{"items": [{"description": "It\u2019s a phone, but it lets you listen to your girlfriend tell you how much she loves you in stereo. And it\u2019s an iPod\u2014with your music library, or podcasts from This American Life, and a complete Rolodex and calendar wrapped into one device that easily syncs to your computer. But it\u2019s also a peacemaker (with fast Internet speeds, it\u2019s easy to settle those dinner-party disagreements by Googling at the table) and a lifesaver: Who knows how many people the GPS has rescued? And now you can download free applications including a flashlight complete with emergency strobes (great for roadside breakdowns and rock concert encores). At a recent conference packed with techies, iPhone users were asked how they felt about their devices. The reply was enthusiastic and unanimous: Each \u201cloved\u201d their iPhone. And we mean loved.", "vid": "best-21st-century-fad", "url": "", "section": "around town", "label": "Best 21st Century Fad", "contact": null, "cities": "", "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_21st_century_fad", "name": "iPod\u002fiPhone "}, {"description": "You know the all-seeing eye on top of the pyramid on a $1 bill? That\u2019s actually Mother Nature, watching to see whether we use our economy for planetary good or harm. Weekly readers, you have voted resolutely for the former, embracing the hope that we can build a strong new economy on a foundation of native grasses. While conventional markets crash around us with the regularity of waves on the Peninsula\u2019s shores, opportunities in green business and renewable energy are flourishing like eggplants in organic school gardens. We\u2019ll sing that from the solar-paneled rooftops. ", "vid": "best-project-for-economic-stimulus", "url": "", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Project For Economic Stimulus", "contact": null, "cities": "", "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_project_for_economic_stimulus", "name": "Green Business\u002fGreen Energy "}, {"description": "It felt good. Too good. That bikini streak in what should be the coldest month of the year was like dessert before dinner\u2014delicious, but wrong. In mid-January, we could almost hear the water table splintering as the mercury rose far above the average high 50s\u002flow 60s, with countywide highs teetering between 73 and 80 degrees for 10 unbelievably summery days. The afternoon pool sessions in tank tops and flip-flops were lovely, but inspected through the lens of global warming implications\u2014lost crops, migrating pathogens, shrinking aquifers\u2014the sun-dappled pool reflected images of famine, pestilence and worldwide water wars. Talk about a beach bummer.", "vid": "best-sing-that-the-apocalypse-is-near", "url": "", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Sing That The Apocalypse Is Near", "contact": null, "cities": "", "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_sing_that_the_apocalypse_is_near", "name": "Global Warming\u002f80s in January in Monterey "}, {"description": "Intelligent conversation and political arguments may seem like contradictions these days, what with Rush Limbaugh buffooning as the self-appointed leader of the Republican Party and The New York Post running racist cartoons. But Ol\u2019 Factory continues to be the best place in these parts to debate the direction of the country, the world and Monterey County. From staging a re-enactment of the \u201cChicago 8\u2019\u2019 trial to watching the election returns, this is the place where elite and proles alike can come to meet and discuss the issues of the day. Well-stocked bookshelves, with many offerings of a \u201860s vintage, are available for those who would prefer to meditate alone. Whether you\u2019re sitting in the comfortable armchairs, at an outdoor table or at the bar, this is a fun retreat from the daily grind. And leave it to Ol\u2019 Factory proprietor Christopher Morgan to keep his convivial establishment going while those costly lofts down the street remain unoccupied. To the barricades!", "vid": "best-place-for-intelligent-conversation", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.olfactorycafe.com. ", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Place For Intelligent Conversation", "contact": "1725 Contra Costa St. , 394-7336", "cities": ["Sand City"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_for_intelligent_conversation", "name": "Olfactory Caf\u00e9"}, {"description": "It\u2019s a landslide of abnormal psychology-leaning learning you never wanted but could never refuse\u2014juicy gossip from the girls left lost when the WB disbanded, insight into Captain Metrosexual\u2019s obsessive compulsive disorder, the latest health news on the old lady with the overactive wiener dog and underactive bladder (you\u2019d think she\u2019d be more regular with all that coffee she drinks). And it\u2019s all there in the time and space it takes to create a half-caf mocha. Better yet, it\u2019s available without the latte lines\u2014Starbucks is on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter now, too.", "vid": "best-place-to-eavesdrop", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.starbucks.com", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Place To Eavesdrop", "contact": null, "cities": ["Various Locations"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_to_eavesdrop", "name": "Starbucks "}, {"description": "Intelligent conversation and political arguments may seem like contradictions these days, what with Rush Limbaugh buffooning as the self-appointed leader of the Republican Party and The New York Post running racist cartoons. But Ol\u2019 Factory continues to be the best place in these parts to debate the direction of the country, the world and Monterey County. From staging a re-enactment of the \u201cChicago 8\u2019\u2019 trial to watching the election returns, this is the place where elite and proles alike can come to meet and discuss the issues of the day. Well-stocked bookshelves, with many offerings of a \u201860s vintage, are available for those who would prefer to meditate alone. Whether you\u2019re sitting in the comfortable armchairs, at an outdoor table or at the bar, this is a fun retreat from the daily grind. And leave it to Ol\u2019 Factory proprietor Christopher Morgan to keep his convivial establishment going while those costly lofts down the street remain unoccupied. To the barricades!", "vid": "best-place-to-argue-politics", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.olfactorycafe.com. ", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Place To Argue Politics", "contact": "1725 Contra Costa St. , 394-7336", "cities": ["Sand City"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_to_argue_politics", "name": "Ol' Factory Cafe "}, {"description": "They look like intergalactic aliens and, a blink later, exactly like luminous pieces of kelp. Their arresting aesthetic gives the leafy sea dragons a charisma that wildly outsizes their little back corner spot at the best aquarium in the sea, but that\u2019s about to change. The special exhibit Secret Lives of Seahorses, starring some of these very sea dragons, opens in April, giving us another reason to keep bringing our guests and ourselves back. At last count,, the number of reasons to bring visitors here was equal with number of hairs in a square inch of otter fur.", "vid": "best-place-to-take-visitors", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.montereybayaquarium.org", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Place To Take Visitors", "contact": "886 Cannery Row, 648-4800", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_to_take_visitors", "name": "Monterey Bay Aquarium "}, {"description": "This historic complex was established in 1771 to become the center from which the entire mission system in Northern California was coordinated by Father Junipero Sera, but none of the existing buildings were actually created at that time. The stone church was not created until after Sera\u2019s death. The adobe structures all crumbled to ruin after the mission was abandoned in 1834, and the church\u2019s roof caved as it decayed. Restoration began in 1884 after the Catholic Church retook possession of the site. Today, between its historic museum, central garden and beautiful church, the mission has been restored to its former glory.", "vid": "best-architectural-treasure", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.carmelmission.org", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Architectural Treasure", "contact": "3080 Rio Road, 624-1271", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_architectural_treasure", "name": "Carmel Mission "}, {"description": "Did you know the Travel Channel rated Carmel Beach one of the world\u2019s best beaches, alongside the tropical paradise Bora Bora and Rio de Janeiro\u2019s pulsating Copacabana? Well, yes, probably since you, Weekly readers, voted Carmel Beach the best beach in Monterey County. The fine white sand, the almost turquoise water, and the twisted cypress trunks that decorate the beach\u2019s borders like metal art are some of the reasons why the \u00fcber-dog friendly Carmel Beach beat out other strong competitors. And the beauty of walking the dog at Carmel Beach is that you don\u2019t actually have to walk the dog. The dog can walk herself while you both enjoy liberation from the leash on one of the planet\u2019s magnificent shorelines.", "vid": "best-beach", "url": "", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Beach", "contact": "Ocean Ave", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_beach", "name": "Carmel Beach"}, {"description": "Snappy and protective locals are the least of your problems. What appears to be a calm environment can quickly turn into a chaotic hell likely to hold a surfer underwater for two consecutive long waves. Grab a Snickers if the paddle looks easy. This place will pin you to the beach like an incoming river, shattering any dreams of making it to the peak. Surfing is the best when it\u2019s man (or woman) versus ocean; Asilomar delivers with enough juice to break an $800 surfboard or hold the wave of a lifetime. The currents are strong, the water is cold and Great White Sharks make you sing, \u201cI feel like somebody\u2019s watching me.\u201d But the waves are worth the abuse, and there are many days that they are perfect\u2014but so big and scary\u2014that even a ferociously fit Navy Seal would be forgiven (after hyperventilating) for crying, \u201cMommy!\u201d Don\u2019t forget a wax comb; any advantage will be appreciated", "vid": "best-surf-spot", "url": "", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Surf Spot", "contact": "Sunset Drive", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_surf_spot", "name": "Asilomar "}, {"description": "When TV crews descended upon Del Monte Forest for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the best finishing hole on the big, dimpled planet drew camera towers, lenses perched on swooping cranes and a high-above blimp. But try as they might, the well-armed platoon of photojournalists still couldn\u2019t completely capture the titanium-shaft-trembling specter of the 18th, because it\u2019s more than visual beauty\u2014it\u2019s the salty tickle of ocean air, the push of the Pacific winds, the pressure of 543 yards and the visceral itch of history. And then some.", "vid": "best-golf-hole", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.pebblebeach.com", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Golf Hole", "contact": "17\u2013Mile Drive, (800) 654-9300", "cities": ["Pebble Beach"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_golf_hole", "name": "18th at Pebble Beach "}, {"description": "There\u2019s a good reason why the 2010 U.S. Open Championships are going to be held at the Pebble Beach Golf Links: After 70,000 rounds of golf are played on it each year, grounds crew superintendent Chris Dalhamer and his 27-person crew work year round to massage the championship course back to immaculate, virgin perfection. It doesn\u2019t hurt that the 90-year-old expanse sits on the magnificent and jagged coastline, overlooking the crashing waves of the Pacific. ", "vid": "best-putting-greens", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.pebblebeach.com", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Putting Greens", "contact": "17\u2013Mile Drive, (800) 654-9300", "cities": ["Pebble Beach"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_putting_greens", "name": "Pebble Beach "}, {"description": "Did you know the Travel Channel rated Carmel Beach one of the world\u2019s best beaches, alongside the tropical paradise Bora Bora and Rio de Janeiro\u2019s pulsating Copacabana? Well, yes, probably since you, Weekly readers, voted Carmel Beach the best beach in Monterey County. The fine white sand, the almost turquoise water, and the twisted cypress trunks that decorate the beach\u2019s borders like metal art are some of the reasons why the \u00fcber-dog friendly Carmel Beach beat out other strong competitors. And the beauty of walking the dog at Carmel Beach is that you don\u2019t actually have to walk the dog. The dog can walk herself while you both enjoy liberation from the leash on one of the planet\u2019s magnificent shorelines.", "vid": "best-place-to-watch-the-sunset", "url": "", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Place To Watch The Sunset", "contact": "Ocean Ave", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_to_watch_the_sunset", "name": "Carmel Beach"}, {"description": "The key strength of Garland Ranch Regional Park is its variety. The 4,500-acre area ranges from 200 feet above sea level to small mountain heights of 2,000 feet. Hikers, joggers, horse-riders, mushroom-hunters and dog-walkers take advantage of Garland\u2019s abundant and varied biospheres, from dank redwood canyons to scrubby chaparral slopes. The free regional park also has Rumsen Indian sites and the remains of early California homesteads. Easiest to amble is gentle Lupine Loop, the mountains\u2019 round footstool, where oyster mushrooms and fern families huddle among the damp roots of live oaks. But Snively\u2019s Ridge, an hour\u2019s steep huff uphill from the visitor\u2019s center, is worth the sweat: Only a breathy sigh can express the beauty of a Santa Lucia sunset. ", "vid": "best-park", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.mprpd.org\u002fgarland.htm", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Park", "contact": "8.6 miles east of Highway One on Carmel Valley Road, 372-3196", "cities": ["Carmel Valley"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_park", "name": "Garland Ranch "}, {"description": "Talk about a sweetheart deal. We give them little more than late fees (which remain very reasonable). They give us Internet access and engaging speakers, children\u2019s events and chill spots to read, great magazines with no subscription headaches and the most capable information desk around. There are public meeting rooms prepped for serious business, Academy Award winners and past Pulitzer champions ready for adventure, peaceful patios and efficient self-checkout desks, books\u2014on CD, on tape and in big print\u2014and a range of newspapers. They certainly deserve this vote, and our unwavering support.", "vid": "best-county-library", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.monterey.org", "section": "around town", "label": "Best County Library", "contact": "625 Pacific St, 646-3932", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_county_library", "name": "Monterey "}, {"description": "The key strength of Garland Ranch Regional Park is its variety. The 4,500-acre area ranges from 200 feet above sea level to small mountain heights of 2,000 feet. Hikers, joggers, horse-riders, mushroom-hunters and dog-walkers take advantage of Garland\u2019s abundant and varied biospheres, from dank redwood canyons to scrubby chaparral slopes. The free regional park also has Rumsen Indian sites and the remains of early California homesteads. Easiest to amble is gentle Lupine Loop, the mountains\u2019 round footstool, where oyster mushrooms and fern families huddle among the damp roots of live oaks. But Snively\u2019s Ridge, an hour\u2019s steep huff uphill from the visitor\u2019s center, is worth the sweat: Only a breathy sigh can express the beauty of a Santa Lucia sunset. ", "vid": "best-hiking-trail", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.mprpd.org\u002fgarland.htm", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Hiking Trail", "contact": "8.6 miles east of Highway One on Carmel Valley Road, 372-3196", "cities": ["Carmel Valley"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_hiking_trail", "name": "Garland Ranch "}, {"description": "We\u2019ll assume Weekly readers took this getting-high thing literally\u2014for what better place to climb up, up, up than the untamed coast of Big Sur? Whether hiking the glute-busting Soberanes Canyon loop in Garrapata State Park or cruising Old Coast Road by Prius, the essence of Big Sur is best drunk in on high, where spirits blossom like timid buds of sativa in the wilderness. Or maybe the breath of the land blows sweetest in the canyons, where the lines in your palms trace the same patterns as the redwood bark. Plus, danger is sexy, and beauty is sexy, and Big Sur abounds with both\u2014heart-stopping sunsets and cloud-shrouded forests, blazing fires and cascading mud. The land itself is a muse, inspiring poetry and yoga and spontaneous sex, reminding you that you are wild and alive. Whether you and your honey are huddled into a tent on a bluff during a rainstorm or melting into the hot springs at Esalen, the raw artistry of Big Sur is the county\u2019s most celebrated turn-on.", "vid": "best-place-to-get-high", "url": "", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Place To Get High", "contact": null, "cities": ["Big Sur"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_to_get_high", "name": "Big Sur "}, {"description": "Route choices are endless on Fort Ord\u2019s 83-mile trail network. Ride up the spine of Sandy Ridge Road at dusk and watch the sunset over green Salinas Valley. Explore the numbered maze of trails on Ord\u2019s west side, passing by mysterious Mima mounds and rusted Army bunkers. Discover single-track paradise on the galloping \u201cGoat Trail.