Ever since the Southern Pacific railroad started bringing San Franciscans south to party in the 1880s, Monterey County has had a substantial restaurant scene that residents could enjoy, but not be solely responsible to support. The past 20 years have seen a rising tide that amounts to a Dining Revolution.

The baby boomers are largely responsible. They were the first generation to demand evening entertainment on a large scale. They postponed marriage and family, and transformed the nation after dark by sustaining a bar and club scene that remains a fact of life. By the time the boomers approached 40, they wanted something new. They wanted to sit down and eat.

The duo credited with inventing “California cuisine” had already advanced the cause of dining out. That would be Alice Waters, founder of Berkeley’s Chez Panisse in 1971, and Jeremiah Towers, who sprung from Alice’s restaurant to bounce around (including a stint in Big Sur at Ventana Inn in the ’70s) before founding Stars in San Francisco. Monterey County’s culinary landscape flourished when the annual Masters of Food and Wine was inaugurated 22 years ago at the Highlands Inn. It became the premier international gathering of chefs and winemakers. (Its swan song was in 2007; this year marked the debut of its replacement, Pebble Beach Food & Wine.)

Cooking became the hot new art and dining out became a regular form of entertainment for regular folks for the first time in American history. With Europe as our muse, we wanted to slow down, drink wine, know wine, know our food, and know our farmers. Chefs became rock stars, but only when backed by strong rhythm sections. The modern epicurean went so far as to insist that a restaurant’s design be equal to its food quality. There must be visual and textural appeal, down to the glassware and the restroom fixtures.

Even young people do it now, schooled in the pleasures of the table by their parents, who head home to sleep off their death-by-chocolate desserts while their offspring more likely begin an evening of entertainment with a meal.

In 1988, there were some stars on the scene already. Pacific’s Edge, Cielo, Club XIX, The Covey, Anton & Michel, the Sardine Factory, Casanova– it would take a hundred pages to do a proper retrospective, and that isn’t going to happen. Let’s talk about some of the establishments that had a role in shaping today’s culinary milieu.

DINING OUT BECAME A REGULAR FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT FOR REGULAR FOLKS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

In the 1980s, the new California cuisine meant local, in-season, and farm-fresh ingredients, fusing cooking styles from regional and international sources, and attractive presentation. It wasn’t all pretty. Fusion often became confusion.

Now that that the frenzy has calmed and many chefs have returned to simpler fare, the landscape reveals not only the way food and dining have changed, but the way we have changed our relationship with food and dining. More than anything, it amounts to a raising of our standards. In addition to quality, considerations like health and sustainability, and especially organically-grown, local ingredients, are among criteria that have emerged.

Artisan, handcrafted, heirloom, sustainable, grass-fed, organic, foodie were all new vocab for a food-obsessed culture. Some of the avant-garde were not original; they simply introduced this young country to time-honored ways of older cultures.

The Georis family is a case in point. Originally from Belgium, siblings Walter, Gaston and Denise landed in Carmel in the ’70s, where they got to reminiscing about espresso, good olive oil, good wine and freshly made pasta. The clan brought many firsts, including an espresso machine, café au lait in bowls, and olive oil with herbs. They called noodles “pasta” and had to define “fettuccine” for guests. Their faux-finished walls were a novelty and their design influence became visible countywide as it emanated from La Bohème (now La Bicyclette), Casanova and Corkscrew Cafe. Walter Georis planted a vineyard to produce his namesake wines, and founded Fandango before selling it to Pierre and Marietta Bain in 1986.

Italian restaurants were already key in the underpinnings of our dining infrastructure, but we have witnessed an Italian renaissance. Established restaurants stepped up and new ones formed to serve fancy new shapes of pasta, and more refined, fresher versions of the paisano cuisine already beloved. Wood-fired ovens were installed and the gourmet pizza they produced became so popular, it spilled out of Italian kitchens and into the mainstream.

Well-financed hotels have brought far-flung fame to our dining arena. Prior to the last 20 years, The Covey at Quail Lodge was the only five-star restaurant around, but now, there are various award systems from Zagat, Michelin, Wine Spectator and others. Today, there are five restaurants notable for their high-profile accolades and their ability to innovate with relatively minimal budget constraints: Marinus at Bernardus Lodge, Pacific’s Edge at the Highlands Inn, Sierra Mar at the Post Ranch, Citronelle at Carmel Valley Ranch, and Club XIX at the Lodge at Pebble Beach. They are the symphony orchestras in a culture of chamber music.

There are a few other empire builders. Tony Tollner and Bill Cox preside over Rio Grill, Tarpy’s Roadhouse, Montrio, and Willy’s Smokehouse– all opened in a 20-year span. The food is creative, consistent, and a cheerful party atmosphere runs through each successful location, blurring that shift from bars to restaurants.

A pair of former managers who graduated from the Tollner-Cox school used the formula to open Hullabaloo in Salinas in 2000, and Pajaro Street Grill was the first Salinas restaurant to receive a Wine Spectator Award. These and places like Dishes in Marina are just an example of the way better dining is spreading throughout the county. Salinas and Marina get props for their brew pub-restaurants, Monterey Coast Brewing Company and English Ales, respectively. Monterey boasts Peter B’s Brew Pub. All three make fine handcrafted ales.

