A few weeks ago, I enjoyed a simply decadent day of food, wine, perfume, and cars down in Carmel, one of the most beautiful locals California has to offer. After driving through picturesque farmland on Highway 1 and entering Carmel, a police car raced around us to stop traffic. While normally, one would be pretty bummed to be the first car to be stopped, we quickly realized this was a good thing as we got a front row seat for the “Tour” of the cars participating in this year’s Concours d’Elegance. 

The Concours is “an international gathering of automotive enthusiasts for ‘a celebration of the automobile’”. In other words, a really cool car competition and exhibition featuring some of the most luxurious classic cars from around the world.

With the fancy cars and wealth enthusiasts in town, all sorts of luxury goods companies take the opportunity to show off their stuff. So when a friend got an invitation to the Land Rover Experience Driving School at Quail Lodge in Carmel, we jumped on it. After checking in at the stunning golf club, we jumped in the Land Rovers with a professional driver who gave us a mini-class in off road driving. Our instructor trains special forces troops for the U.S. military, so he certainly knew what he was doing. I’m typically not a fan of cars (in fact I don’t even have one any more, opting for the bus), but I have to admit, it was pretty fun. I was a bit scared on the back roads, but the Land Rover pretty much does everything for you (including handling the breaking as you go downhill), so I felt quite safe. An exhilarating 1.5 miles / hour!

After our road trip, the event promoters had all sorts of activities for us – including a cooking class and a perfume class featuring L’Artisan Parfumeur, which apparently is the perfume of choice for the stars. My favorite was their “La Chasse Aux Papillons” which, I’m told is the perfume of choice of Kirsten Dunst.

The best part of the day was the cooking class, from Tony Baker, the exec chef at Montrio Bistro in Monterey. We had a great time, learning how to make fire roasted artichokes with a spicy, Moroccan style charmoula mayonnaise dip. So delicious! Being a native to the SF Bay Area, I grew up on artichokes, but always just had the old standbys – steamed with mayo & lemon. It’s definitely worth experimenting with these yummy thistles. You can now find them year-round, but they are in fact perennials that bloom twice a year—peaking in March & September. There are four types of chokes: Green Globe, Imperial Start, Desert Globe, and the Big Heart. The Green Globes are typically considered the best.

Many argue that it’s difficult to pair a wine with artichokes, but I think a mellow low-acid white wine, such as Riesling would do quite well. Or better yet, I’m thinking a nice amber beer (easy on the hops) would make a great companion. I think I’ll have to do some experimentation on the subject – I'll keep you posted.