\u201d Whether you\u2019re a beginner looking to coast through Happy Trails or a competitor racing down the Sea Otter Classic course, Ord dirt delivers saddle bliss. ", "vid": "best-place-to-bikemountain-bike", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.ca.blm.gov", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Place To Bike\u002fMountain Bike", "contact": "394-8314", "cities": ["Seaside"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_to_bike\u002fmountain_bike", "name": "Fort Ord Public Lands"}, {"description": "Did you know the Travel Channel rated Carmel Beach one of the world\u2019s best beaches, alongside the tropical paradise Bora Bora and Rio de Janeiro\u2019s pulsating Copacabana? Well, yes, probably since you, Weekly readers, voted Carmel Beach the best beach in Monterey County. The fine white sand, the almost turquoise water, and the twisted cypress trunks that decorate the beach\u2019s borders like metal art are some of the reasons why the \u00fcber-dog friendly Carmel Beach beat out other strong competitors. And the beauty of walking the dog at Carmel Beach is that you don\u2019t actually have to walk the dog. The dog can walk herself while you both enjoy liberation from the leash on one of the planet\u2019s magnificent shorelines.", "vid": "best-place-to-walk-the-dog", "url": "", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Place To Walk The Dog", "contact": "Ocean Ave", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_to_walk_the_dog", "name": "Carmel Beach"}, {"description": "Playing with puppies and cuddling kitties is hard to beat\u2014but SPCA volunteers who donate some 25,000 hours every year do so much more than that. Some bathe and groom dogs and cats, and help with pet laundry and dish washing. Others sort and price items for the SPCA Benefit Shop in Carmel, do clerical jobs, maintain grounds, and greet would-be pet parents who come to the adoption center looking for a new best friend. At the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, volunteers help rehabilitate injured and orphaned wildlife including mountain lions, bobcats, deer, opossums, hawks, owls, pelicans, squirrels, turtles and hummingbirds. Once injured birds and animals are nursed back to health, volunteers often help release them back into the wild, watching them fly (or scamper) away. It\u2019s enough to make one\u2019s heart soar\u2014or purr.", "vid": "best-volunteer-organization", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.spcamc.org", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Volunteer Organization", "contact": "1002 Highway 68, 373-2631", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_volunteer_organization", "name": "SPCA "}, {"description": "It\u2019s goes beyond the fact that the Edward Durrell Stone-designed hospital seizes supremely upon the forest setting, that paid leave time starts the first day of employment, that the benefits are comprehensive, the disability coverage instant and long-term\u2014or that CHOMP hooks up alternative transportation incentives, college savings plans and pre-paid legal services. They even have a meditation maze to suck away stress.", "vid": "best-local-place-to-work", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.chomp.org", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Local Place To Work", "contact": "23625 Highway 68, 624-5311", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_local_place_to_work", "name": "CHOMP "}, {"description": "Bounded by a rocky shore breaking the waves and crowned with the unique loveliness of Monterey cypresses, this well-groomed landmark park in Pacific Grove has been an outdoor wedding venue of choice for many years. People go throughout the year for the scenery: the houses of the well-heeled along the road, the crashing ocean, even the occasional bikini body down on the small sandy beach, a rarity near the frigid waters of the Monterey Bay. Combined with an ocean breeze to cool a bride in heavy satin, it\u2019s hard to imagine a better setting.", "vid": "best-place-to-get-married", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.ci.pg.ca.us\u002frecreation\u002fp-loverspt.htm", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Place To Get Married", "contact": "Ocean View Blvd. and 17th St", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_to_get_married", "name": "Lovers Point "}, {"description": "We\u2019ll assume Weekly readers took this getting-high thing literally\u2014for what better place to climb up, up, up than the untamed coast of Big Sur? Whether hiking the glute-busting Soberanes Canyon loop in Garrapata State Park or cruising Old Coast Road by Prius, the essence of Big Sur is best drunk in on high, where spirits blossom like timid buds of sativa in the wilderness. Or maybe the breath of the land blows sweetest in the canyons, where the lines in your palms trace the same patterns as the redwood bark. Plus, danger is sexy, and beauty is sexy, and Big Sur abounds with both\u2014heart-stopping sunsets and cloud-shrouded forests, blazing fires and cascading mud. The land itself is a muse, inspiring poetry and yoga and spontaneous sex, reminding you that you are wild and alive. Whether you and your honey are huddled into a tent on a bluff during a rainstorm or melting into the hot springs at Esalen, the raw artistry of Big Sur is the county\u2019s most celebrated turn-on.", "vid": "best-place-for-a-romantic-tryst", "url": "", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Place For A Romantic Tryst", "contact": null, "cities": ["Big Sur"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_for_a_romantic_tryst", "name": "Big Sur "}, {"description": "Its Friday night, school is out, and the potential for \u201cthe best weekend ever\u201d hangs in the air. Fulfill that potential at Del Monte Shopping Center. The 675,000-square-foot, open-air center hosts Apple Store, Hollister, Lucky Brand Jeans, Banana Republic and Gap, to name just a few. Following the dream-come-true shopping spree, dazzled teenagers stroll down the sidewalk debating the many food options, from Subway sandwiches, to P.F. Chang\u2019s China Bistro, to LALLA Grill or California Pizza Kitchen. Feeling weighed down from heavy shopping bags and a hearty meal? Catch an evening movie at the 13-screen, state-of-the-art Century Theatres before grabbing icy treats from Coldstones Creamery, hot-mouth-watering pretzels from Pretzel Time, or a box of chocolates from the Sees Candies store.", "vid": "best-hangout-for-teens", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.delmontecenter.com", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Hangout For Teens", "contact": "1410 Del Monte Center, 373-2705", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_hangout_for_teens", "name": "Del Monte Shopping Center "}, {"description": "Aging looks a load cooler when you consider all that this 4,000-strong membership organization of seniors (\u201c55 and better,\u201d says president and CEO Jill Sheffield) have access to. The Foundation\u2019s doors are open every day, and there are more than 50 activities a week, including art classes, Mah Jong games, discussion groups and mental gymnastics; socializing over lunch with 150-230 people; 30 bus trips per year to Bay Area locales; low income housing and homebound meals. \u201cIt\u2019s a fabulous place,\u201d Sheffield says. \u201cPeople are happy to be here; it\u2019s a place to meet and make friends.\u201d The Foundation survives on private donors and foundation grants, which allows them to keep fees low, but thrives on a core group of 200 volunteers.", "vid": "best-hangout-for-seniors", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.carmelfoundation.org", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Hangout For Seniors", "contact": "SE corner of Eigth and Lincoln, 624-1588", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_hangout_for_seniors", "name": "Carmel Foundation "}, {"description": "Here\u2019s a sample, grazed in one day, of the content to be found at MontereyCountyWeekly.com: An introduction to Zen meditation at Carl Cherry and salsa classes at Hebbron Family Center; a movie brief, times and trailer for Coraline; an in-depth look at \u201cThe Greening of Monterey;\u201d breaking news about Fort Ord Dunes State Park opening; art shows; a theater review of Clifford Odets\u2019 Waiting for Lefty; \u201cMacabreshadowboxdance\u201d by Doctor Walken on a jukebox (along with 100-plus other local bands); a restaurant database of 400-plus county eateries searchable by location or cuisine; last year\u2019s Best Ofs, for comparison\u2019s sake; and you\u2014or, more precisely, your comments, opinions and feedback on all of the above. So thank you, dear reader, for noticing. And voting.", "vid": "best-local-web-site", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.montereycountyweekly.com", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Local Web Site", "contact": "668 Williams Ave, 394-5656", "cities": ["Seaside"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_local_web_site", "name": "www.montereycountyweekly.com "}, {"description": "KPIG plays songs from a ridiculously far-flung collection of music styles, but somehow it all makes sense in their hands. The FM station digs deep into classic rock staples (Neil Young, Janis Joplin), gives airplay to overlooked artists (J.J. Cale, Guy Clark), keeps the blues alive by playing classic bluesmen and contemporary blueswomen (Taj Mahal and Shemeika Copeland, respectively), introduces folks to up-and-comers (Jackie Greene, J.J. Grey & Mofro) and even plays local favorites (Mike Beck). But, in addition to the mighty fine music, KPIG has a distinct character due in part to features like the surf report from \u201cThe Girl in the Curl\u201d and the political rants of Travus T. Hipp. ", "vid": "best-radio-station", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.kpig.com", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Radio Station", "contact": "1110 Main St., Suite 16, 722-9000", "cities": ["Watsonville"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_radio_station", "name": "KPiG 107.5 FM "}, {"description": "KRXA general manager, principal owner and Morning Show host Hal Ginsberg jokes that now that he\u2019s won the Weekly readers\u2019 vote for best radio DJ, he can finally enjoy his Wesleyan University class reunions with notables including New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet: \u201cIf I\u2019m the number-one DJ in Monterey County, my wife can go to the reunion with her head held high,\u201d he enthuses. Ginsberg\u2019s two-hour morning show confronts local, regional and national political issues from a liberal point of view. Says Ginsberg: \u201cWe are the anti-Limbaugh station.\u201d", "vid": "best-radio-dj", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.kxra.com", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Radio DJ", "contact": "The KXRA Morning Show with Hal Ginsberg", "cities": ["Sand City"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_radio_dj", "name": "Hal Ginsberg "}, {"description": "Any news network that a police chief puts on blast has to be doing something right. In January, Salinas Police Chief Dan Ortega singled out KSBW for biased news coverage, pointing to pointed questions by anchorman Dan Green and a critical editorial by General Manager Joseph Heston. This tactic backfired. Most viewers liked the fact that KSBW held Salinas public officials accountable for addressing gang violence. KSBW\u2019s keen news coverage\u2014minus routine gaffes and overly sensational reporting\u2014elevates the channel to the top slot year in and year out. ", "vid": "best-tv-news", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.ksbw.com", "section": "around town", "label": "Best TV News", "contact": "238 John St, 758-8888", "cities": ["Salinas"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_tv_news", "name": "KSBW Action News 8 "}, {"description": "KSBW Action News 8 anchor Dan Green has won countless awards during his 28 years on the air\u2014Edward R. Murrow Awards, a Peabody Award, countless wire service awards, and an Emmy nomination, among others. But we\u2019re quite sure that none of these accolades compare to great honor Weekly readers bestow on Green every year for his mix of gravitas (breaking news stories on Big Sur mud slides and Salinas gang violence) and humor (animal stories and celebrity gossip). The perennial Best TV Anchor winner has quite a following, but after so many years of sweeping the Best Of category, we think it\u2019s time for Green to up his game. May we suggest juggling and tap dancing?", "vid": "best-tv-anchor", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.ksbw.com", "section": "around town", "label": "Best TV Anchor", "contact": "238 John St, 758-8888", "cities": ["Salinas"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_tv_anchor", "name": "Dan Green "}, {"description": "It\u2019s unfair, really. KION co-anchorwoman Olga Ospina could win in so many categories, but here we are, limited to the long blonde tresses trailing down her shoulders to frame her frequently cleavage-revealing or snugly packed outfits. Sure, we could pick other categories: The dewy lipgloss that, no doubt, helped her win a cover spot on 831 magazine; the furrowed brow, as she shows concern about a serious news story; the litigious indignation with which she sued the owner of a Labrador for emotional distress over the mauling of her Maltese in front of the Pacific Grove post office. But let\u2019s leave it with the hair, for now. Katie Couric\u2019s new bob can\u2019t really compete. Olga\u2019s all ours. As one anonymous blogger on the insidedope.com has so eloquently put it: \u201cOlga Ospina is hella fine, I watch the news \u2019cause of her.\u201d", "vid": "best-tv-news-hair", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.ksbw.com", "section": "around town", "label": "Best TV News Hair", "contact": "238 John St, 758-8888", "cities": ["Salinas"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_tv_news_hair", "name": "Olga Ospina "}, {"description": "\u201cI don\u2019t think of myself as a professor,\u201d says Martha Diehl, \u201cI think of myself as a facilitator. The classes I teach are seminar style, very interactive.\u201d She was in the first class of students to graduate from CSUMB\u2019s Masters in Public Policy Program in the spring of 2006. In the fall Diehl returned as a professor, where she teaches an introduction to the program, designed for working professionals who want real-world experience developing public policy, be it local, national or international\u2014and coordinates the field program, a 400-hour internship requirement. \u201cThey do all kinds of things,\u201d Diehl says, including various internships, some at nonprofits, some in local governments. \u201cWe have a student now studying the sardine fishery, and how we might set up something to help people make more money,\u201d she says. \u201cReally, the students are so cool.\u201d", "vid": "best-professor", "url": "", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Professor", "contact": null, "cities": "", "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_professor", "name": "Martha Diehl "}, {"description": "Call him Mr. Fix-It. When Bill Clinton got in trouble with young, undisciplined aides and an administration that seemed way off-message, he brought in Carmel Valley\u2019s own Leon Panetta, formerly head of the Office of Management and Budget, to restore adult supervision as his chief of staff. L\u2019affaire Lewinsky was reportedly too much for Panetta to, er, swallow, so he returned to Monterey County, setting up the all-star Panetta Institute for Public Policy with his redoubtable wife, Sylvia, on the grounds of CSUMB. And when Barack Obama\u2019s CIA picks to run the Central Intelligence Agency were derailed because of their associations with the questionable techniques of his predecessor, there was little question\u2014except for Dianne Feinstein, who initially felt blindsided by the choice\u2014about who to call for the position of Spook-In-Chief. He\u2019s an Inside Man par excellence, with a well-deserved reputation for personal integrity (no messing around or dirty contributions), moderate policies (social liberal, fiscal conservative) and tough but fair politics (torture is not on his list of recommended interrogation techniques). When duty calls, Leon Panetta is there for his president and his country. He\u2019s the class of the field. We\u2019re lucky to have him watching over the luggage racks of all those black bag jobs.", "vid": "best-local-politician", "url": "", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Local Politician", "contact": null, "cities": "", "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_local_politician", "name": "Leon Panetta "}, {"description": "Global warming. CO2 emissions. Landfills. The Apocalypse. How do we stop these huge forces that some say don\u2019t even exist? The answer is REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE. This year\u2019s best eco-trend is cloth grocery bags. If families use two fewer bags per week, it can save up to 9 million trees every year. Our Alvarado Street farmers market said \u201cno more petroleum based plastic bags.\u201d They clog up city storm drains, on top of other environmental concerns. Luckily for Mother Earth, she is in style. In 2007 British designer Anya Hindmarch\u2019s cloth bag, \u201cI\u2019m not a plastic bag,\u201d debuted at $15. It sold out right away. You can pick up a very functional one at Trader Joe\u2019s for $2.99. ", "vid": "best-greeneco-trend", "url": "", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Green\u002fEco Trend", "contact": null, "cities": "", "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_green\u002feco_trend", "name": "Cloth Grocery Bags "}, {"description": "Siobhan Greene (pronounced \u201csha-vahn\u201d) is the executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates of Monterey County (CASA), which advocates before the court for the best education, medical, developmental and social needs of children in dependent care services. The children range from the abused to the neglected, the grieving to the abandoned, and they yearn for attention and connection. \u201cOur work energizes us,\u201d Greene writes in an open letter to friends and supporters. It is the work, literally, of repairing little lives. \u201cSiobhan doesn\u2019t ever leave her work behind,\u201d says CASA\u2019s Recruitment and Training Coordinator Michelle Arnold. \u201cShe\u2019ll e-mail something from home at 11pm because she cares so much.\u201d", "vid": "best-local-dogooder", "url": "", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Local DoGooder", "contact": null, "cities": "", "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_local_dogooder", "name": "Siobhan Greene "}, {"description": "On a February Friday, while watching his 80-foot putt trickle downhill within 10 feet, George Lopez laid down on the edge of the ninth green at Poppy Hills. He took a hand up from a nearby marshal, then pulled her to the rough and rolled over her a few times. Soon he moved over to his second putt, drained it and then did a half kung fu-half Chi Chi Rodriguez dance that received a roar\u2014then watched as Andy Garcia missed a shortie and got a groan. \u201c Moans are really good noises,\u201d he then told the gallery. \u201cIn fact, I\u2019d rather get a good moan than applause. Think about it.\u201d It was enough entertainment for an afternoon, packed into five minutes, providing a hint at how much enjoyment fits in a whole week of tournament play and its derivative charity contests, clinics and clambakes. The benefits from the millions raised, meanwhile, last all year.", "vid": "best-local-event", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.attpbgolf.com", "section": "around town", "label": "Best Local Event", "contact": "649-1533", "cities": ["Pebble Beach"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_local_event", "name": "AT&T Pro-Am "}, {"description": "\u201cI paint what I must paint,\u201d Janet Roberts writes in her artist\u2019s statement. \u201cThe symbols and forms and gestures that are my own. An inescapable result of many years in the process of painting, searching for the traces of my authentic self.\u201d Roberts, a 50-year old four time cancer survivor, mother of four and horsewoman, takes longstanding Peninsula artistic influences and makes them hers to create \u201cpainting that may be influenced by the sea, or the sky, or the landscape, but is developed in the mind and resolved in the heart.\u201d Although she works in the abstract tradition, her influences include everything from the Hudson River School to modern masters like Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Motherwell, Mark Rothko and Willem deKooning. Fans and collectors of Roberts, who lives and works in Corral de Tierra in Salinas Valley but exhibits locally at Gallery North in Carmel, include Clint and Dina Eastwood, Elvis Costello, Diana Krall and David Lynch. Her work has also been shown at corporate venues like Apple and Google. But she\u2019s no trendy celebrity painter. \u201cUncertainty is my welcomed comrade,\u201d she writes, by way of approaching her approach. \u201cI continue to take risks.\u201d ", "vid": "best-local-artist", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.janetrobertsfineart.