Falafel Burgers x 2 at the Bench in Pebble Beach, CA

Pebble Beach is an incredibly beautiful place and the Bench restaurant at the Lodge at Pebble Beach has to be one of the most beautiful places for lunch.The Bench is located on the lower, golf course level of the Lodge and is a more casual option than the restaurant off thee lobby upstairs, Stillwater, which is also wonderful.

Lokking at the menus at both restaurants, it looked like the Bench had more plant-based options, and I actually preferred the atmosphere and decor at the Bench. The iews are just as great also.

The outdoor patio is beautiful and perfect on a cool day or evening when the fire pits would be welcomed, but offers no shade on a sunny day. Many patrons were retreating to the cooler indoors after trying to sit in the sun on a hot afternoon.

The bar area looks onto the wood fired oven which produces many of the menu items

 

I was lucky to have more than one lunch at the Bench. (See my other post on the Bench here  _________). On my first visit, I tried the Falafel Burger with cucumbers and beet salad,leaving off the dairy-based tzatziiki. I mentioned to my server that this could have been a completely plant-based item if only the chef would make the tzatziki with an almond or soy based yogurt, as I do, (see my oil free plant-based Tzatziki recipe here http://table-karma.com/vegan-oil-free-tzatziki-greek-yogurt-cucumber-sauce-recipe/) but there didn’t seem to be much interest in that suggestion. The burger was tasty, but really fried–deep fried, and a little dry without the tzatziki.

  

I added some hot sauces to add some flavor.

On a subsequent visit, I wanted to try the Falafel Burger again and found that the chef was still making the tzatziki with dairy–I tried!  But that time the burger was really over-fried and really dry and too crisp on the outside. I really wish restaurants would catch onto baking falafel! See my baked falafel recipe here ________.

Fortunately, I had noticed another dish–Balloon Bread with Mediterranean Dips–and asked what the dips were–tzatziki, hummus and baba ganoush. So, asked the waiter to substitute the hummus and baba ganoush for the tzatziki that comes with the burger.That made a huge improvement in the dish!

Even though the burger was really over-fried, I enjoyed the sauces and the cucumbers and beets were excellent!

And, the view couldn’t have been better!

 

 

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