Drinks with a view, sardine snacks and a school of other foodie insight.

The best under-the-radar, on-top-of-the-water cocktail spot in town belongs to Beach Resort Monterey at the end of Canyon Del Rey (394-3321). Visited the other day and found they’ve still got floor-to-ceiling glass giving way to views that stretch from frequently dolphin-blessed Del Monte Beach to Point Pinos, plus oversized chairs, a full bar, a fireplace, pianoman Michael Martinez (on the weekends) and a solid restaurant awaiting upstairs. And now they’ve got five specialty cocktails. We tried the Bolero – light rum, cognac, fresh OJ and limejuice ($7.50) – and the Italian Greyhound (with Absolut Ruby Red Vodka, grapefruit juice and Triple Sec, $7). Two more reasons to say, like the guy strugglin’ on the cover, I’ll be back.

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A great way to eat healthily, sustainably and cheaply, meanwhile, is the often deprecated, never duplicated, sardine. Weekly oceans reporter and burgeoning foodie Kera Abraham takes a look at a sudden boom in the bay:

Loads of slender silvers are pouring into Monterey harbor with the start of the summer sardine season, which began July 1 and is expected to last only a few weeks.

Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program classifies sardines as one of the most sustainable choices out there. They’re low on the marine food chain, not overfished, and caught with roundhaul gear that doesn’t tear up marine habitats.

They’re also nutritious: high in selenium, vitamin B12, calcium, niacin, phosphorus and omega-3 fatty acids.

But we don’t give ’em the love they deserve. At less than a nickel per pound, sardines are often destined for oil-packed cans and fish farms. Moss Landing Marine Labs is working to transform it into a more lucrative business, which means convincing restaurants, and their customers, to give Steinbeck’s muse a chance at higher-class presentation.

Café Fina on Fisherman’s Wharf serves them practically still flopping: The mesquite barbecue sardines ($9.95) are crisp-skinned, mild and meaty, served with lemon and a dabble of fresh salsa. Just down the tourist trot in Cannery Row, Trattoria Paradiso’s grilled appetizer ($6.95) packs slightly more flavor, swimming in a savory house marinara.

Other local fresh seafood joints are likely to carry the smackers, too. They’ve appeared at the MPC Farmers Market, beautifully gutted and glistening, ready for a backyard barbecue. [KA]

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Culinary Institute of America alum and Central Coast native David Anderson is the new chef at Portola Restaurant in the Aquarium (648-4870) after steering the kitchens at University of the Pacific and Santa Clara U for Bon Appetit Management, the sustainable visionaries that oversee MBAQ’s foods.

He calls his first few days “an awakening” (“It’s a big operation in a small space”), says he loves working for BAMCO (“The way that chefs are encouraged to do what they do is just incredible”) and adds that his goal isn’t to reinvent the wheel but fill big shoes (“the previous chef has done such a great job – the expectations are to excel”). Meanwhile, departed chef Dory Ford is down south at Ventana Inn and Spa, readying for what looks like a fall debut of a reinvented destination.

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Salinas linchpin Chapala (757-4959) just got a little saucier – the chamber’s inviting folks down on Friday, July 17, for a grand opening celebration of their new tequila bar. Bartender-manager Triny Hinojos tells me the new bar pours around 70 kinds of cactus, including his favorites: Patron, Cazadores, Herradura, Don Julio, Don Eduardo. The ribbon cutting happens at 5:30pm; more importantly, free tequila tasting and appetizers, $3 margaritas and live mariachi music run 4-7pm… On Monday, July 20, acquire a large pizza at Me-N-Eds in Seaside (899-0101) and CASA receives 40 percent of the proceeds and a good all-you-can-eat pizza and salad lunch buffet for at $6.99)… Speaking of superior lunch deals, Benihana’s (644-9007) high-value lunch boats are back at about $10 for salmon or chicken teriyaki, a sushi roll, rice, fruit, miso, salad and such (the 5-6:30pm happy hour looks great too with $3 Kirins and half-price sides); I also just swung by Ambrosia India Bistro (641-0610) for nap-necessitating lunch buffet lineup of curries, tandori, marsala, dal and a range of other wonders, also a bargain at $10… Lavender is lavishing itself upon Bernardus Lodge with a battalion of bushes some 1,000 strong – help inhale the indulgence with the annual Lavender Harvest Celebration Lunches July 18 and 24: lavender iced tea and lavender lemonade, garden and vineyard strolls with Mark Jensen and Dean DeKorth; Chef Cal Stamenov and Pastry Chef Ben Spungin doing roasted beet salad with lavender and citrus vinaigrette, black pepper and lavender cured salmon and lavender-strawberry shortcake paired with Bernardus wines (no lavender added). $85, 658-3550… The Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau recently got some well-merited props from the California Travel Industry Association for interactive programs on their website. Part of that is owed to their clever contests, like the dream staycation, and their dynamite blog. Worth checking out, signing up for their newsletter at www.SeeMonterey.com… Rodeo week is here. Mucky Duck mixologist Jean Barnes won his team 10 tickets by taking the 2009 Crown Royal Cocktail Contest, um, crown with his “Rodeo Clown” – secret ingredient: Ribena blackcurrant. No bull.