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Local Artist", "contact": "Gallery North, Dolores and Sixth, 620-1987", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_local_artist", "name": "Janet Roberts "}, {"description": "The Pac Rep Equity actor Michael Jacobs knew he wanted to be an actor from age 2, he told the Monterey County Theatre Alliance. His first role came not long thereafter when he played Miser Tooth Decay in the third grade. Luckily, he\u2019s had better roles since, including Nixon in Nixon\u2019s Nixon, Einstein in Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Salieri in Amadeus. But it\u2019s his local appearances that Weekly readers have noticed at Circle Theatre, York School, MPC and the former GroveMont Theatre, in plays including Shakespeare\u2019s Troilus and Cressida and Merry Christmas, George Bailey. Look for the longtime local actor in Edward Albee\u2019s fiery Who\u2019s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, coming in May. ", "vid": "best-local-stage-actoractress", "url": "", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Local Stage Actor\u002fActress", "contact": null, "cities": "", "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_local_stage_actor\u002factress", "name": "Michael Jacobs "}, {"description": "Fabulous special effects\u2014it ain\u2019t easy to make those monkeys really fly through the air or to whip up a wizard head that huge\u2014could not outshine the cast of Pac Rep\u2019s Wizard. From Dorothy to the don\u2019t-you-just-want-to-take-one-home-with-you? Munchkins and the Scarecrow to the real pooch that stole the show as Toto, a colony of talented actors contributed dynamic energy to the ensemble cast. Not to overlook expert direction, or an audience ready to sing along", "vid": "best-local-play-of-2008", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.pacrep.org", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Local Play of 2008", "contact": "Outdoor Theater, Mountain View and Santa Rita, 622-0100", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_local_play_of_2008", "name": "Wizard of Oz "}, {"description": "It sounds like the in-heat hyperbole that comes with most self-promotion. \u201cThe Weston Gallery is the oldest and most respected gallery of its kind,\u201d its website reads, \u201ca world leader in the field of fine vintage and contemporary photography.\u201d No hyperbole here, however. This gallery set the original standard for fine art photography, was a major magnet in bringing Ansel Adams and his accompanying legion of inspired artists to the area. It cements its supremacy further with arresting exhibits like Portraits by Yousuf Karsh (showing through the end of March) and the forthcoming selection of work by the Ed-and-Ansel legends that helped make this place click.", "vid": "best-photo-gallery", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.westongallery.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Photo Gallery", "contact": "Sixth and Dolores, 624-4453", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_photo_gallery", "name": "Weston Gallery "}, {"description": "The mission statement of the oldest art gallery in the one-time-bohemia-by-the-sea (and the second oldest operating nonprofit artist\u2019s cooperative in the U.S.) is ambitious: \u201cThe Association exists to provide its members with a permanent art gallery, to advance knowledge of, and interest in the arts, and to create a spirit of cooperation and fellowship among artists and the community.\u201d But do it they do\u2014showing about four score artists at any given time, bringing free monthly art lectures to the public and cultivating a sculpture garden where fellowship blooms naturally. ", "vid": "best-art-gallery", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.carmelart.org", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Art Gallery", "contact": "Dolores between Fifth and Sixth, 624-6176", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_art_gallery", "name": "Carmel Art Association "}, {"description": "Steven Whyte is an interesting character: a clean-cut, British sculptor of world- class pedigree based in little ol\u2019 Carmel who is (understandably) obsessed with his charismatic bulldog, Sir Wellington. His works are just as interesting\u2014delving past the physical form to reveal the defining facets of the persona beneath\u2014and include local landmarks like the Dr. Roberts statue on the lawn of Seaside city hall. His upcoming projects demonstrate his versatility\u2014he\u2019s working on a 12-foot statue of 1957 Heisman Trophy winner John David Crow for Texas A&M, and a life-size relief of St. Anthony and Child for Carmel Mission.", "vid": "best-sculpture-gallery", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.stevenwhytescupture.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Sculpture Gallery", "contact": "Dolores between Fifth and Sixth, 620-1917", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_sculpture_gallery", "name": "Steven Whyte Studio and Gallery "}, {"description": "The DJ is a dynasty. His record spinning popularity (he\u2019s won five straight) is a Best Of record. But it doesn\u2019t go to DJ Angel\u2019s head. There\u2019s no room for it: He\u2019s too busy scheming on the next track and how he\u2019s going to spin his way into it. As he does, the longtime Hippodrome institution keeps some of the largest dance floors in Monterey County packed.", "vid": "best-club-dj", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.hippoclub.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Club DJ", "contact": null, "cities": "", "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_club_dj", "name": "DJ Angel "}, {"description": "Even the most ardent followers of local music probably don\u2019t know of the local duo Rockface. One fine Tuesday this past summer\u2014or maybe it was a Wednesday or a Sunday; the karaoke happens all three nights\u2014Rockface strolled into Britannia Arms, downed a handful of shots and realized the bar\u2019s crowd needed a good rocking. They walked up to karaoke master Bobby Vegas and chose Bon Jovi\u2019s \u201cWanted Dead or Alive\u201d from his ample collection of songs. Even though Rockface couldn\u2019t tell if the audience\u2019s faces were contorted in ecstasy or pain, they left Britannia Arms with a flush of adrenaline from having lived out their wildest rock star fantasies.", "vid": "best-place-for-karaoke", "url": "", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Place For Karaoke", "contact": "444 Alvarado St, 656-9543", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_for_karaoke", "name": "Brittania Arms "}, {"description": "According to restaurant manager Sue Carota, Mission Ranch owner and film legend Clint Eastwood recently glanced over at the bar and said: \u201cThis place looks the same as when I had my first legal drink here.\u201d (Apparently Eastwood visited the bar while stationed at nearby Fort Ord.) With an old school copper bar and photos of old Carmel on the walls, the Mission Ranch is a refuge from a rapidly changing world. In addition to these nostalgia-inducing features, the Ranch\u2019s nightly entertainment is a throwback to the days before karaoke machines: a piano bar where patrons can sing along to standards by Sinatra or more modern fare including the country pop of Taylor Swift.", "vid": "best-bar-for-folks-over-50", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.missionranchcarmel.com\u002frestaurant", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Bar For Folks Over 50", "contact": "26270 Dolores St, 624-6436", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_bar_for_folks_over_50", "name": "Mission Ranch "}, {"description": "There\u2019s an orgy of evidence that demonstrates how Forbidden XTC won this most prestigious award. It offers the largest DVD selection in Monterey County, pole-dancing class every Wednesday, a range of fun toys, novelties such as \u201cboob cake pans,\u201d a broad selection of kinky costumes and high-end BDSM gear. But it\u2019s the fact that the shop caters to women that makes it unique. When you think Forbidden XTC, think Victoria\u2019s Secret, but better, because it sells lube.", "vid": "best-place-you-cant-take-your-parents", "url": "", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Place You Can't Take Your Parents", "contact": "551 West Market St, 998-7858", "cities": ["Salinas"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_you_can't_take_your_parents", "name": "Forbidden XTC "}, {"description": "If Monterey Live has won Best Club For Rock (and it has) then that means that there\u2019s a wide variety of music that qualifies as rock these days. This would include the soulful hip-hop of Alex Lee, the fuzzy, juke-joint blues of American Relay and the quirky cabaret of Vermillion Lies\u2014in addition to the more traditional rock stylings of locals, The Mystery Lights, and out of towners Dramarama. Fortunately, Live doubles as a dictionary for live music.", "vid": "best-club-for-rock", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.montereylive.org", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Club For Rock", "contact": "414 Alvarado St, 373-5483", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_club_for_rock", "name": "Monterey Live "}, {"description": "Sly McFly\u2019s sits on an aesthetically enviable and historically significant spot on Cannery Row, where it pumps out hot, live blues music\u2014to mix with the cool ocean air\u2014from a line-up of local practitioners like the worldly John \u201cBroadway\u201d Tucker, the dapper Willie G., the smokin\u2019 Shane Dwight, the sassy Kaye Bohler and the Red Hot Blues Sisters. And it\u2019s the official unofficial after-hours jam session spot for the Monterey Bay Blues Festival, offering up its stage to heavyweights like the late Bo Diddley, Sista Monica, Charlie Musselwhite and B.B. King. The busy dance floor, ocean view and aforesaid music conspire to produce an ever-present atmosphere that can only be described as \u201cgood times,\u201d which secures this local blues institution\u2019s top spot. ", "vid": "best-club-for-blues", "url": "", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Club For Blues", "contact": "700 Cannery Row, 649-8050", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_club_for_blues", "name": "Sly McFly's "}, {"description": "Most Peninsula folk call this long-standing Italian restaurant\u002fnightclub \u201cCibo\u2019s,\u201d although the singular \u201ccibo\u201d is Italian for \u201cfood.\u201d So it\u2019s not grammatically correct, but it\u2019s as ingrained on us. As is this primo downtown joint, which comes through with the jazzy goods six days a week. Its roster rotates through hot commodities like Lucidology, the funky Neil Banks, Lisa Taylor & Powerhouse, Joe Lucido (Sunday evenings) and others. And the classy, brassy and bold after-hours crowd complements the warm, terra cotta d\u00e9cor.", "vid": "best-club-for-jazz", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.cibo.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Club For Jazz", "contact": "301 Alvarado St, 649-8151", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_club_for_jazz", "name": "Cibo's "}, {"description": "Featuring two levels, four dance floors, and a sound system with enough bass to knock your nose ring off, the Hippodrome has virtually monopolized booty shaking. The main floor has two caged stripper poles, perfect for the intoxicated party girl, the exhibitionist, or both (at the same time). On a packed night, guests can expect techno, Hip-Hop\u002fTop 40, and live music being played on the various stages. With a little something for everyone, the Hippo continues to be the party destination for anyone who wants (or needs) to get into the groove. ", "vid": "best-dance-club", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.hippclub.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Dance Club", "contact": "321-D Alvarado St, 646-9244", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_dance_club", "name": "The Hippodrome "}, {"description": "When told that he had won the Best Local Musician, bassist extraordinaire Dennis Murphy reacted as he does to most things: with genuine humility and class. \u201cHow did that happen? I voted for Tom Ayres guitarist for Persephone\u2019s Bees and Mike Beck and the Bohemian Saints.\u201d Don\u2019t let Murphy\u2019s modesty distract from a sea of distinguished musical accomplishments that helped secure the bass player\u2019s Best Local Musician title: He leads the 18-piece Dennis Murphy Big Band, rocks the area\u2019s private parties with his five-piece Dennis Murphy Band and directs the Monterey Bay Blues Festival Student Honor Band, an outfit of 16 promising players from local high schools and middle schools.", "vid": "best-local-musician", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.dennismurphy.smoothjazz.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Local Musician", "contact": null, "cities": "", "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_local_musician", "name": "Dennis Murphy "}, {"description": "Just a month ago, local rock band Cheeky Spanks made a bid for the Weekly\u2019s Best Local Band title during a crowded gig at Bullwhacker\u2019s. Lead singer Jill Childers said the 2007 Best Local Band winners Jonah and the Whalewatchers are great, but they just don\u2019t get out there in the trenches and play as much as her group. The speech probably didn\u2019t secure them any votes. The quartet\u2019s rousing version of Led Zeppelin\u2019s \u201cRock and Roll\u201d minutes later, however, certainly earned several endorsements\u2014and a full dance floor. ", "vid": "best-local-band", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.cheekyspanks.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Local Band", "contact": null, "cities": "", "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_local_band", "name": "Cheeky Spanks "}, {"description": "Here, at the only onsite microbrewery on the Peninsula, the happiness window isn\u2019t shuttered on weekends or squeezed into unrealistically early time slots\u2014it\u2019s a daily 4-7pm affair. In those three hours the great deals are manifold: half-off appetizers, $3 margaritas, $5 Long Islands and daily drink specials. The tastiest value might be $5 for 16 ounce drafts (besides stouts), as Peter B\u2019s IPA, dark wheat, hefewizen, amber porter, golden ale and brew of the month represent a nice range of mouthwatering suds to soak up\u2014or $4 for a 25-ouncer if you slap down $50 to join the mug club and have your vessel hang from the ceiling. ", "vid": "best-happy-hour", "url": "", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Happy Hour", "contact": "2 Portola Plaza, 649-4511", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_happy_hour", "name": "Peter B's Brew Pub "}, {"description": "Most frequenters enter the Crown and Anchor through the back entrance and leave through the front door. But this mix-up is one of the establishment\u2019s trademarks, as is the outdoor, sunken patio visible from the entrance of the Osio Cinemas, which draws in passersby like moths to a flame. Most nights the patio is hopping with friends mingling, eating, drinking, playing chess and joking around with the jovial Samoan C&A mainstay, Art. It may also help that there are 20 beers on tap, an ample selection of the finest single malts and a menu featuring authentic Cockney faves like bangers and mash. ", "vid": "best-pub", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.crownandanchor.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Pub", "contact": "150 W. Franklin St, 649-6496", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_pub", "name": "Crown and Anchor "}, {"description": "You sigh happily after dispatching a dish of bone-in rib eye or salmon roasted on cedar. Now it\u2019s time to get that same warm glow in your stomach turned on in your head\u2014it\u2019s martini time, and if you\u2019re at this downtown Monterey hotspot (or at the sister locale in Salinas called Lalla Lounge or its Del Monte Center cousin Lalla Grill), you\u2019re at the right place. In a menu dedicated to the martini, classics like the Cold & Dry and the Lemondrop mingle with more exotic species like the Betty Page, a cosmo twisted with XXX-rated liqueur, blood orange and citrus; the Spa-Tini, made with mint, cucumbers, lime, gin and Hypnotiq; and a mysterious number called a Pink Panty. We\u2019re told the guys like to go for the whiskey sour martini called the Water Moccasin. ", "vid": "best-martini", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.lalla-palooza.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Martini", "contact": "474 Alvarado St, 645-9036", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_martini", "name": "Lallapalooza"}, {"description": "A good mojito expresses a creative approach and classic execution. It requires fresh ingredients, careful and loving construction, speed in preparation, and rewards those who refuse to cut corners. In today\u2019s maddening world of chi-chi cocktails, Montrio\u2019s Cocktail Chef Anthony Vitacca brings all these insightful skills to bear as he mashes mint and mixes magic. Then, suddenly, mind-melting multitudes of meticulously made mojitos materialize", "vid": "best-mojito", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.montrio.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Mojito", "contact": "414 Calle Principal, 648-8880", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_mojito", "name": "Montrio Bistro"}, {"description": "There are many ways to have a margarita at Carmel Valley\u2019s Baja Cantina. One can order a pomegranate margarita in a 45-ounce glass globe. Or get a pitchers worth of the restaurant\u2019s wildly popular house margarita, which is made with lime juice, premium tequilas, Triple Sec and sweet and sour mix. For true tequila connoisseurs, Baja\u2019s AsomBrosorita is a popular pick.", "vid": "best-margarita", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.bajacantina.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Margarita", "contact": "7166 Carmel Valley Road, 625-2252", "cities": ["Carmel Valley"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_margarita", "name": "Baja Cantina "}, {"description": "There are many reasons why the Bulldog earns the honor of \u201cbest neighborhood bar.\u201d First: There\u2019s nothing more titillating than a short, big-bosomed bartender screaming, \u201cI wanna hear some New Kids on the Block,\u201d in a thick Liverpool accent. Second: The pub makes a hell of a good \u201cBulldog burger\u201d\u2014saut\u00e9ed onions, mushrooms, bacon and Swiss cheese. Third: Last call never comes before 2am. And fourth: Great camaraderie always buzzing around the dartboard. Christine, one of the owners, says the dartboards are in use from 7pm on every night of the week. There are two dartboards, one between the jukebox and the bar, and another in the far back corner of the pub. Some maneuvering is necessary in order to avoid dart-related accidents on the busy nights, but that just adds to the challenge of the game. ", "vid": "best-neighborhood-bar", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.bulldogbritishupub.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Neighborhood Bar", "contact": "611 Lighthouse Ave., , 658-0686, ", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_neighborhood_bar", "name": "Bulldog "}, {"description": "If Point Lobos is the \u201cmost beautiful meeting of land and sea,\u201d then the Lobos-overlooking Highlands Inn is the most beautiful meeting of the sea with furniture, glass and cocktails. Add live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights, 7-10:30pm and the conditions are ripe for an extreme glad-to-be-alive moment. If a visitor to Monterey County could stop for only one drink while passing through, there\u2019s no better place than this upscale tree house.", "vid": "best-drink-with-a-view", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.highlandsinn.hyatt.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Drink With A View", "contact": "120 Highlands Drive, 620-1234", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_drink_with_a_view", "name": "Highlands Inn "}, {"description": "As you\u2019d expect, the Factory\u2019s by-the-glass program mirrors its four decades of continued excellence in wine. Interesting styles from across the world allow diners a glimpse of the magic waiting below in its pristine cellar and are the perfect way to experiment with your palate\u2019s range without dropping a bundle. Wine salesmen clamor on weekday mornings to vary their selections from wherever great wine is grown. The benefactors are the Sardine Factory\u2019s legion of loyal followers.", "vid": "best-selection-of-wines-by-the-glass", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.sardinefactory.