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Anton & Michel Tony Salameh Anton & Michel is an elegant, comfortable restaurant where you can enjoy the art of dining in a warm, gracious setting—and probably see the same faces serving you year after year. May 25, 2005, is the restaurant’s 25th anniversary, marking a milestone in Carmel’s restaurant scene and paying a true compliment to owner Tony Salameh for finding his niche in an unpredictable industry. Located on Mission St., one of Carmel’s quaint avenues, it faces the world with tall plum antique doors that open into a picturesque sitting room. Light pours through floor-to-ceiling windows from the Court of Fountains patio outside; white columns accentuate the rose-colored walls, a hue chosen by Salameh’s wife, Maria, who knows that the color makes everyone look beautiful. The couple’s private collection of rare oil paintings adorns each room, giving the restaurant a unique gallery ambiance. Over the years, Anton & Michel’s menu has changed to reflect new trends in dining, but the signature tableside service, a quality rare in today’s new restaurants, still shines. Attentiveness to the customer is important to Salameh, who was trained in the classic manner at the Hotel School of Lausanne, Switzerland. His waitstaff, many of whom have been working at the restaurant for more than 10 years—one for 23—serve only a few tables at a time, hand carving rack of lamb and preparing Caesar salad and flambé desserts before diners’ eyes. The time spent at each table makes guests feel truly cared for. According to manager Bert Simpson, the number of return guests who want to share another memorable night with a specific waiter is astonishing. “Tony has created an art that not many people see anymore,” says Simpson of his boss. It is a comfortable, inviting dining experience…I have one customer who patronizes us four days a week.” Creating Anton & Michel’s award-winning wine list, with over 800 selections, has been one of Salameh’s projects over the years. The list features many half-bottles for customers who want to each taste a different wine with their meal. Because the menu showcases fresh seafood and lamb, Pinot Noir is very popular. One third of the list’s wines are recognizable names, with many from Monterey County, one third is small winery selections hand picked by Salameh, and one third is primarily French Bordeaux and Burgundy. Salameh was born and raised to understand what the restaurant business is really about—his family is in the hospitality industry in the Middle Eastern countries of Lebanon and Jordan. “I love this business because it is constantly changing,” says Salameh. “You have to love people and be involved in every aspect of the restaurant.” On the other hand, Salameh has made sure that his restaurant isn’t dependent solely upon him. He understands the importance of delegating to keep from burning out. “I hired a good chef and a good manager,” he says. He also recognizes that there will always be unavoidable slumps like the ’89 earthquake, the fall of the dot-com industry, and 9/11. One of Salameh’s greatest inspirations was Ed Haber, the former owner of Quail Lodge. Salameh was only 22 years old and fresh out of school, but Haber trusted him as Food and Beverage Manager to help build up what was then a Five Star operation. “We used to walk around the grounds and he’d see a cigarette butt and pick it up—he taught me that kind of attention to detail.” Haber is now 94 years old and occasionally dines at Anton & Michel. It is precisely his attention to customer satisfaction that Salameh still upholds in his own restaurant. Every January, Salameh takes his chef, Mark Simpson, and general manager, Bert Simpson, to the culinary mecca of Las Vegas to eat in the latest restaurants and study new ideas for the future of Anton & Michel. The three men are constantly upgrading the décor and the menu, but some things will never change: the fine service, the fresh flowers on the tables, the Old World feel of the restaurant, the flexibility of the menu, and the fact that people can dine in a coat and tie or in jeans. Although Salameh now owns three other restaurants with his partners (The Grill on Ocean Avenue, PortaBella, and Merlot! Bistro), Anton & Michel is still his baby. “I got all my gray hair from here,” he says with a smile. But it’s all worth it when he sees the expressions on people’s faces when they leave his restaurant completely satiated, saying they are definitely coming back. “That to me is the ultimate satisfaction.” |
