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ANDRE'S TURNS ONE INGREDIENT INTO MONDAY MAGIC Another cure for the Monday blues can be found at Andre's Bouchée in Carmel, where Chef Benoit Petel takes a single ingredient to new heights during the restaurant's Monday Night Supper Club. The ingredients are varied, and often go beyond the bistro's French roots. Last summer Petel focused on corn, creating popcorn with lob- ster butter and polenta inside a corn husk, a play- ful nod to Mexico's tamal. Another dinner high- lighted oysters, including a French take on a po' boy sandwich. Other nights are more decadent, such as Petel's mastery of bone marrow, or his unique creations made from our Bay's famous snail (such as crispy oxtail with abalone and crispy artichokes). Andre's Bouchée is located on Mission between Ocean and 7th in Carmel. 831/626-7880. AABHA OFFERS TRADITIONAL INDIAN FARE WITH A CALIFORNIA TWIST What happens when a New Delhi-born chef studies French and Italian cuisines but lives amid the bounty of lush California? You get Aabha Indian Cuisine, the new restaurant blossoming inside the long-forgotten space once inhabited by Bahama Billy's in The Barnyard in Carmel. In Hindi, Aabha means "splendor," and 188 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 1 7 At Andre's Bouchée in Carmel, Chef Benoit Petel creatively highlights a single ingredient, such as corn or oysters, at his Monday Night Supper Club. He's made popcorn with lobster butter and polenta within a tamal and French-inspired sandwiches with oysters. Photo: Kelli Uldall food for thought Monday Night Supper Club is Super at Andre's Bouchée; Indian Food Fused with Califor nia Influences at Aabha; and Folktale's Chef Duel Cooks Up Food and Fun B Y L A R R Y H A R L A N D