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Selection Of Wines By The Glass", "contact": "701 Wave St, 373-3775", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_selection_of_wines_by_the_glass", "name": "Sardine Factory "}, {"description": "The many culprits for this perfect crime include the dark wheat German Erdinge, a rare Belgian trappist ale called Chimay White, Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout and Triple Karmeliet, a Belgian recently voted best in the world\u2014and eight excellent othersCK, including an organic offering. Actually, sounds like a Usual Suspects-quality conspiracy. ", "vid": "best-selection-of-beers-on-tap", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.olfactorycafe.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Selection Of Beers On Tap", "contact": "1725 Contra Costa, 394-7336", "cities": ["Sand City"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_selection_of_beers_on_tap", "name": "Ol' Factory Cafe "}, {"description": "Stocked with REBCO pool tables, an extensive selection of domestic and imported beers, snacks like deep fried chicken tenders or corndogs fresh from a 350-degree auto fryer, it ain\u2019t hard to love Easy Street. Cues retailing at price points ranging from $100 to $1,000-plus hint at the breadth of intensity local players bring to the finely maintained red felt. ", "vid": "best-place-to-shoot-pool", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.easystreetbilliards.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Place To Shoot Pool", "contact": "511 Tyler St, 333-0825", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_to_shoot_pool", "name": "Easy Street Billiards "}, {"description": "There are many reasons why the Bulldog earns the honor of \u201cbest neighborhood bar.\u201d First: There\u2019s nothing more titillating than a short, big-bosomed bartender screaming, \u201cI wanna hear some New Kids on the Block,\u201d in a thick Liverpool accent. Second: The pub makes a hell of a good \u201cBulldog burger\u201d\u2014saut\u00e9ed onions, mushrooms, bacon and Swiss cheese. Third: Last call never comes before 2am. And fourth: Great camaraderie always buzzing around the dartboard. Christine, one of the owners, says the dartboards are in use from 7pm on every night of the week. There are two dartboards, one between the jukebox and the bar, and another in the far back corner of the pub. Some maneuvering is necessary in order to avoid dart-related accidents on the busy nights, but that just adds to the challenge of the game. ", "vid": "best-bar-for-darts", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.bulldogbritishupub.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Bar For Darts", "contact": "611 Lighthouse Ave., , 658-0686, ", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_bar_for_darts", "name": "Bulldog "}, {"description": "Places simply don\u2019t retain folks like Knuckles. It\u2019s understandable: Between the free peanuts and popcorn, the rock-solid grill menu, the big old selection of beers and the multiple big screens wired to speaker boxes on the table (that can be adjusted to whichever game is most crucial), it\u2019s hard for customers to ever leave. But it\u2019s the fact that staffers like Cindy Pachusik have worked there over two decades that is truly impressive. It speaks to just how welcoming the environment is here.", "vid": "best-sports-bar", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.monterey.hyatt.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Sports Bar", "contact": "1 Old Golf Course Road, 372-1234", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_sports_bar", "name": "Knuckles "}, {"description": "If the lines running down the sidewalk are any indication, the Duck has plenty of singles perusing the meat market. Cover charges are rare, and with frequent drink specials (including the ever popular half-price Wednesdays and Thursday\u2019s $2 drink deal) it\u2019s easy to find unattached ladies and germs chillin\u2019 at the bar, dancing on the outdoor patio, or wailing Bon Jovi songs on karaoke night. But the best times come on the weekends, when the girls dress to the nines and the boys try not to drool. Let the mating rituals begin.", "vid": "best-singles-bar", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.muckyduckmonterey.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Singles Bar", "contact": "479 Alvarado St, 655-3031", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_singles_bar", "name": "Mucky Duck "}, {"description": "Castroville is now known for two things: artichokes and the only known gay bar in Monterey County. The establishment, open only on Saturday, is much more than the quintessential gay bar. It has a showroom featuring Adventures of Priscilla-quality Spanish drag shows starring alter ego pop icons. The bar is also a proactive part of the community. Owner Ernie Sanchez has donated more than $38,000 to AIDS organizations in Monterey County. On an endnote, you don\u2019t have to be gay to go to Norma Jean\u2019s; the drag show is quite spectacular regardless of your sexual orientation.", "vid": "best-gay-bar", "url": "", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Gay Bar", "contact": "10639 Merritt St, 633-2090", "cities": ["Castroville"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_gay_bar", "name": "Francos\u002fNorma Jeans "}, {"description": "How to hatch a hip joint: Give it a New York name but slap it in the center of Monterey. Get exotic, fair trade beans, but roast them locally. Fill the nooks and spaces of a historic building with comfy chairs and functional tables so that a seat is rarely empty. Host art shows, music acts and a weekly open mic so conversation centered on poetry, politics and foreign policy stays as hot as the coffees, teas and tasty souffl\u00e9s.", "vid": "best-coffeehouse", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.eastvillagecoffeelounge.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Coffeehouse", "contact": "498 Washington St., , 373-5601", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_coffeehouse", "name": "East Village Coffee House "}, {"description": "It\u2019s the only movie theater in Monterey County that dared to show Inside Deep Throat\u2014a documentary that explores the legacy behind the smut film that became the highest grossing independent film in history. It charges admission prices that are consistently lower than the other local theaters. It always has a finger on the pulse of film\u2019s highest form: Academy Award winners Slumdog Millionaire, Milk and The Reader all showed here this winter. In other words, Osio is it.", "vid": "best-movie-theater", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.osiocinemas.com", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Movie Theater", "contact": "350 Alvarado St., , 644-8171", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_movie_theater", "name": "Osio "}, {"description": "It\u2019s just not fair, putting a place this appealing no more than a Mickey Rourke-off-the-ropes elbow drop from Century Cinemas (or is it just a Slumdog-tumble-off-the-train away?). Whether your post flick twitch is for a drink (a Mod Mojito with pineapple-infused vanilla rum?), a snack (grilled goat cheese polenta?), a meal (coriander seared ahi served over red curry noodles or a Hearst Ranch New York steak?) or a romantic dessert (chocolate fondue for two?), this place has a reel of choices and several different contemporary sets in which to enjoy them. ", "vid": "best-hangout-after-the-movie", "url": "", "section": "arts, entertainment & nightlife", "label": "Best Hangout After The Movie", "contact": "1400 Del Monte Center, , 324-4632", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_hangout_after_the_movie", "name": "Lalla Grill"}, {"description": "The LG drew XXL crowds from the get-go, thanks to a huge luminous bar with a look of a futuristic library and a labyrinth of elixirs; a keystone location in Del Monte Center a hiccup away from Century Cinemas; contemporary seating areas (including a slick patio) that feel hip without feeling uncomfortable; and an expansive menu built off the wisdom of what worked at Lallapalooza and Lalla Lounge\u2014lots of fancy drinks, creative-but-sturdy American grill fare and tons of options sourced from increasingly sustainable spots. Ooh, Lalla. Ooh.", "vid": "best-new-restaurant-of-2008", "url": "", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best New Restaurant of 2008", "contact": "1400 Del Monte Center, , 324-4632", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_new_restaurant_of_2008", "name": "Lalla Grill"}, {"description": "In these three supremely tough categories, Montrio emerges on top. It is hard enough to simply stay in business for 10 years, let alone continue to improve. The stability of leadership with General Manager Kathy Solley, Executive Chef Tony Baker and Bar Manager Anthony Vitacca, under the stewardship of owners Tony Tollner and Bill Cox, has allowed a talented staff to blossom and create that all-important synergy required to handle the day-to-day restaurant grind with dignity and aplomb. Montrio, in the heart of downtown Monterey, beckons you back for its fun, casual ambience, genuinely nice people, delicious, consistently prepared menu and wonderful lounge and bar scene. As with any successful business, restaurants require an understanding and continued execution of the fundamentals. Montrio delivers that, plus a little bit more, year after year. They also deliver a damn good app. Chef Baker is quick to smile, first to help in times of trouble, and always upbeat and energetic. Not only that, he\u2019s one talented cheffin\u2019 dude. He\u2019s the guy who creates the menu at Montrio and he\u2019s the one responsible for the enormous popularity of its small plate onslaught, especially at the lively Montrio lounge scene. Think about it this way: dungeness crab fritters, pancetta-wrapped prawns, lobster mac & cheese.", "vid": "best-restaurant-more-than-10-years-old", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.montrio.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Restaurant More Than 10 Years Old", "contact": "414 Calle Principal, 648-8880", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_restaurant_more_than_10_years_old", "name": "Montrio Bistro"}, {"description": "This is the big award. Marinus is not a big restaurant. Yet every year, it either wins or competes for the sizeable title. Everything begins with the dynamic duo, Cal Stamenov and Mark Jensen. If you haven\u2019t noticed\u2014and because they are both so low-key, it\u2019s possible not to\u2014those two restaurant dogs have set the standard around here for two decades or more. We don\u2019t get to feel the regular leg pain and emotional nerve damage these two titans live with to pursue their passion. We just get to experience the best possible ingredients lovingly prepared, perfectly accompanied by the greatest wines grown, in a casually elegant country setting, administered by quietly brilliant, exceedingly dedicated restaurant professionals. Congratulations, you big boys you.", "vid": "best-restaurant-in-monterey-county", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.bernardus.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Restaurant In Monterey County", "contact": "Bernardus Lodge, 415 Carmel Valley Road, 658-3595", "cities": ["Carmel Valley"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_restaurant_in_monterey_county", "name": "Marinus "}, {"description": "Last year\u2019s Big Sur blazes devastated much acreage and caused enormous hardship for residents and businesses. Fortunately, the fires barely avoided destroying Ventana Inn. Unfortunately, while the embers from the forest were just dying down, an electrical fire took out most of Cielo Restaurant. The renovation is scheduled for completion in early summer and Cielo will be up and running out great sustainable and local fare in a one of a kind chalet setting. The patio overlooking forever is pure pretty is as Big Sur does. ", "vid": "best-restaurantbig-sur", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.ventanainn.com\u002fdining", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Restaurant\u002fBig Sur", "contact": "48123 Highway One, 667-2331", "cities": ["Big Sur"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_restaurant\u002fbig_sur", "name": "Ventana Inn Cielo "}, {"description": "Dressed in contemporary colors and handsomely designed, Cantinetta Luca is Carmel\u2019s closest approximation to a trendy, big city restaurant. A casual hipster crowd comes to dine on bold, rustic flavors\u2014think crisp, wood oven-fired pizzas topped with truffles and house-cured prosciutto (straight from the onsite glass ageing room), house-made pumpkin ravioli and red wine-braised beef short ribs. Lushes love the extensive all-Italian wine list representing every region in Italy as well as the hopping bar scene. And with a robust seasonal menu and events like the recent tail-to-snout feast, La Maialata, there\u2019s always reason to retur", "vid": "best-restaurantcarmel", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.cantinettaluca.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Restaurant\u002fCarmel", "contact": "Dolores between Ocean and Seventh, 625-6500", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_restaurant\u002fcarmel", "name": "Cantinetta Luca "}, {"description": "More than any other restaurant in the neighborhood, Caf\u00e9 Rustica and its earthy charm represents the evolution of Carmel Valley from its roots as a ranching community to its flowering as a wine appellation. With plenty of natural stone to cozy up the interior and sporting the only significant open kitchen in CV, Rustica draws guests in to the world of good food and good wine while maintaining a casual air. A bounty of tasty woodfired pizza, pasta, choice meats and local produce has continued to stoke the enthusiasm of the many devotees.", "vid": "best-restaurantcarmel-valley", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.caferusticacarmel.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Restaurant\u002fCarmel Valley", "contact": "10 Del Fino Place, 659-4444", "cities": ["Carmel Valley"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_restaurant\u002fcarmel_valley", "name": "Cafe Rustica "}, {"description": "Here big is beautiful\u2014as in steaks (like Kula\u2019s signature 21-ounce bone-in ribeye), appetizers that preclude entrees (The Hawaiian Nachos pile cheddar and jack cheese, chicken, and sweet peanut sauce onto a huge plate of won ton shells), value (a great 3:30-6pm and all-day Sunday happy hour and $1 Taco Tuesdays) and space (the fire pit-dotted deck is 3,000 square feet by itself). Bill Lee and company have scored again. Kudos to Kula. Lucky for us.", "vid": "best-restaurantmarina", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.kula-ranch.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Restaurant\u002fMarina", "contact": "3295 Dunes Road, 883-9479", "cities": ["Marina"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_restaurant\u002fmarina", "name": "Kula Ranch Steakhouse "}, {"description": "In these three supremely tough categories, Montrio emerges on top. It is hard enough to simply stay in business for 10 years, let alone continue to improve. The stability of leadership with General Manager Kathy Solley, Executive Chef Tony Baker and Bar Manager Anthony Vitacca, under the stewardship of owners Tony Tollner and Bill Cox, has allowed a talented staff to blossom and create that all-important synergy required to handle the day-to-day restaurant grind with dignity and aplomb. Montrio, in the heart of downtown Monterey, beckons you back for its fun, casual ambience, genuinely nice people, delicious, consistently prepared menu and wonderful lounge and bar scene. As with any successful business, restaurants require an understanding and continued execution of the fundamentals. Montrio delivers that, plus a little bit more, year after year. They also deliver a damn good app. Chef Baker is quick to smile, first to help in times of trouble, and always upbeat and energetic. Not only that, he\u2019s one talented cheffin\u2019 dude. He\u2019s the guy who creates the menu at Montrio and he\u2019s the one responsible for the enormous popularity of its small plate onslaught, especially at the lively Montrio lounge scene. Think about it this way: dungeness crab fritters, pancetta-wrapped prawns, lobster mac & cheese.", "vid": "best-restaurantmonterey", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.montrio.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Restaurant\u002fMonterey", "contact": "414 Calle Principal, 648-8880", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_restaurant\u002fmonterey", "name": "Montrio Bistro"}, {"description": "It\u2019s not Phil DiGirolamo\u2019s fault he\u2019s a star. That whole \u201cWharf Theater\u201d thing? Yeah, that was Phil\u2019s daddy\u2019s idea. But it wasn\u2019t Phil\u2019s name on a marquee or a playbill that made him famous. Nope. It\u2019s the kick-ass seafood served wave-side in Moss Landing. When the Food Network found Phil and featured him on hit shows\u2014twice\u2014we worried he\u2019d close up shop and head to Lala Land. No chance. Phil\u2019s in it for the food, right here at home, for good. The lines can get long here. Wait. Nobody does it better", "vid": "best-restaurantnorth-county", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.philsfishmarket.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Restaurant\u002fNorth County", "contact": "7600 Sandholdt Road, 633-2152", "cities": ["Moss Landing"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_restaurant\u002fnorth_county", "name": "Phil\u2019s Fish Market & Eatery"}, {"description": "Passionfish owners Ted and Cindy Walter, the back and front of the house, respectively, have the basics down\u2014which frees them to make sure guests always feel comfortable and the food is always special. They have also achieved a cohesion\u2014a consistency, a structural integrity\u2014that is rare. Their low-priced wines and commitment to sustainable seafood are just two demonstrations of how they go beyond the business of trying to make a living serving exemplary food. And exemplary it is. Evidence is only an oyster shooter, or Monterey squid-mango salad, Grimaud Farms natural Muscovy duck confit or a pepper-crusted sablefish away.", "vid": "best-restaurantpacific-grove", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.passionfish.net", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Restaurant\u002fPacific Grove", "contact": "701 Lighthouse Ave, 655-3311", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_restaurant\u002fpacific_grove", "name": "Passionfish "}, {"description": "Roy Yamaguchi is a franchise. Often, expansion can dilute a once-great concept and leave behind echoes of formerly brilliant tones. Not here. The combination of a strong F&B department, headed by Pascal Rifflart, regular visits by Big Roy himself and a continued reputation as Number One in the Pebble Beach food universe, maintain Roy\u2019s atop the pyramid of success inside the Del Monte Forest. Some of the best views on the Peninsula don\u2019t hurt either. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or special event, Roy\u2019s delivers the original goods as good as it gets.", "vid": "best-restaurantpebble-beach", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.pebblebeach.