Restaurants, pt. 3

BestOf
MONTEREY 07

•MEDITERRANEAN

EPSILON | 422 Tyler St., Monterey • 655-8108

You don’t have to be Greek to think the height of comfort food is a generous platter of rice pilaf, vegetables and velvety mousaka, preceded by a tangy Greek salad with olives and feta cheese. And you don’t have to be Greek to appreciate the warmth and spirit of this inviting downtown institution. While it might help to be Greek when it comes to getting that whole retsina thing, all you really need to fall in love with Epsilon is an appetite for delicious food in a friendly and welcoming environment.

•MEXICAN

PEPPERS MEXICALI CAFE | 170 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove • 373-6892

For years owners Scott and Linda Gonzalez have been feeding hordes of Pagrovians their spicy mix of beans, meats, fish, tomatoes, chiles, avocado, cilantro and lime juice. Nothing particularly revolutionary in Mexican cooking, but the particular combinations of those and other ingredients, along with rocking originals like the supernova hit Mushroom and Artichoke Enchiladas, not to mention the home-sweet-home friendly neighborhood goodness, ensures Peppers legions of lunch and dinner devotees banking on fresh Mexicali dishes done up muy delicioso.

•THAI

YANGTSE’S TASTE OF THAI | 328A Main St., Salinas • 754-2223

Hot flames from the grill flash above the wooden counter while cooks toss fresh chilies, garlic and mint in sizzling woks. Select any dish from the Thai-meets-Eurasian menu and the cooks will make it as hot as you want. The final ingredient for a delightful meal at Taste of Thai is an encounter with Yangtse herself, often identifiable by her embroidered Chinese dress shirt. The restaurant’s owner and chef will show you to a table and serve you a drink or your meal, always with an infectious smile.

•APPETIZERS

MONTRIO | 414 Calle Principal, Monterey • 648-8880

There are no words for it. Some call it “rich,” some call it “indulgent,” some call it the “Oatmeal-crusted Brie and Cumberland Sauce small bite at Montrio,” but whatever title we give it is only an approximation of the experience. The “brie,” much like the Pancetta-Wrapped Prawns, the Cured Salmon and the Dungeness Crab-Mango Cones, defies tidy linguistic descriptors. Though backed by a lineup of slightly more traditional appetizers, the small-priced small bites ($4.25-$5.25) are seven little wonders of the local food world all their own.  

•OUTDOOR DINING

FORGE IN THE FOREST | Junipero and Fifth, Carmel • 624-2233

Even if the ivy-covered brick-and-stone courtyard with its flickering firepits weren’t an absolute haven in the chill of a Carmel evening, we’d still come to the Forge in the Forest every chance we got. We’d come for the super-crispy fries, the French onion soup, the succulent baby back ribs, the terrifically fresh salads and the endless selection of generous, tasty sandwiches and burgers. We’d come for the full bar. And we’d bring our dog, for this is the only restaurant we know of with the stones to offer a doggie menu.

•ROMANTIC DINING

PACIFIC’S EDGE RESTAURANT AT THE HIGHLANDS INN | 120 Highlands Dr., Carmel • 620-1234

Considering all of the dining establishments stringing the coast, few have truly spectacular views and even fewer are matched by equally impressive interiors. Pacific’s Edge is a big fish in a big pond. Perched in the treetops of an enchanting cypress forest, looking down onto the rocky outcrops and the dazzling Pacific, expect to feel exalted. And this before one drop of Champagne or one morsel of Chef Mark Ayers’ exquisite French-inspired edibles has arrived.

•VEGETARIAN

TILLIE GORT’S | 111 Central Ave., Pacific Grove • 373-0335

The people of the Peninsula don’t mess around with their cellulose. They’ve named Tillie’s Best Veggie Restaurant 17 times, and with good reason: Since 1969, the bohemian PG spot has been serving reasonably priced, earth-grown meals more round than square. (Think peace signs.) We’re talking omelettes as big as your head, organic tofu enchiladas smothered in mole, and fresh carrot juice to replenish your beta. But despite all the veggie selections, your die-hard carnivore friends won’t gripe; there are plenty of meat selections, too—if you’re into the flesh-eating thing.

•STEAK

WHALING STATION | 763 Wave St., Monterey • 373-3778

John Pisto knows how to give diners what they want. On Fisherman’s Wharf, he gives them delicious fresh seafood and all the accoutrements. At the Whaling Station, people want big, juicy steaks, lobster, shrimp, potatoes, iceberg lettuce with bleu cheese (the bleu cheese dressing here is so complex a recipe it takes two days to make), martinis and red wine. This is a steakhouse, no bones about it, unless you’re talking about the bone-in rib steak with bearnaise. The Whaling Station has the look and feel of a classic steakhouse, just the way Chef Pisto knows it should be.

•SEAFOOD

MONTEREY FISH HOUSE |2114 Del Monte Ave., Monterey • 373-4647

There’s a simple reason why the Fish House wins this award on a regular basis. It’s called simplicity. Fish should be simple—catch it fresh, prepare it a few different ways that don’t obliterate its natural flavor and freshness, offer all the right accompaniments on the plate and in the glass, set up a simple system like choose your fish, choose your preparation, choose your wine. Nothing to it, yet Fish House has owned the concept for years, packing this out-of-the-way place night after night from opening until closing. You’d think everyone would be doing it, since it’s just so simple.

•PLACE TO SPLURGE

MARINUS | Bernardus Lodge, 415 Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel Valley • 659-3131

The property itself is reason enough to take a pleasant drive up the valley: Inside a gorgeous lodge surround by gardens and vineyards, the Marinus dining room defines pastoral luxury and comfort. But it’s what happens at the table that has earned Marinus Mobil’s four-star award, Wine Spectator’s Grand Award since 2001, and a Zagat award as the best restaurant in the area. Kansas City steak, Scottish partridge, white truffle risotto, oysters and caviar, lobster and pheasant—these things can be had elsewhere. But Chef Cal Stamenov and his staff have convinced thousands of guests that there’s no place like Carmel Valley.

•WINE LIST

PASSIONFISH | 701 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove • 655-3311

For the second straight year, this award goes to Passionfish, signaling a move by diners away from showy, 1,500-selection lists loaded with verticals of Bordeaux and cult California Cabs, intimidating sommeliers and even more intimidating prices. The wine list at Passionfish simply reflects owner Ted Walter and Manager/Wine Educator Jennae Lizza’s passion for tasty, well-made wines from interesting producers, served with enthusiasm plus knowledge minus fanfare. That equation keeps wine flowing freely at Passionfish—there is rarely a table without at least one bottle on it—and it is not uncommon to see customers sharing their selections with neighboring tables. That’s what wine is all about.

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