If you have not stopped at this dark, romantic restaurant, it needs to be on your list.
The moment I stepped into Carbón Cabrón, I knew this wasn’t just another restaurant. The scent of wood-fired cooking lingered in the air, very strong but definitely made you hungry. Surprisingly, what caught my attention wasn’t the charred meats or fresh seafood, it was the vegetables. As a chef, I’ve always believed that a great vegetable dish can outshine anything else on the table, and here, they were the true stars.
My family moved to California to pick vegetables and fruits; I was able to capture each flavor for what it was because we picked it at the highest season.
I started with the fire-roasted heirloom carrots. With their skin blistered from the flames, their sweetness came to life. They were drizzled with salsa macha, a smoky, nutty oil that gave each bite a subtle heat. Don’t add any extra spice or seasoning to this. It’s plated perfectly. Then came the zucchini. It was grilled just enough to bring out its natural tenderness and finished with a citrus-infused olive oil that added brightness to every bite. It was crunchy but soft with those seeds that just popped.
But the dish that truly stopped me was the beet salad. I’ve worked with beets countless times, but these were something else—deeply earthy yet delicate, paired with creamy goat cheese from a small dairy in Todos Santos. The combination was simple but flawless.
Talking with the chef, I learned that every vegetable here is sourced from nearby farms, arriving fresh each morning. There’s a respect for the ingredients, and a desire to let them speak for themselves.
Sitting there, savoring the last bite, I realized Carbón Cabrón wasn’t just serving vegetables. They were celebrating them. And for a chef like me, that was something truly special.