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Restaurant\u002fPebble Beach", "contact": "Inn at Spanish Bay, 2700 17-Mile Drive, 647-7423", "cities": ["Pebble Beach"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_restaurant\u002fpebble_beach", "name": "Roy's "}, {"description": "Hullaballoo should have trademarked that wedge salad of theirs years ago. Seems every local restaurant\u2019s got a version nowadays. But the new Hullaballoo owners should rest assured: A quarter head of iceberg lettuce does not a perfect salad make. We think they get it \u2019cuz theirs is still best. The gourmet steak-and-seafood menu hasn\u2019t changed much over the years, and neither has the casually elegant d\u00e9cor and hip yuppie crowd. Seems everyone involved has figured out that when you\u2019ve got it right, you leave it alone. ", "vid": "best-restaurantsalinas", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.hullaballoorestaurant.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Restaurant\u002fSalinas", "contact": "228 Main St., , 757-3663", "cities": ["Salinas"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_restaurant\u002fsalinas", "name": "Hullaballoo "}, {"description": "To call OFC the best restaurant in the city of sand just ain\u2019t right\u2014because it\u2019s so much more. It\u2019s the best place in Sand City for a great pint of microbrew, the best joint for a quality cup of coffee, the most accessible art venue, the most consistent live music destination, the most fun place to play foosball and the hippest host for a private party. Not that the food isn\u2019t something worth saluting, particularly the supreme panini, the excellent small plates, the crafty salads and the very worthy burger.", "vid": "best-restaurantsand-city", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.theolfactorycafe.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Restaurant\u002fSand City", "contact": "1725 Contra Costa St, 394-7336", "cities": ["Sand City"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_restaurant\u002fsand_city", "name": "Ol' Factory Cafe "}, {"description": "You can\u2019t go wrong at Fishwife. Our favorite is the Cajun catfish sandwich, with fries (and a house salad). Or is it the seafood gumbo (a weekly special)? Or the spicy grilled tilapia garden salad, with its glorious fresh green dressing? Or the grilled calamari steak with shallots, garlic, herbs and tomatoes? Or the charbroiled wild-caught salmon sandwich? These are among the many reasons Fishwife consistently wins the best restaurant in Seaside, and repeatedly takes the Best Seafood Restaurant prize, too. Let\u2019s face it. This place is affordable, down-to-earth, with scrumptious food, Mayan flavors, the freshest seafood and fantastic service. It\u2019s a locals place, with a few more out-of-towners at the P.G. location. Next time in, say \u201cHi\u201d to Captain Best Of (you locals know what I\u2019m talking about).", "vid": "best-restaurantseaside", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.fishwife.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Restaurant\u002fSeaside", "contact": "789 Trinity Ave., 1996 1\u002f2 Sunset DR, 394-2207, 375-7107", "cities": ["Seaside", "Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_restaurant\u002fseaside", "name": "Fishwife "}, {"description": "Huarache is a really fun word to say aloud, especially before going there for lunch. With an extensive menu\u2014complete with illustrative photos\u2014ranging from tacos and burritos to larger plates, not to mention the namesake huaraches (huaraches, which mean \u201csandals,\u201d look like flattened footballs and are delicious, thick tortilla- type treats with beans cooked into their bellies and all choices of veggies, meats and cheeses on top). Oh, and it shows popular Spanish movies in the restaurant with English subtitles. El King deserves to be the king of King City.", "vid": "best-restaurantsouth-county", "url": "", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Restaurant\u002fSouth County", "contact": "322 Broadway St, 385-5241", "cities": ["King City"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_restaurant\u002fsouth_county", "name": "Huarache King "}, {"description": "The fluffy, plate-sized blueberry pancakes and cheese-smothered skillets alone don\u2019t elevate First Awakenings above other breakfast spots. It\u2019s the restaurant\u2019s consistent quality (from crispy home fries to feathery crepe eggs) and homey touches (personal pots of coffee, water and hot syrup) that bring satisfied smiles to our readers. Stir in quick and cheery servers and you\u2019ve got the batter for bustling breakfast business, made from scratch daily yet somehow cooked perfectly golden every morning. ", "vid": "best-breakfast", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.firstawakenings.net", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Breakfast", "contact": "125 Oceanview Blvd, 171 Main St, 372-1125, 784-1125", "cities": ["Pacific Grove", "Salinas"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_breakfast", "name": "First Awakenings "}, {"description": "Featuring big a la carte tacos with fillings ranging from pork loin yucateca to charbroiled tilapia, and prices ranging from $2.50 to $3.25, Monterey County residents are hard-pressed to find such great quality for such little scratch. A single taco (or popular tostaco) is large enough to work as a light lunch; the wraps, bowls, salads and specials all honor the same more-for-less ethic. You can argue whether they make the best south-of-the-border-inspired fare in the area, but you can\u2019t debate whether this represents big value. ", "vid": "best-cheap-eats", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.fishwife.com\u002fturtlebay", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Cheap Eats", "contact": "1301 Fremont Blvd., 431 Tyler St, 899-1010, 333-1500", "cities": ["Seaside", "Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_cheap_eats", "name": "Turtle Bay "}, {"description": "Tarpy\u2019s seems to be all things to all people. Masculine yet feminine. Bustling yet private. Board room yet locker room. Business? Yes. If you\u2019re trying to impress a prospect, it is indeed impressive. If you\u2019re trying to close a deal, there\u2019s an aroma of success. If you\u2019re crafting a secret deal, there are private meeting rooms. Foodwise, Chef Michael Kimmel has nailed it with his take on \u201cAmerican Country\u201d cuisine. His menu can meet any appetite on any terms from he-macho to she-delicate, and deliciously so. The crab cakes, Cobb salad and brisket sandwich are all lunchtime winners", "vid": "best-place-for-a-business-lunch", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.tarpys.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Place For A Business Lunch", "contact": "2999 Monterey-Salinas Highway, 647-1444", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_for_a_business_lunch", "name": "Tarpys Roadhouse "}, {"description": "Rosine\u2019s is all about the good times, good eats and good family. Sunday morning breakfast is especially popular, often filling to capacity around 11am when brunching brothers and sisters come in for a (big) bite to eat. Grandparents and grandkids flip for the luxurious pies. Originally opened by Jim and Rosine Culcasi with their children in 1980, the restaurant\u2019s beginnings were built on the backbone of teamwork and family togetherness. Today the tradition continues, with fresh food, hearty portions (c\u2019mon people\u2014the eggs Benny has three eggs), a warm atmosphere and, best of all, friendly service with a smile.", "vid": "best-family-restaurant", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.rosinesmonterey.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Family Restaurant", "contact": "434 Alvarado St, 375-1400", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_family_restaurant", "name": "Rosine's "}, {"description": "Tucked away in a narrow alleyway, Tommy\u2019s Wok may be hard to find but food this good never remains hidden. Tommy Mao\u2019s modern Chinese eatery eschews traditional d\u00e9cor (not a dragon is in sight) but serves superb Szechuan, Hunan and Mandarin dishes, including dim sum favorites. Everything at the family-run operation is made from scratch using fresh, natural ingredients, minus the MSG. And value-for-money lunchtime combination plates plus delicious entrees such as mu shu pork, cashew prawns, and Mongolian lamb keep the locals coming back for more. ", "vid": "best-chinese", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.restauranteur.com\u002ftommyswok", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Chinese", "contact": "Mission and Ocean, 624-8518, ", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_chinese", "name": "Tommy's Wok "}, {"description": "If you unconsciously snap your fingers and call out gar\u00e7on, who can blame you? Fifi\u2019s is the personification of a Parisian bistro: crimson velvet drapes, romantic candlelit ambience, melancholic continental soundtrack, et al. Despite its pedigree, the casual-yet-elegant spot is definitively a local\u2019s place. Dinner specials, a close-to-retail wine list and the Gaelic menu comprising Fifi\u2019s famous French onion soup, escargots, moules frites, and croque monsieur keep the locals streaming in. Not to mention the charming hospitality of bona fide French proprietress Mich\u00e8le Wilkes, who greets regulars by name and panders to your every whim. ", "vid": "best-french", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.fifisbistrocafe.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best French", "contact": "1188 Forest Ave, 372-5325", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_french", "name": "Fifi\u2019s Caf\u00e9 and Bistro "}, {"description": "After the long-running Clock Garden Restaurant closed, a series of failures tainted the location where Ambrosia India Bistro now packs \u2019em in. The addition of Indian d\u00e9cor to some pre-existing d\u00e9cor gives the place a not-trying-too-hard style that\u2019s more appealing than if it had tried harder. The \u201cIndian Frontier Cuisine\u201d is essentially a pan-Indian m\u00e9lange where those familiar with Indian cuisine will recognize many of the ingredients, methods and even dish names, but the preparations are often atypical. Chef Bhupinder Singh has an impressive background that can be tasted in every dish. The full-bar and big, heated front patio are big bonuses.", "vid": "best-indian", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.ambrosiaib.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Indian", "contact": "565 Abrego St., , 641-0610", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_indian", "name": "Ambrosia India Bistro"}, {"description": "The secret to Gino\u2019s rich and savory cuisine lies in the Bozzo family cookbook. \u201cWe have kept the original recipes that my parents started the restaurant with,\u201d explains co-owner Maria Bozzo Lavarato. \u201cWe make the same cannelloni like my mother used to make. We make the meatballs like my mother used to make.\u201d Fresh ingredients are also key components to Gino\u2019s fourth Best Of award. \u201cBecause we are so busy we don\u2019t have any leftovers,\u201d Bozzo adds. Having two generations of family members on the floor doesn\u2019t hurt either. Bozzo\u2019s son and her brother Ralph\u2019s daughter help keep the family tradition alive at the 34-year-old eatery. ", "vid": "best-italian", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.ginospasta.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Italian", "contact": "1410 S. Main St, 422-1814, ", "cities": ["Salinas"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_italian", "name": "Gino\u2019s Fine Italian Food"}, {"description": "Sushi Heaven is just that: the celestial residence of all things sushi, sashimi and nigiri. Like a perfectly sculpted roll, the restaurant is packed tightly but tastefully into a tiny location on Dolores. The small space unleashes big flavors\u2014like the Tom and Jerry roll (spiced tuna, avocado, flying fish egg) and the Brian Special roll (spiced tuna, cucumber, shrimp tempura, ono on top and then torched). ", "vid": "best-japanesesushi", "url": "", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Japanese\u002fSushi ", "contact": "Dolores between Seventh and Eighth, 625-2067", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_japanese\u002fsushi_", "name": "Sushi Heaven "}, {"description": "This clean and friendly restaurant lures the kimchi crazed with their authentic take on translucent japjae noodles, sweat-inducing kimchee jigae soup, striking bibimbap, savory fish a spread of colorful, flavorful side dishes called banchan that come with every main dish (this can consist of spicy kimchee, slippery seaweed, pickled radish, crunchy anchove, bean paste, etc.), and marinated bulgogi (sirloin) and kalbi (short ribs) cooked on grills set into certain tables. Chef\u002fowner Wendy Choi has been doing Korean food at restaurants big and small for more than 40 years so order a soju (the Korean national liquor) or Korean Obi beer or ginseng tea, and jump right in without worry. If dinner\u2019s too big a commitment, they\u2019re starting a lunch special this month.", "vid": "best-korean", "url": "", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Korean", "contact": "330 Reservation Road, 883-2302", "cities": ["Marina"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_korean", "name": "NAK Won Korean BBQ House"}, {"description": "The Greek-speaking clientele is a dead giveaway, as is the compact dining room filled to the rafters most nights. They come for tasty and authentic Greek fare and to be pampered by a contingent of friendly, knowledgeable staff led by owner Petros Mungridis. The kitchen dishes out favorites like dolmades, spanakopita, musaka and their trademark fall-off-the-bone tender lamb shanks using Mungridis\u2019s family recipes. Who can argue with mama\u2019s cooking? And in these trying economic times, the inclusive cinnamon rice pilaf and Greek salad are a godsend. Wash it all down\u2014or not\u2014with specially imported retsina, Greek white wine fermented in pine barrels. ", "vid": "best-mediterranean", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.epsilonrestaurant.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Mediterranean", "contact": "422 Tyler St, 655-8108", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_mediterranean", "name": "Epsilon "}, {"description": "Peppers may be tucked away on a quiet side street, but it has a culinary voice loud enough to be heard throughout the county. In addition to their already eclectic menu that includes concoctions like Mahi Mahi Yucatan, Peppers offers a daily, handwritten menu featuring dishes made with the freshest catches and most inspired invention. The pastel-colored sheet of paper is usually bursting, from top to bottom, with entrees scribbled in pencil: Think Pacific swordfish fajitas or Jamaican curry prawns with mango salsa. They also offer a full bar with top shelf tequila and a quality wine selection that includes lots of local favorites.", "vid": "best-mexican", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.peppersmexicalicafe.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Mexican", "contact": "170 Forest Ave., , 373-6892", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_mexican", "name": "Peppers Mexicali Cafe"}, {"description": "Owners Mukhtar and Dolores Amir\u2019s small space is warm and inviting, both homey and exotic with soft tea lights and crimson Afghani tapestries draping the walls, scents of mint, cumin and garlic wafting from the kitchen, and sounds of Persian and Arabic melodies dancing between the tables\u2014once a week joined by bellydancers, who perform two dinner shows every Saturday night. But it\u2019s the food that steals the show here, the mantu (pasta shells filled with ground beef, onions and herbs, topped with sour cream and mixed vegetables) and bulani (turnover filled with potatoes and herbs, served with yogurt) appetizers and salmon, lamb and beef kabobs, all marinated with pureed onions, garlic and spices. Every Tuesday-Friday, from 5-7pm, all draft beers are $2, and while it\u2019s not quite a free lunch, at $8.99-$9.99 for a kebab, rice, salad and side dish (also every Tuesday-Friday) Amir\u2019s daily lunch specials mean you don\u2019t have to choose between putting gas in the car and food on the table. ", "vid": "best-middle-eastern", "url": "", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Middle Eastern", "contact": "794 Lighthouse Ave, 642-0231", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_middle_eastern", "name": "Amir's Kabob House "}, {"description": "Being number two isn\u2019t so bad, just ask number one in this category, Thai Bistro II. Bangkok natives Jill and Nicky Sriprayul have been bringing the hot and spicy, sweet and sour flavors of Southeast Asia to the Monterey Peninsula for over 15 years. There\u2019s something for everyone here. Favorites such as pad Thai, green papaya salad and a rainbow assortment of curries are available in various capsaicin levels ranging from fleeting to tongue-numbing; vegetarians rejoice in the numerous meat-free options. Above all, the gracious Sriprayuls love their customers. Judging from the hour-long waits during their recent 50 percent off promotion, the feeling is mutual. ", "vid": "best-thai", "url": "", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Thai", "contact": "159 Central Ave, 372-8700", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_thai", "name": "Thai Bistro II "}, {"description": "In these three supremely tough categories, Montrio emerges on top. It is hard enough to simply stay in business for 10 years, let alone continue to improve. The stability of leadership with General Manager Kathy Solley, Executive Chef Tony Baker and Bar Manager Anthony Vitacca, under the stewardship of owners Tony Tollner and Bill Cox, has allowed a talented staff to blossom and create that all-important synergy required to handle the day-to-day restaurant grind with dignity and aplomb. Montrio, in the heart of downtown Monterey, beckons you back for its fun, casual ambience, genuinely nice people, delicious, consistently prepared menu and wonderful lounge and bar scene. As with any successful business, restaurants require an understanding and continued execution of the fundamentals. Montrio delivers that, plus a little bit more, year after year. They also deliver a damn good app. Chef Baker is quick to smile, first to help in times of trouble, and always upbeat and energetic. Not only that, he\u2019s one talented cheffin\u2019 dude. He\u2019s the guy who creates the menu at Montrio and he\u2019s the one responsible for the enormous popularity of its small plate onslaught, especially at the lively Montrio lounge scene. Think about it this way: dungeness crab fritters, pancetta-wrapped prawns, lobster mac & cheese.", "vid": "best-appetizers", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.montrio.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Appetizers", "contact": "414 Calle Principal, 648-8880", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_appetizers", "name": "Montrio Bistro"}, {"description": "One local admits to \u201cgetting so lost in the surroundings\u201d of Forge in the Forest, that she ended up \u201cwatching the staff close out the place.\u201d It\u2019s justifiable, even in the winter, to become immersed in the romance of dining on the majestic outdoor patio, reminiscent of the Sherwood Forest. The upper garden patio, laden with manicured foliage, is dwarfed by a crown of pine trees that keep in the warmth of the brick fire pits and stone fireplace. And the outdoor redwood tables are perfect for dining on the restaurant\u2019s newest menu additions: dry-rubbed flatiron steak and tempura-battered onion rings.", "vid": "best-outdoor-dining", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.forgeintheforest.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Outdoor Dining", "contact": "Junipero at Fifth, 624-2233", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_outdoor_dining", "name": "Forge in the Forest "}, {"description": "For 18 years, Tillie Gort\u2019s has been voted best vegetarian, so they must be doing something right for the non-meat eaters. \u201cMy favorite dish is the vegetarian paella,\u201d says co-owner Carmen Nazar. \u201cIt is completely vegan and has fennel, artichokes and onions (and a whole mess of other stuff) on top of rice. I just had one and\u2014Oh my gosh!