Another chain-reaction– connected by blood, marriage, and Cali-Euro cooking– resulted in Taste Café (opened in 1990), Red House Café (literally a house until its opening in 1994), and Café Rustica (opened in 2000). Only Red House remains in the original family, with proprietors Christopher and Laura D’Amelio.

David Fink’s Carmel trilogy of Bouchée, Cantinetta Luca and Aubergine are the newest commonwealth. With a menu that hearkens back to classical Europe, the chefs bring fresh interpretations, but perhaps what’s most innovative is the way they respond to a changing environment in which fine dining went from a prim affair with awkward pomp to a more popular and relatively casual event.

Stokes Restaurant arrived in 1996 as a breath of fresh culinary air. Kirk Probasco and Brandon Miller care about food and approach it thoughtfully, featuring organic ingredients when possible. While most of the flock of Cal-Med eateries veer toward France and Italy, Stokes takes much of its inspiration from the styles and flavors of Spain.

Two restaurants followed in 1998 that also became hangouts of food industry types. Ted and Cindy Walter opened Passionfish, known for good food, wines priced at retail, and a commitment to sustainable seafood and organic produce that goes beyond most. Kurt Grasing opened Grasing’s, and was often cited by restaurateurs when naming their favorite chefs. He opened the Carmel Chop House in 2001 in honor of beef, as a counterpoint to Grasing’s “coastal cuisine.”

Even while diners fell in love with beef again at traditional spots like John Pisto’s Whaling Station and Will’s Fargo (bought and upgraded by Bernardus Lodge), we also learned about free-range, grass-fed beef, served up at restaurants interested in healthy cuisine and humane treatment of animals. Education about seafood sustainability was brought to us by the Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program and is showcased at its Portola Café.

So many bright lights sparkle: the French bistros Fifi’s, Bistro Moulin, and Chez Christine, plus Joe Rombi’s, Big Sur Bakery, the Monterey, Salinas and Village Fish Houses– many apologies for the omission of so many treasured favorites.

CHEFS BECAME ROCK STARS, BUT ONLY WHEN BACKED BY STRONG RHYTHM SECTIONS.

There have been colorful currents in the ocean of international cuisine, too. Mexican eateries have flared up to serve the gabacho demand and the growing Latino population. Twenty years ago, virtually all preparations had roots in the northern Mexican border states. Though it is now common knowledge that the food we call Mexican is an American hybrid, only Peppers “Mexicali” Café called it like it is back in the ’80s, and took it further with their fresh take. Club Jalapeño in Carmel was among the first to feature specialties from Oaxaca and Puebla such as molé sauces in 1999. Now, southern dishes are on virtually every Mexican menu. The latest to push the cuisine toward a higher standard is Hola! in the Carmel Barnyard. The savory Fishwife and its sister Turtle Bay Taqueria brought us three thriving locations of Latin American cuisine with Caribbean accents, backed by some Euro fundamentals.

Our Asian friends offer the other most flourishing respite from Cal-Med. When the palate gets lethargic (heirloom tomato gazpacho over sheep’s milk panna cotta? Yawn), Asian food can revitalize. Again, there are too many spots to name, but all are welcome, especially the addition of regional cookery like Thai, Vietnamese, Korean and Filipino.

Chinese restaurants are holding steady, with Tommy’s Wok as the MVN (most valuable newcomer) of the past two decades. Sushi is now a staple, with the ultra popular maki (creative roll) running amok in its Americanized form. Pan-Asian was introduced by Roy’s Euro-Hawaiian-Asian menu at the Inn at Spanish Bay; then Billy Quon Lee joined in with his version, more island-inspired, at The Point at Heritage Harbor, Orchid Grill, Billy Quon’s, Bahama Billy’s, and in 2008, Volcano Grill and Kula Ranch Island Steakhouse (with partner Joe Loeffler). Hula’s jumped in with Hawaiian-style, and An Choi with Pan-Asian.

Epsilon brought Greek specialties, Petra bridged a gap with Greek, Turkish and Middle Eastern dishes, and now regional Middle Eastern food is on the rise with Afghanistan and Persian cuisines recently represented. Only Monterey seems to care about Indian restaurants, with two good ones, Ambrosia and Indian Summer.

Restaurants that serve atmosphere with food on the side have always been around. Some of the better funhouses that also fork out a satisfying meal include Mission Ranch, Il Fornaio, Lallapalooza, Fishhopper, Baja Cantina, Bubba Gump’s, as well as some of the British pubs that have sprouted.

Cal Stamenov, the most decorated chef in the county and the culinary director of the Bernardus Lodge restaurants, shared some additional changes he’s noticed: “Monterey County has seen the rise of boutique wines of much higher quality. Also, computers and the Internet have made more information available. For example, menus from all over the world can be viewed.” He added that the Internet and the global mail system have changed ordering, making it easy to find and buy products from far afield, working against the ideal of buying locally if a chef isn’t careful to use it judiciously.

“Customers are far more knowledgeable, and they demand healthier dining. Twenty years ago, cream and butter were prevalent on menus all over town, and that isn’t the case today,” Stamenov said. “We tried to have an organic dinner as recently as 10 years ago and it was difficult to find products like chocolate and butter. Now, they’re easily available.”

Good food at a good price with good service has always been in style and continues to be. When you’re sitting in high-season traffic, remember that Monterey County is blessed with more than our fair share of great dining thanks to our visitors. Without them, we’d have about 300 fewer choices.