Cachagua is Monterey County’s inscrutable frontier, where stories flourish and truth is elusive. It’s best to simply move there if you’re hankering to get close to a local point of view; otherwise, a visit to The Cachagua Store is the closest “town people” can get to an insider experience.

The Cachagua Store is a store, bar, commercial kitchen, and, on Sunday mornings and Monday nights, a restaurant—a “protest restaurant,” as owner Michael Jones puts it. Jones’ protest is against a long drive to town for an expensive, potentially substandard meal. So, twice a week he and his staff prepare a reasonably priced epicurean adventure as an offering to their community. (On other days, they cook and prep for the many catering gigs of A Moveable Feast.)

If you were around when Silver Jones was one of the better restaurants in Carmel, or if you attend catered functions, you may have encountered provocateur, raconteur and alpha chef Jones—or at least enjoyed his dazzling treats. Jones has been using local, organic produce, fish and meats since 1976, when he founded A Moveable Feast. He bought The Store, the lone retail enterprise in Cachagua, in 2003.  

For town folk, the dining experience begins with a long and winding road. It’s wise to bring a designated driver to ensure a safe return.

When we arrived at the barn-red ranch structure, a couple of characters with thick mustaches were smoking on the front porch—one playing cribbage solitaire—and unintentionally thumbing their noses at every fashion trend of the last 30 years. I immediately fell for the place.

The store is in a smaller room; the dining room, bar and kitchen occupy the main room. The bar opens at 5pm and serves tasty thin-crust pizza. On most days you can talk the kitchen staff into a lunch of lasagna or a skirt steak sandwich. But we came for the Monday night spectacular.

The Store has a vivid history that has left only photographs, lore and a few bullet holes as evidence. Alleged indoor motorcycle races and shooting practice have been replaced by the guitar and bass of Thom and Dawn Johnson (The Valley River Duo). They make me happy with favorites by Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, and the like. A couple got up to dance in the aisle and I took my cue from them.

The current interior design includes a red cement floor, wood ceiling and walls with random objects posing as décor: a mounted elk head, horseshoes, pine cones, and oddly placed pictures. Standard issue red and white check picnic tablecloths add color. A counter and stools form the bar. As with Jones’s personality, nothing is hidden. Wiring, heating ducts, inventory, and the kitchen on view give The Store its honest-to-god, genuine disposition.  

With six in my party, we had the fun of trying several bottles of wine, at lower prices than retail anywhere in town. And Jones knows good values. Mark Chesebro, formerly of Bernardus, makes wines for The Cachagua Store, Alan Sylvestri and his own label. As these are not widely available, it’s a treat to try them. I was thrilled with the Chesebro Roussane, a Rhone-style white with a fine balance of fruit and structure, and a lacing of minerals (only $18), and the Chesebro Syrah ($28), with its exceptional character and depth—the best local Syrah for my money.

Monday night’s kitchen is a laboratory where both staff and customers relish the experiments. Jones concedes that not everything works, but there are standbys such as duck confit with pear tamarind coulis ($11) and “old school” corned beef and cabbage with stewed vegetables ($10). I’ll provide a brief idea of what else to expect from the elaborate, variable menu.

Imagine: a warm salad of wild salmon confit, ripe pears, roasted heirloom root vegetables for $6; grapefruit, cilantro and jicama salad for $4.50; grass-fed filet of beef with porcini cream (a regular feature) for $14; parfait Suchard au chocolat with caramel mousse for $3.50; vanilla lemon cheesecake with brownie crust for $3.50.

Everything was carefully prepared and delicious. And at these prices, I was really appreciating the protest. Monday night at The Cachaugua Store is easily Monterey County’s most incomparable culinary coup.  

THE CACHAGUA STORE • 18840 Cachagua Rd., Carmel Valley • 659-5100 • Restaurant: Open Sunday 9am-noon; Monday 6-9pm • Store: Open daily 10am to 8pm • Bar: Open Thursday-Monday from 5pm.