\u2014it has a lot of flavor.\u201d Other tasty dishes include the Mexican siesta salad grilled polenta served with grilled onions portabella mushrooms and saut\u00e9ed spinach.", "vid": "best-vegetarian-restaurant", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.tilliegortscafe.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Vegetarian Restaurant", "contact": "111 Central Ave, 373-0335", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_vegetarian_restaurant", "name": "Tillie Gort's "}, {"description": "These are the menus that make airhead orderers look smart: Simply aim for a red meat, don\u2019t push past medium rare, and ask for insight on a wine list worthy of such excellent ribs, rib-eye, steaks and Wellingtons. (Meanwhile, check out the jaw-dropping, mouth-moistening Good Old Days deals on red meat while you\u2019re there, with entrees like beef Wellington, or boneless ribs with Caesar, soup and artichoke for $20, or the popular at-the-bar-only deals on a prodigious steak sandwich or French dip.", "vid": "best-steak-house", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.whalingstationmonterey.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Steak House", "contact": "763 Wave St, 373-3778", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_steak_house", "name": "John Pisto\u2019s Whaling Station"}, {"description": "You can\u2019t go wrong at Fishwife. Our favorite is the Cajun catfish sandwich, with fries (and a house salad). Or is it the seafood gumbo (a weekly special)? Or the spicy grilled tilapia garden salad, with its glorious fresh green dressing? Or the grilled calamari steak with shallots, garlic, herbs and tomatoes? Or the charbroiled wild-caught salmon sandwich? These are among the many reasons Fishwife consistently wins the best restaurant in Seaside, and repeatedly takes the Best Seafood Restaurant prize, too. Let\u2019s face it. This place is affordable, down-to-earth, with scrumptious food, Mayan flavors, the freshest seafood and fantastic service. It\u2019s a locals place, with a few more out-of-towners at the P.G. location. Next time in, say \u201cHi\u201d to Captain Best Of (you locals know what I\u2019m talking about).", "vid": "best-seafood-restaurant", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.fishwife.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Seafood Restaurant", "contact": "789 Trinity Ave., 1996 1\u002f2 Sunset DR, 394-2207, 375-7107", "cities": ["Seaside", "Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_seafood_restaurant", "name": "Fishwife "}, {"description": "Grotto guru Chris Shake likes to credit fresh ingredients for the taste that repeatedly claims this crown. But clams and garlic don\u2019t serve free samples (rain or shine), offer superb locals specials (great deals on wines and prix fixe abound), support local Salvation Army branches or operate the multifaceted family owned business. There\u2019s more in store here than slurpable-superior chowder\u2014though this can be hard to remember once its clams and garlic hit the lips. ", "vid": "best-clam-chowder", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.oldfishermansgrotto.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Clam Chowder", "contact": "39 Fishermans Wharf, 375-4604", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_clam_chowder", "name": "Old Fisherman's Grotto "}, {"description": "Splurging is a state of mind. Pacific\u2019s Edge at the Highlands Inn is not the most expensive restaurant in the land but it most certainly cultivates the splurging urge. Glimpsing the jagged coastline while navigating the serpentine driveway almost preps you for the heart melting eagle\u2019s eye views awaiting after you gavotte down that long hall into the treetop dining room. You come here to be a big shot. Enjoy pre-game cocktails, dip into the vast wine cellar, luxuriate in multiple courses, extend the pleasure with after-dinner delicacies. (Then you slap the card down and order a room. You can pinch pennies elsewhere.)", "vid": "best-restaurant-to-splurge", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.pacificsedge.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Restaurant To Splurge", "contact": "Highland\u2019s Inn, 120 Highlands Drive, 622-5445", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_restaurant_to_splurge", "name": "Pacific's Edge "}, {"description": "Back in the early days of the Sardine Factory, Robert Mondavi would come in, trying to sell the relatively new California wine bearing his name. Forget about special awards from prestigious magazines, there were no magazines, no awards and no California wines on any restaurant lists in America. Bert and Ted bought the emerging brands, along with classic European beauties, and they kept on buying, year after year, laying cases to sleep in the perfect natural cellar. Nowhere else in these parts can you find things like, oh let\u2019s say, a three-decade old Kenwood Artist Series that has known two homes\u2014the winery and the Factory. Johnny Jarousak has manned the tastevin here for decades and knows every bottle.", "vid": "best-wine-list", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.sardinefactory.com\u002fhome", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Wine List", "contact": "701 Wave St, 373-3775", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_wine_list", "name": "Sardine Factory "}, {"description": "Hand-in-hand with your honey, walk through the lavender flanked entryway into Fandango\u2019s rambling wooden structure. Inside, rustic d\u00e9cor and a crackling fire welcome you. As you are seated in an intimate dining room painted with pastoral scenes from the French countryside, a napkin is draped gently across your lap. You savor velvety osso buco in a Madeira-sweetened braise; she bites into buttery saut\u00e9ed sand dabs in between sips of Chardonnay. She coos with delight and plants a kiss on your lips. Ah, it\u2019s going to be a night to remember. Fandango has done it again.", "vid": "best-restaurant-for-romantic-dining", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.fandangorestaurant.com", "section": "restaurants", "label": "Best Restaurant For Romantic Dining", "contact": "223 17th St, 372-3456", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_restaurant_for_romantic_dining", "name": "Fandango "}, {"description": "Paris Bakery takes care of those seeking to cure both their savory and sweet cravings. In the sweet department, they\u2019ve got cookies, chocolate \u00e9clairs, and one of our favorites, the chocolate banana croissant. In the savory section, there are wraps (like the delicious chicken Caesar salad wrap), paninis (the brie and ham is a bestseller) and a delectable BLT (to try it is to understand why this is the best acronym edible). ", "vid": "best-bakery", "url": "", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Bakery", "contact": "271 Bonifacio Pl, 1234 Broadway Ave, 646-1620, 394-7798", "cities": ["Monterey", "Seaside"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_bakery", "name": "Paris Bakery Cafe "}, {"description": "A family-run business that makes their cakes strictly from scratch, Layers is Monterey County\u2019s favorite source for birthdays, weddings, or a quick pastry on the run. Not only do Layers Sensational Cakes creator Antonio \u201cTony\u201d Nuovo\u2019s crafts come in a dizzying variety of flavors, but their decorations can be just as unique, and are as beautiful as that tastebud action on your tongue.", "vid": "best-cakes", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.layerscake.com", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Cakes", "contact": "9 Soledad Dr., Suite A, 655-1544", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_cakes", "name": "Layers "}, {"description": "At Willy\u2019s Smokehouse it\u2019s easy to put aside the intellectual discussion that consumes barbecue fanatics about what constitutes barbecue greatness and how best to attain it. The juicy, spicy richness of the meats and sauces at Willy\u2019s arouses a primitive urge to gnaw and suck your way down to the bone. High quality meats, that is, with fine sauces, sensuously evolved with slow smokin\u2019 and skilled cookin.\u2019 A new menu with lower prices continues to showcase the award-winning St. Louis-style ribs, pulled pork, tender brisket and smoked chicken. The spicy Monterey Mojo sauce is a high achievement. Mop it up.", "vid": "best-bbq", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.willysmoke.com", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best BBQ ", "contact": "95 Prescott Ave, 372-8880", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_bbq_", "name": "Willy's Smokehouse "}, {"description": "First four-word foreword: Really good is right. Started in Carmel by brothers Nadeel and Nabeem Bahu, R.G. Burgers has since spread its juicy, flame-grilled deliciousness to Monterey as well. Never will you more enjoy downing a day\u2019s worth of calories in one sitting than with one of their juicy cheeseburgers, a heap of fries and an icy cold milkshake. Of course, if you aren\u2019t in the mood for a burger, they also carry hot dogs, a wide variety of sandwiches, soups and salads. ", "vid": "best-burger", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.realgoodburgers.com", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Burger", "contact": "201 Crossroads Shopping Village, 570 Munras Ave. #30 , 372-4930", "cities": ["Carmel", "Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_burger", "name": "R.G. Burger's "}, {"description": "In 2000 the people of Chipotle started using naturally raised, hormone free meat. In 2002 they got greener, constructing their first environmentally friendly building. In 2004 they began using produce from local farms and serving organic black and pinto beans. These toppings make their burritos\u2019 21 heaping, healthy and humane ounces\u2014Best Of credentials\u2014stronger. ", "vid": "best-burrito", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.chipotle.com", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Burrito", "contact": "500 Del Monte Ctr, 641-9353", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_burrito", "name": "Mexican "}, {"description": "I got the calamari to go, but it was me that got taken away\u2014to a place where crispy and tender are deliciously harmonious, a spot where the most standard local appetizer tastes anything but ordinary (especially when marinated or prepped Sicilian style), a land where I wish the box of tasty tentacles had no bottom.", "vid": "best-calamari", "url": "", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Calamari", "contact": "2114 Del Monte Ave, 373-4647", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_calamari", "name": "Monterey Fish House"}, {"description": "Just two blocks from the Presidio, Compagno\u2019s Delicatessen draws much of its business from the military personnel who have reciprocated their appreciation for the manly sandos and enormous slabs of cake by festooning the walls and ceiling with a fascinating array of military paraphernalia. Gander at a killer collection of classic GI Joe figures and countless hats, shirts, and SEAL Team patches while devouring the 10-inch-by-5-inch baked chicken sandy known as the Marine Special. Add a rare domestic soda such as southern Cheerwine and a bag of regional taters like the Heinz ketchup flavored chips from Pitt and you\u2019ve got yourself enough lunch to feed an army. This neighborhood-deli-by-definition has been on the corner of Prescott and Taylor since 1965, when Sebastian Compagno opened its doors. Now operated by his son Bennett, Compagno\u2019s remains a family business that displays paper currency from all over the world on it\u2019s walls. For a little inflation insight, check out the 100 billion dollar bill from Zimbabwe. ", "vid": "best-deli-sandwhich", "url": "", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Deli Sandwhich", "contact": "2000 Prescott Ave, 375-5987", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_deli_sandwhich", "name": "Compagno's "}, {"description": "Having the boss over for dinner? Job security is greatly enhanced with a couple of fresh cut tenderloins from Grove Market. Tailgating on Sunday? Grove Market\u2019s sausages and marinated tri-tip are guaranteed scores. Trying to figure where to go for a fresh holiday turkey or special occasion roast? The best butcher shop in Monterey County is right inside the doors of the little Quonset hut in downtown Pacific Grove. This year marks Grove\u2019s 40th year as a destination for cooks preparing for special occasions, but the butchers here still do most of their business on the day-in and day-out circuit, wrapping chicken, hamburger and bacon in tidy bundles for familiar faces.", "vid": "best-butcher-shop", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.grovemarketpg.com", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Butcher Shop", "contact": "242 Forest Avenue, , 375-9581", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_butcher_shop", "name": "Grove Market "}, {"description": "One can easily imagine Cheese Shop owner R. Kent Torrey explaining what type he likes metaphorically: \u201cI like \u2019em with curds baby, big beautiful curds.\u201d Of course he\u2019d be referring to his unlimited assortment of cheese from here, there and especially everywhere. You don\u2019t really go into Carmel Cheese Shop to buy something planned. You go there because the cheeses call out to you from uncanny times and places\u2014late at night, in a meeting, while tide-pooling\u2014then your tummy dreams and directs your brain to trick you into thinking you had free will. Once there, the cheeses and fine wines make you adopt them while their friends keep bringing you back.", "vid": "best-cheese-selection", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.thecheeseshopinc.com", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Cheese Selection", "contact": "Carmel Plaza, Ocean and Junipero, 800-828-WINE", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_cheese_selection", "name": "Carmel Cheese Shop"}, {"description": "Our lunchbox runneth over here in Monterey County, with hundreds of bomb-diggity restaurants to choose from. But Weekly readers give top take-out honors to the Whole Foods prepared foods section, where 10 bucks can fetch a tasty and healthy gobble to go. All the prepped vittles are made under the guidance of experienced chefs with natural or organic ingredients\u2014and no trans fats or artificial junk. The hard part is deciding what to pick. Will it be the Sonoma chicken salad, oven-poached salmon, smoked mozzarella pasta salad, spinach orzo or cabbage crunch? If you\u2019re craving hotness, choices include pot roast, Hawaiian chicken drumettes and spinach mac \u2019n\u2019 cheese. Or, if you want edible packaging, you can design your own custom burrito. It\u2019s a lot to digest.", "vid": "best-takeout-food", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.wholefoodsmarket.com", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Take-Out Food", "contact": "800 Del Monte Center, 333-1600", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_take-out_food", "name": "Whole Foods "}, {"description": "This year\u2019s winner is Starbucks! Best cup of coffee! That is exciting! I think I drank too much coffee! Just kidding! No such thing! Fortunately for me, Starbucks locations pop up on Mapquest like crazy! That is no small caffeinated comfort! Hooray! ", "vid": "best-cup-of-coffee", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.starbucks.com", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Cup Of Coffee", "contact": "Various Locations", "cities": ["Various Locations"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_cup_of_coffee", "name": "Starbuck's "}, {"description": "The obsession begins when guests first walk in the door of Rosine\u2019s, also voted Best Family Restaurant, and the hallelujah-caliber display of cakes, pies, and pastries entice the eyes. Making it through the meal is rendered doable by very worthy main-course fare\u2014but no one would fault you for making dessert the main course. Oh, the sweet bliss when the chocolate truffle cream cake (or the cherry cheesecake or the apple dumplings) hits your lips.", "vid": "best-desserts", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.rosinesmonterey.com", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Desserts ", "contact": "434 Alvarado St, 375-1400", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_desserts_", "name": "Rosine's "}, {"description": "How about having what you want with a little bit of something you like, topped with something you absolutely must have? Coldstone has exploited the individual\u2019s need to have it his or her way in ways that Burger King can never lick. Chocofiles can have that mocha brownie fudge chocolate chip concoction. Fruit lovers can enjoy a strawberry cheesecake rainbow-sprinkled treat. Nut cases even go a bit nuts with a peanut butter almond swirl topped with Heath bits. Or buck the combo trend and order a plain vanilla cone. It\u2019s up to you. ", "vid": "best-ice-cream", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.coldstonecreamery.com", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Ice Cream ", "contact": "1470 Del Monte Ctr., 1176 S. Main St, 649-1346, 771-2131", "cities": ["Monterey", "Salinas"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_ice_cream_", "name": "Cold Stone Creamery"}, {"description": "Pizza-lovers on the Peninsula agree that Gianni\u2019s hand-tossed crusts smothered with a rich tomato sauce, piles of mozzarella cheese and any combo of fresh meats and\u002for vegetables can\u2019t be beat. Parents with toddlers in tow, boisterous high schoolers and crew-cut military types all converge at the red-checked table cloths for some fabulous pies. And if pizza doesn\u2019t cut it for you (as if this is even possible), there are breadsticks, calzones and draft beers to be had.", "vid": "best-pizza", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwwwgiannismonterey.com", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Pizza", "contact": "725 Lighthouse Ave., , 649-1500", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_pizza", "name": "Gianni's Pizza "}, {"description": "The winner of the best salad bar since 2003, the Crazy Horse Restaurant salad bar delivers in ways you would expect it would, with three lettuce mixes, a range of dressings and vegetables including beets and avocado. But the bar exceeds expectations with a selection of cold cuts, hot grilled chicken toppers (available only during lunch on weekdays) and a scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt for dessert with every buffet bonanza. ", "vid": "best-salads", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.bayparkhotel.com", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Salads", "contact": "1425 Munras Ave, 649-4771", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_salads", "name": "Crazy Horse "}, {"description": "With multiple locations throughout Monterey County, you don\u2019t need us to tell you that Jamba Juice is a hit \u2018round these parts. Whether you\u2019re on the run with a Mango-a-go-go or listening to jazz with a Razzmatazz, you hereby have the frigid fruitiness to fuel your fun. Adding a protein booster or one of their other well-engineered additives won\u2019t hurt your positive energy either. Between the smoothies and the more liquidly drinkable juices, including the starkly green wheat grass, Jamba has safely established itself as a Monterey County institution.", "vid": "best-juicesmoothies", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.jambajuice.com", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Juice\u002fSmoothies", "contact": "Various Locatiosn", "cities": ["Various Locations"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_juice\u002fsmoothies", "name": "Jamba Juice "}, {"description": "The numbers told Bill Parsons his first real wine endeavor was a spectacular failure; people he trusted told him he was crazy; the experts told him he had no business growing Syrah here\u2014and could