completed their first set of hamstring stretches at spring training and there are three weeks until the season home opener. Perhaps it’s because a good chunk of my childhood was spent sitting seven rows behind home plate at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia watching the Phillies. Unlike other speed-centric, straight-for-the-money-shot sports, baseball takes its sweet ole time, and (fingers crossed) gets better as the season progresses.

Dining at Sugar Reef, which opened three months ago in Carmel, is sort of like a baseball game. A recent meal was filled with a few outstanding performances, some touch and go moments of promise, and some minor disappointments.

Although many of the original low-level tables and decorative Asian accoutrements of the former occupant, Akaoni, are still intact, owner/server Jill “Spill” Fressinier’s artwork and dynamic personality has transformed the sub-street space into a playful Caribbean oasis. Spill’s Francophile husband, Jerome Fressinier, formerly of the Holly Farm, Stonepine Estate, Club XIX, Quail Lodge and Grasing’s, operates the kitchen single-handedly, bringing his French upbringing and passion for good food to the eclectic mix.

Tables are clothed in white paper, with small tin buckets of crayons for any impromptu moments of artistic inspiration. Although the menu is a bit sophisticated spice-wise for younger palettes, my dining companion Laura and I both noted Sugar Reef seemed more kid-friendly than most Carmel restaurants.

Watching Spill gesticulate as she spoke about painting, her two children, and how the restaurant is an extension of their home further added to the warm and fuzzy feeling. White paper lanterns softly illuminate the tables and French Creole and Bob Marley tunes help set the Island-inspired scene. In addition to Spill’s colorful canvasses, her talented 13-year-old daughter Juliette shows off her eye for color and design with several gallery-worthy pieces.

After settling into our table and making a bona fide connection with Spill, Laura and I ordered Escargot “les Saintes” ($6.00) and Plantain and Mango Fritters ($5.25), along with a glass of Rex Goliath Chardonnay ($4) and just for kicks, a Cran-Raspberry juice ($2). Four plump mollusks arrived, balancing delicately on white mushroom caps. The tender snails were bathed in a demure garlic-spiked sauce, not overly herbaceous like other French versions I’ve had, with a pile of perfectly dressed greens. Jerome nailed this appetizer—no contest.

We were less than impressed by the eight so-called fruit infused fried fritters, which more closely resembled the dry, bready texture of a hush puppy, and lacked any discernable flavor. The accompanying citrusy sauce was delicious, and the fritters ended up as a civilized conduit for consuming the fruity nectar instead of using our fingers.

Although the cuisine at Sugar Reef is dubbed French Caribbean, Laura quickly noticed that the ingredients tend to be Caribbean-inspired (mango, banana leaf, tamarind, black beans), while the preparations lean more toward a traditional French style. For our main entrées, Laura ordered the Marinated Jerk Pork Loin with Pineapple ($17) and a side of Scotch Bonnet Cornbread. (Each entrée comes with a choice of one of five sides.)

Although the presentation was pretty and the portion substantial, the pork was a little too pink for Laura’s comfort. I like my meat barely living, so I savored the slow-cooked, spiced loin. I also could’ve eaten stacks of the sweet grilled pineapple slices that came with the dish. The moist cornbread, however, was a surprise. It had an unremarkable hint of heat and an unexpected banana bread flavor—tasty, but not at all what we expected.

Another table had ordered the Beer Battered Grouper ($17), so I followed cue, with a side of Bermuda Onion Tartlette. Three smallish, heavily battered pieces of grouper arrived with three generous slices of tartlette. The fish itself was mild and juicy and had the pieces been larger, may have been less overpowered by the greaseless, albeit bland, breading. The tartlette was the definite hit of the meal—baked and layered, it reminded me of a pastry take on French onion soup. We also ordered a plate of spicy, pistachio-studded Callaloo & Collard Greens ($4). For dessert, we devoured what Laura called an “atmospherically light” Coconut and Coco Parfait ($5.25).

In baseball, the batter either swings, makes contact, or waits patiently for just the right pitch. Move too fast and you strike out. Choose the perfect pitch, and you may be able to make it go all night.

With just two months under its belt, Sugar Reef is still figuring out its game-playing strategy. But, with Spill’s crackerjack front-of-the-house skills, teamed with the enthusiastic efforts of Jerome behind the line, it’s worth rooting for this creative family affair to make it to the majors.

Sugar Reef
5th & Dolores, Carmel, 620-0700
Open Tuesday through Sunday
Lunch 11:30am-2pm; Dinner 6-10pm