only weaken the appellation\u2019s reputation. Now he and his tight-knit, tiny family operation (his daughter manages the books, his son-in law tends the vines, his wife designs the labels on the wines named after his grandkids) let their truly world-class wine do the talking. Their reserve Syrah is worth trading a toe or two for.", "vid": "best-local-red-wine", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.parsonagewine.com", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Local Red Wine", "contact": "659-7322", "cities": "", "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_local_red_wine", "name": "Parsonage Syrah "}, {"description": "Making a balanced wine isn\u2019t easy. Bernardus delivers with a Chardonnay that\u2019s creamily balanced by a tropical fruitiness. One hundred percent French oak ages it long enough to mellow out this lush crowd-pleaser, which rational folks expect to cost more. Miraculously, this aristocrat is cheaper than white Burgundy\u2014it\u2019s just $20\u2014but just as sophisticated. So, keep it local. With grapes taken from the so-hot-right-now Rosella\u2019s, Paraiso and Sleepy Hollow Vineyards, it\u2019s no wonder readers deemed this white supreme.", "vid": "best-local-white-wine", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.bernardus.com\u002fwinery\u002f", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Local White Wine", "contact": "800-223-2533", "cities": "", "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_local_white_wine", "name": "Bernardus Chardonnay "}, {"description": "A thousand white beer mugs hang in numerical order from hooks in the ceiling, waiting in abeyance for the faithful denizens of Marina\u2019s brag-worthy brew pub to return and replenish with a cold splash of brew. Crafting award-winning English-style beers for a decade out of their humble brewery, English Ales brewers have created a regional empire by distributing their popular refreshments to pubs from Monterey to the San Francisco. The delicious Fat Lip Amber is ridiculously smooth and palatable, perfect to wash down a plate of the pub\u2019s texturally brilliant fish and chips. As remarkable as its namesake beers and working man\u2019s cuisine are, English Ales is perhaps best known for its perpetually welcoming atmosphere and good cheer. Come for a pint and leave with a growler. ", "vid": "best-local-beerbrewery", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.englishalesbrewery.com", "section": "specialty foods", "label": "Best Local Beer\u002fBrewery ", "contact": "223 Reindollar Ave, 883-3000", "cities": ["Marina"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_local_beer\u002fbrewery_", "name": "English Ales "}, {"description": "Kids and parents rejoiced when this 9,500-square-foot, nonprofit kids museum\u002findoor amusement park finally reopened last November (from its former location in Cannery Row to downtown Monterey). Seven distinct galleries\u002fplay stations include golf, the beach, theater, ag, treehouse, hospital and house construction\u2014a microcosm of Monterey County. The museum recently celebrated Dr. Seuss\u2019 birthday with an appearance by the Cat in the Hat; it schedules special play dates like the Skylab planetarium (an inflatable \u201cigloo\u201d that fits 30); and coming soon: a March 29 demo by Chef Brandon Miller, an April 10 Easter Egg hunt, and local author Brad Herzog on Earth Day, April 22. ", "vid": "best-new-business-of-2008", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.mymuseum.org", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best New Business Of 2008 ", "contact": "425 Washington St., , 649-6444, ", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_new_business_of_2008_", "name": "My Museum "}, {"description": "Since opening last August, designer boutique Evolve 108 has won the hearts of tree-huggers and fashion plates alike. \u201cWe wanted to make sure we had a lifestyle store where people can enjoy every aspect of moving in a green direction, whether it\u2019s organic cosmetics or chemical-free clothing\u2014an inspiration to themselves and to the Earth,\u201d says Davia Moore, a Pacific Grove High alum who co-owns the shop with her mother, Desiree Cromwell. The store\u2019s custom-built interior features recycled walnut fixtures from Watsonville, bamboo flooring, nontoxic paint and low-emission lighting. Tree-free paper and meticulous recycling keep the store\u2019s carbon footprint dainty. And then there are the products: accessories made from reclaimed materials, pesticide-free fabrics, green home goods and ethically created fashion. \u201cWhen you think eco-friendly you think hippie-dippie, like hemp shirts,\u201d says Sales Associate Jamie Oksas, \u201cbut our women\u2019s line is sophisticated and classic, eco-friendly and also pretty and feminine. It\u2019s not just yoga pants.\u201d", "vid": "best-environmentally-friendly-business", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.evolve108.com ", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Environmentally Friendly Business", "contact": "108 Webster St, 648-1080", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_environmentally_friendly_business", "name": "Evolve 108 "}, {"description": "An excellent concept: Throw together the best in good eats like P.F. Chang\u2019s China Bistro, Islands Fine Burger & Drink and California Pizza Kitchen in a 675,000-square-foot, outdoor center. Add some some top-notch shops like Banana Republic, Lucky Brand Jeans, Pac Sun, White House | Black Market, Pottery Barn and Macy\u2019s, to name a few. Conveniently locate a Starbucks, Cold Stone Creamery and the LALLA Grill, so the shopping and dining experience can be fully enjoyed (with the necessary coffee, ice cream, martini, or all of the above) before or after a movie at Century Cinemas. ", "vid": "best-shopping-districtcenter", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.delmontecenter.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Shopping District\u002fCenter", "contact": "1410 Del Monte Center, 373-2705", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_shopping_district\u002fcenter", "name": "Del Monte Shopping Center "}, {"description": "Founded in 1968, the 22 locations of Beverly\u2019s craft stores have everything you need for your big or little projects: ribbon, paint, beads, glue, fabric, paintbrushes, yarn, feathers and shelves towering with possibilities and ideas. Beverly\u2019s also offers classes on a variety of creative genres and its website features printable coupons (this month, potted trees, 3-5 feet, regular price: $79.99; with coupon: $38.88). Whether you have plans to paint the roof of the Sistine Chapel, or maybe just knit a scarf for a loved one, Beverly\u2019s is your starting point.", "vid": "best-place-to-buy-artcraft-supplies", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.beverlys.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Place To Buy Art\u002fCraft Supplies ", "contact": "2090 N. Fremont St., 344 Main St., 646-5141, 422-1508", "cities": ["Monterey", "Salinas"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_to_buy_art\u002fcraft_supplies_", "name": "Beverly's "}, {"description": "For extreme antique enthusiasts in the know, Trotter\u2019s represents the mother in 17th-20th century antiques. Upon entering the store, novices may feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of furniture, artwork, and one-of-a-kind pieces of history in pristine condition. Lee Trotter has been seeking out the best antiques on the Peninsula for nearly four decades, mostly from the wealthy estates in the Carmel\u002fPebble Beach area. Everything in her P.G. store\u2014dating back to the 1700s\u2014is guaranteed to be an original piece. No replicas, no joke. ", "vid": "best-antique-shop", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Antique Shop", "contact": "590 Lighthouse Ave, 373-3505", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_antique_shop", "name": "Trotter's Antiques "}, {"description": "Ten branch locations in Monterey County. ATMs everywhere\u2014malls, supermarkets and gas stationsCK. Free online banking. No monthly checking fees. Twenty-four hour phone assistance. Relentless theft protection. These are the things that make the Stagecoach good. The fact that they do all these things with relentless reliability, allowing clients to relax while banking on the go\u2014makes them the Best of Monterey County. ", "vid": "best-bank", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.wellsfargo.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Bank", "contact": "Various Locations, 1-800-869-3557", "cities": ["Various Locations"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_bank", "name": "Wells Fargo Bank "}, {"description": "From tricycles to race-ready speed machines, Joselyn\u2019s Bicycles pedals at all levels. It\u2019s their customer service, though, where they find another gear\u2014the staff springs to action with attention and insight to build, tune, and fully repair any bicycle, regardless of if it has been purchased at Joselyn\u2019s. Pre-triathlon, huge weekend road rumble, or epic Fort Ord mountain bike mania\u2014or simply a relaxing cruise down the Rec trail\u2014brake by JB\u2019s.", "vid": "best-bike-store", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Bike Store", "contact": "398 E. Franklin St, 649-8520", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_bike_store", "name": "Joselyn\u2019s Bicycles"}, {"description": "Plunge into an unfamiliar and serene world where dolphins, sea lions, whales and otters rule, and the wind is your only guide. Taught by American Sailing Association certified instructors, CSUMB offers ASA certification programs beginning with the most basic sailing all the way to bareboat chartering. Learn the vocabulary of the salty dog: trimming, tacking, jibing and steering. Also learn the maneuvers: docking, man overboard recovery, heaving to and reefing. Along with the adult certification classes, CSUMB offers youth programs for 8-18 year olds. ", "vid": "best-sailing-school", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fhttp:\u002f\u002fmontereyboating.org", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Sailing School", "contact": "100 Campus Center, 582-4271", "cities": ["Seaside"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_sailing_school", "name": "The Boating Education Program at CSU, Monterey Bay"}, {"description": "The Book Haven is the real deal: A used bookstore with rare hardbacks and paperbacks on everything from theater to philosophy to butterfly collecting. Co-owners Guy Rodriguez gives the collection, which is especially strong in maritime and military history and art, special attention. One recent delight: a first edition of Ram Dass\u2019 Be Here Now\u2019 an appropriately counter-culture found to their obvious delight.", "vid": "best-bookstoreused", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best BookStore-Used", "contact": "559 Tyler St, 333-0383", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_bookstore-used", "name": "Book Haven "}, {"description": "Worldwide chain Borders is a purveyor of cutting-edge literature\u2014or at least the Sand City store is. There, you can find Roberto Bolano\u2019s sprawling 89-page opus 2666 and scattershot genius William T. Vollmann\u2019s Europe Central. Of course, Borders stocks popular titles like the President Obama\u2019s The Audacity of Hope and John Grisham\u2019s latest, too.", "vid": "best-bookstorenew", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.borders.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best BookStore-New", "contact": "2080 California Ave, 1301 Munras Ave, 899-6643, 373-0987", "cities": ["Sand City", "Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_bookstore-new", "name": "Borders "}, {"description": "Everybody wins with large selection of new and certified pre-owned vehicles, supremely competitive pricing, a service department that\u2019s open seven days a week, a knowledgeable and friendly staff and complimentary shuttle service. Throw in arguably the strongest lineup of cars and trucks on the road, and it\u2019s a Victory all the way around.", "vid": "best-car-dealership--new", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Car Dealership - New", "contact": "5 Heitzinger Plaza, 393-3020", "cities": ["Seaside"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_car_dealership_-_new", "name": "Victory Toyota "}, {"description": "Cardinale\u2019s range of dealerships means great selection\u2014buyers can pull from the inventory of any of their many lots. Its financing program, as flexible and democratic as any in the area, means more people can find the ride that\u2019s right for them. Best of all, its family-owned identity means buyers get to deal with longtime locals. Sold.", "vid": "best-car-dealership--used", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Car Dealership - Used", "contact": "3 Geary Plaza, 393-0600", "cities": ["Seaside"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_car_dealership_-_used", "name": "Cardinale Motors"}, {"description": "\u201cFrom oil change to engine exchange.\u201d That\u2019s Tom Hillesheim\u2019s motto for his auto shop, and he (and his employees) deliver. The store\u2019s experienced mechanics will perform \u201cany service\u201d on \u201cany car.\u201d So, whatever your make or model, whatever is broken or just a bit wobbly, you can get it fixed at Tom\u2019s.", "vid": "best-car-repair-shop", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Car Repair Shop", "contact": "870 Abrego St, 372-5854", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_car_repair_shop", "name": "Tom's Monterey Auto Repair "}, {"description": "This place is misnamed. El Estero\u2026fine. While the chariot is getting buffed, glossed and flossed, a stroll along the scenic neighboring namesake\u2019s lakeshores is nice (simply make sure that you\u2019re not gone long\u2014despite their popularity, these guys are militantly considerate in their 20-minute-a-wash ethic). But as the wax goes on, \u201cwash\u201d sounds a little off. It\u2019s more like car \u201cspa.\u201d The highly customizable options (Bronze? Silver? Gold? Platinum? A la carte?) include everything from a full service to console cream protectant to an underbody rinse\u2014and fragrance.", "vid": "best-carwash", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.elesterocarwash.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Carwash", "contact": "590 Fremont, 373-1801", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_carwash", "name": "El Estero Car Wash "}, {"description": "Apple is awfully controlling when it comes to its expensive proprietary technology, but the products are so well crafted and stylish that they are next to impossible to resist. This store is a one-stop Apple specialty shop. The Genius Bar serves steaming piles of Genius to answer all your questions; you can also make an appointment with a dedicated specialist to take you around the store and find the computer that best suits your needs. Add on in-store technical service, and the standard is set for premium computer stores everywhere.", "vid": "best-computer-store", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Computer Store", "contact": "240 Del Monte Center, 647-4480", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_computer_store", "name": "Apple Store "}, {"description": "In a bay full of dive buddies, these dudes are the amphibious set\u2019s best friend. When they aren\u2019t taking local amphibians around the globe\u2014upcoming trips will hit Indo, the Phillipines and the Channel Islands\u2014they\u2019re dispensing great gear and wise guidance. And like any diver worth his bottled air, they are also adept at another key skill: administering awesome underwater adventure stories. Have John tell you the one about how he kept a huge halibut from dragging him and his spear gun out to a watery death (and how he prepped said flounder for the grill).", "vid": "best-dive-shop", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.bambooreef.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Dive Shop", "contact": "614 Lighthouse Ave, 372-1685", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_dive_shop", "name": "Bamboo Reef "}, {"description": "Friendly and family owned since 1921, Vapor\u2019s is home to all of your dry cleaning needs. The family pride themselves in eco-friendly cleaning solutions, and pay close attention to detail, listening closely to what their customers want, which keeps patrons coming back. Maybe someone wants a crease, and someone else hates creases. Missing a button, get it sewed on. Detail. Detail. Detail. This is what makes them tailor suited for a Best Of.", "vid": "best-dry-cleaners", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Dry Cleaners ", "contact": "1193 10th St., , 375-5221", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_dry_cleaners_", "name": "Vapor Sudden Services Cleaners"}, {"description": "Israel Castro and his family have held down the fort\u2014as it pertains to Mexican and Central American food and goods\u2014at the same Marina address for 21 years. The secret to their success? A prepared food menu that keeps people flowing through to pick up carnitas, burritos (including a \u201cvery, very big\u201d breakfast burrito for $3.25, says Israel), and rotisserie chicken; a butcher shop stocked with boneless chuck, sirloin, queso fresco and more; a staple of beans, rice, chiles, produce, spices and Jarrito sodas; and, says Israel, check-cashing service. And pi\u00f1atas\u2014can\u2019t forget the pi\u00f1atas.", "vid": "best-ethnic-market", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Ethnic Market", "contact": "346 Reservation Road, 384-5151", "cities": ["Marina"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_ethnic_market", "name": "El Rancho Market"}, {"description": "Bees, brides, and big-hearted folks all across the county love Swenson and Salicci Flowers. With its roots in the rich Salinas soil, Swenson and Salicci has been prepping specialty bouquets for any occasion and delivering smiles since the days of Steinbeck. Boss man: Don\u2019t forget Administrative Professional Week (formally known as the apparently p.c.-squeamish Secretaries Week) coming up next month. If you\u2019ve got a good one, you know well why they deserve a full week of floral goodwill. An early e-commerce success story, S&S does dandy business out of their digital storefront, www.onlineflowers.com, and also out of their two locations in Salinas and Monterey. ", "vid": "best-florist", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.onlineflowers.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Florist", "contact": "432 Alvarado St., 110 John St, 375-2725, 424-2725 ", "cities": ["Monterey", "Salinas"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_florist", "name": "Swenson & Silacci "}, {"description": "Assuming you still have a job and can afford to make mortgage payments, there may never be a better time to buy a house in Monterey County. Interest rates are scraping the floor, once-staggering prices have dropped to reasonable levels, and the inventory, or number of homes available for purchase, is great. So says Rita J. Lewis, managing broker for Coldwell Bankers. With 140 local brokers manning five offices throughout the county, Coldwell can get your happy feet in the door of your very own starter home in Seaside, or down the Big Sur Coast, where your dream crib awaits. So what separates Coldwell from the rest? \u201cWe have the most professional, ethical, competent, team on the coast, and we put clients needs first,\u201d Lewis says. ", "vid": "best-real-estate-office", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Real Estate Office", "contact": "Various Locations", "cities": ["Various Locations"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_real_estate_office", "name": "Coldwell Banker "}, {"description": "From fairway woods and wedges to utility hybrids and Guerin Rife Black Barbados putters, the 12,000-square-foot store stretches beyond the golf enthusiast\u2019s wildest dreams. Golf Mart not only offers a gargantuan inventory, competitive prices and a 90-day satisfaction guarantee, it also offers a full-swing simulator and a vector-launch monitor to make sure you really get the right club. It also provides professional service from some of the most knowledgeable folks in the game. Assistant manager Bill Moore says a couple of employees have even played in USGA Championships. ", "vid": "best-golf-shop", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Golf Shop", "contact": "2040 Fremont Blvd, 583-1000", "cities": ["Seaside"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_golf_shop", "name": "Golf Mart "}, {"description": "Tucked away in the milk-n-honey sublimity called Carmel Valley is CVAC, a ranchette style facility with perfectly manicured walks, fine stone walkways, heated outdoor lap pool, officious looking bocce grounds, endless tennis courts, and about as much top-end hardware as can be procured for the exercise rooms inside. Tread roughly on the industrial strength Life Fitness, Cybex and Hammer Strength brand gym machines, or go with the flow of the hot yoga, spin, Pilates, and \u201cbody combat\u201d classes staffed by top pros and sprinkled through each and every day. The only noticeable deficiency: A real basketball court, which us hoopsters must hope will be addressed with signature CVAC class by the new GM, Carmel Valley basketball head coach Ryan Sanchez. (Wink, nudge.)", "vid": "best-health-club", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.cvaconline.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Health Club ", "contact": "27300 Rancho San Carlos Road, , 624-2737", "cities": ["Carmel Valley"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_health_club_", "name": "Carmel Valley Athletic Club "}, {"description": "Hot yoga is not for everyone. With the heat cranking and the pores pouring it can be a bit much for those with weak systems or heart conditions. But those who practice it swear by its restorative powers with reverent zeal. Regular attendee Mike Cook plans to attend 150 classes this year, and happily ticks off the completed classes on his calendar: \u201cIt brings joy to my life, provides focus and relaxation.\u201d A combination of meditation and yogic exercise performed in a room that is heated to a healthy swelter, Bikram devotees claim increased flexibility, endurance, and a cleaner system that gets regular toxin flushing. Once cleared, get thy decrepit self to Bikram, where the pleasant heat of B\u002fM\u002fS (body, mind, spirit\u2014what did you think that it meant?) transformation awaits. ", "vid": "best-yoga-studio", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.bikramyogamonterey.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Yoga Studio", "contact": "170 Central Ave, 333-1007", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_yoga_studio", "name": "Bikram Yoga"}, {"description": "Mirek Kozicki is probably the most eclectic masseuse you\u2019ll ever meet. The Polish \u00e9migr\u00e9\u2019s checkered career includes a stint teaching Polish Language and Culture at DLI, serving time as a techie, and adventures all over the world as he and his wife, Jolanta, study up on the latest in massage alternative health techniques from all over the globe. As he kneads through the stresses of work, he entertains with soothing, humorous takes on the state of the world. He\u2019s got strong hands and a huge heart, which is probably why he\u2019s a consistent winner in this category. ", "vid": "best-massage-therapist", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.mindbodytherapycenter.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Massage Therapist", "contact": "Mind Body Therapy Center, 41 Soledad Dr., Monterey, 655-2808", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_massage_therapist", "name": "Mirek Kozicki "}, {"description": "You don\u2019t need to be a tourist to enjoy the luxury-in-our-own-backyard that is the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa (in fact, locals receive special deals at the Plaza). Perched over the Bay, its water-facing rooms offer dramatic views of the coastline\u2014and who doesn\u2019t enjoy falling asleep to the sound of lapping waves? Spa treatments, sipping cocktails and whale watching on the Schooners Bistro patio, and breakfasting along with otters and cormorants (critters and humans remain separated by bay-view windows) at the Duck Club Grill aren\u2019t too shabby, either.", "vid": "best-hotel", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.montereyplazahotel.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Hotel", "contact": "400 Cannery Row, 646-1700", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_hotel", "name": "Monterey Plaza Hotel "}, {"description": "The mission of Aquablue is the same as it was in 2003 when it opened: relaxation, rejuvenation and results. It starts with prime real estate in historic Oldtown Salinas. Next, it\u2019s the ambiance of falling water, soft music, and a buffet of simply elegant aromas. And that\u2019s all before you get to the front counter. Bottom line is, owners Frank and Debbie Savino have this place fine-tuned to perfection, from the skin and body treatments to the seemingly endless collection of massages and therapies. It could take months to experience them all. Might we suggest starting now.", "vid": "best-spa", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.aquabluespa.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Spa", "contact": "229 Main Street, 422-2500", "cities": ["Salinas"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_spa", "name": "Aquablue Skin & Body Spa"}, {"description": "Weekly readers love the zen-ish-ness of the place: the locale, in the Court of the Fountains, the immaculate beauty of the shop, and the obvious commitment to making every appointment an entire event. Walk in the door, and tea is waiting. Need a haircut? You\u2019ll be getting a neck and scalp massage, too. Having roots touched up? Hand massages and make-up touch-ups are part of that ritual. We dig the new chakra spray body mist line. We think numbers six and seven, insight and wisdom, are actually making us smarter\u2014or at least making us smell and feel pretty darn good.", "vid": "best-salon", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.mantrasalon.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Salon", "contact": "Mission and 7th Streets, 626-1223", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_salon", "name": "Mantra Salon "}, {"description": "With the economy getting swept into the trash like all the trimmed locks of locals (which the Super staffers do with conscientious consistency), people need to get in and out quickly without losing quality or liberating too much coin. Here is the place where that happens. With style. Trus story.", "vid": "best-barbershop", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.supercuts.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best BarberShop", "contact": "Various Locations", "cities": ["Various Locations"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_barbershop", "name": "Supercuts "}, {"description": "Whether with sprays or rays, this place can give you a do and darken your hue all in the same appointment. With the most modern equipment available, you\u2019ll get bronzed, and the salon\u2019s skin and nail care will make you up in colors to complement your new pigmentation.", "vid": "best-tannign-salon", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.malibubythesea.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Tannign Salon", "contact": "2024 Del Monte Ave. Ste B, 643-9378", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_tannign_salon", "name": "Malibu Tanning "}, {"description": "Monterey\u2019s original luxury spa recently completed a remodel and expansion and now boasts more than 6,000 square feet of spa, health and fitness services. Along with a full menu of services\u2014like the anti-aging tropical wrap and papaya enzyme facial, and warm riverstone massage\u2014the Spa on the Plaza also offers guests complementary use of its fitness center, showers, whirlpool, and plunge pool. And while its skilled staff, rub, scrub and smooth cares and worries away from your body and mind, your soul can rest assured: the spa\u2019s a member of the organic trade association.", "vid": "best-place-for-skin-care", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.spaontheplaza.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Place For Skin Care", "contact": "201 Alvarado St, 647-9000", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_for_skin_care", "name": "Spa on the Plaza "}, {"description": "Poppleton\u2019s allows customers to customize, or buy direct from the floor. Its many skilled designers are eager to suggest a fitting ensemble for any home. Iron canopy beds, Tibetan hand knotted rugs (If these don\u2019t suite you, try the hand-woven Aubusson), silver crystal lamps, chests, and don\u2019t leave without a good book case, and high-back, leather-dimpled chairs. Across the room a Louis XVI roll top desk lends itself well to the idea of these must-have chairs. Upon departure try not to regret leaving that beautiful Alsace bureau desk behind. Or, you can always come back for it later.", "vid": "best-furniture-store", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.poppletonshome.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Furniture Store ", "contact": "299 Lighthouse Ave, 649-3083", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_furniture_store_", "name": "Poppleton's "}, {"description": "Diamonds are forever, and at Gasper\u2019s Jewelry, customization makes them the perfect gift. The family-owned jewelry store offers an array of elegant diamonds and gems cut with pure precision. There is also a selection of high quality platinum, white and yellow gold designer pieces. Gasper\u2019s has been showcasing its selection of one-of-a-kind jewelry with knowledgeable customer service since 1989.", "vid": "best-jewelry-store", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Jewelry Store ", "contact": "447 Alvarado St, 375-5332", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_jewelry_store_", "name": "Gasper's Jewelers "}, {"description": "There are plenty of Internet options at this hi-tech, Green Certified business: satellite, residential and commercial DSL, wireless, T1, and super broadband. But proof positive that this group is committed to Internet for all: It offers dial-up. So for Monterey County residents still using Windows\u201993 and AOL, there is hope. With free phone support 365 days a year, subscribers are sure to get help for their web problems without waiting on hold forever. ", "vid": "best-internet-provider", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.redshift.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Internet Provider", "contact": "712 Hawthorne St, 1124 S. Main St, 655-8710, 755-7700", "cities": ["Monterey", "Salinas"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_internet_provider", "name": "Redshift "}, {"description": "Are you a man? Do you wear clothes? We certainly encourage you to, if only for public outings. The flat-out finest can be found at Khaki\u2019s\u2014as even our lesser competitors on the fashion beat (Esquire) have recognized, voting Khaki\u2019s of Carmel one of the best men\u2019s stores in America\u2014and thereby placing them in the company of Bergdorf Goodman, Mario\u2019s in Seattle, Louis of Boston and Harold\u2019s of London. The labels here include Ermenegildo Zegna, Canali, Diesel, Isaia, Robert Talbott. The label for Khaki\u2019s itself: world-class.", "vid": "best-mens-clothing-store", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.khakisofcarmel.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Men's Clothing Store ", "contact": "3744 The Barnyard, 625-8106", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_men's_clothing_store_", "name": "Khaki's Men's Clothier "}, {"description": "Sure we may be in the middle of the deep, dark recession rivaling the Great Depression. But that doesn\u2019t mean you have to dress like it. Find spring\u2019s hottest looks\u2014flowery, floaty tops, Maxi dresses and boyfriend jeans\u2014at prices that won\u2019t send you to the soup line. This perennial fave among fashionistas also sells chic accessories, including handbags and jewelry.", "vid": "best-womens-clothing-boutique", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Women's Clothing Boutique ", "contact": "266 Main St, 757-4055", "cities": ["Salinas"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_women's_clothing_boutique_", "name": "Bliss Boutique "}, {"description": "Weekly distribution chief Aaron Thomas\u2019 look reflects his gift for thrift: He sits in a pimpy \u201980s Adidas jumpsuit (or a vintage velour shirt) in a tall lime green office chair beneath a huge fantasy-wizard painting next to a mug the size of a volleyball and reads THINK BIG. When asked to rank the options out there, the man who knows second hand like the back of his hand is succinct: \u201cGoodwill is pretty much it. It\u2019s the place,\u201d he says. \u201cIt should be a verb. Like Google.\u201d", "vid": "best-secondhand-clothing-store", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.goodwill.org", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Secondhand Clothing Store ", "contact": "Various Locations", "cities": ["Various Locations"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_secondhand_clothing_store_", "name": "Goodwill "}, {"description": "Birkenstock? Check. Donald J. Pliner? Check. Ecco and Ugg? Check check. We\u2019re big fans of the bare foot. Frankly, we have a penchant for perfectly pedicured toes. But when those days come when we simply must dress our feet, we like to do it here, where we can find absolutely everything. It\u2019s no wonder, actually, considering they do shop the entire freakin\u2019 world\u2014and we don\u2019t mean on the Internet\u2014to find the perfect shoes and shoemakers for our sweet little footsies. Don\u2019t trust your tootsies to many. But trust Hedi\u2019s absolutely.", "vid": "best-shoe-store", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Shoe Store ", "contact": "Ocean and Mission Streets, 3630 The Barnyard, 624-5580, 625-2055", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_shoe_store_", "name": "Hedi's, Carmel "}, {"description": "Pete Wise keeps his customers coming back by satisfying every musician\u2019s weakness: an insatiable appetite for fresher and better equipment. Say you want to upgrade that Squire for a Gibson. Wise Music will apply 80 percent of the purchase price towards the new ax. \u201cWe don\u2019t always win on that, but it makes them come back,\u201d Wise says. \u201cNobody else does anything like it. A lot of music stores say \u2018no returns.\u2019\u201d Add in the constant rotation of used equipment and Wise Music supplies prime grazing for fickle music heads. ", "vid": "best-store-for-musical-instruments", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.myspace.com\u002fwisemusicstore", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Store For Musical Instruments", "contact": "233 Monterey St, 424-7885", "cities": ["Salinas"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_store_for_musical_instruments", "name": "Wise Music"}, {"description": "For 40 years, Grove Market has been more than just the well-stocked grocery store around the corner. The friendly folks on staff are your always-chatty friend, sure-I\u2019ll-spot-you-a-stick-of-butter next door neighbor, and personal culinary consultant rolled into one. Want well-marbled prime rib for that dinner party you\u2019re having this weekend? Ask the guys at the meat and deli counter. Too tired to cook dinner tonight? Grab a roast chicken and a tub of just-like-homemade potato salad. Need some recipe ideas? One of their family or customer submitted recipes will suffice. They\u2019ll even deliver.", "vid": "best-neighborhood-market", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.grovemarketpg.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Neighborhood Market", "contact": "242 Forest Ave., 375-9581", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_neighborhood_market", "name": "Grove Market, Pacific Grove "}, {"description": "REI doesn\u2019t transport you up a powdery peak or beside the smoky, warmth of backpacker fire, but the store gives you all the gear you need for any nature jaunt, from a Tahoe snowboard trip to a weeklong trek through Yosemite. REI\u2019s equipment can be pricy but becoming a member saves you green. Not only do you receive a 10 percent refund for most purchases every March, but members can take advantage of routine sales and the Marina store\u2019s quarterly, used-gear sale (next one is April 4). While shopping for hiking boots and sleeping bags at REI, you can almost smell redwood bark and roasted marshmallows. ", "vid": "best-outdoor-gear-store", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.rei.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Outdoor Gear Store ", "contact": "145 General Stillwell Drive, 883-8048", "cities": ["Marina"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_outdoor_gear_store_", "name": "REI "}, {"description": "Don\u2019t call Rick Richardson a plant geek. As far as the winning nursery owner is concerned, there\u2019s nothing nerdy about flora\u2014and local gardeners and landscapers agree. \u201cWe pride ourselves on our customer service and our plant selections,\u201d says Richardson, who bought the business from his mother and stepfather three years ago. The 2.3-acre nursery specializes in Australian and South African species such as proteas and pincushions, along with water plants and hard-to-find breeds such as Annie\u2019s Annuals oriental poppies. One of Richardson\u2019s favorites is the curly-stemmed Harry Lauder\u2019s walking stick, which extends long cascading tassels before putting out gnarled leaves. Ornamental gardeners love the rainbow of bedding colors, even in winter; and eco-landscapers are impressed by the deer-resistant, drought-tolerant and organic variety. Valley Hills\u2019 product line even includes some fauna\u2014ladybugs and lacewings and mantises to eat pests, and free mosquito fish to keep pond-breeding skeeters in check. When asked about the weirdest plant in his shop, Richardson only hesitates a moment before quipping: \u201cProbably one of my employees.\u201d Three cheers, then, for these beloved plant weirdoes.", "vid": "best-nursery", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.valleyhillsnursery.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Nursery ", "contact": "7440 Carmel Valley Road, 624-3482", "cities": ["Carmel Valley"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_nursery_", "name": "Valley Hills Nursery "}, {"description": "The cat is out of the bag. A neighborhood pet store for 12 years, Posh Pets has all of the studded leashes, cat houses, couture t-shirts (including one tiny T that proclaims \u201cI\u2019ve Got Issues\u201d, and another that asks \u201cGot Treats?\u201d) that you would expect, plus a healthy supply of raw and organic pet foods for just about any critter. \u201cOur customers tend to be people who care about the well being of their pets, and care about the products they feed them\u201d, owner Kelly Lehrian says. As a charitable effort, PP has dedicated window frontage and a store wall as donated space to ARPF adopt-a-cat and rabbit programs. Several resident felines prowl the aisles, including a hairless purrer named Merecat who has quite a fan club. Pets are welcome to visit and pick out a baby (toy, in pet owner parlance) of their own. Splurge a bit and take home a sushi and conch dinner for your beloved lap-sitter. Just don\u2019t let the cats (or wabbits) out when you come in.", "vid": "best-local-pet-store", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.poshpetspg.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Local Pet Store ", "contact": "170 Fountain Ave, 375 7387", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_local_pet_store_", "name": "Posh Pets "}, {"description": "Dr. Frank Kocher\u2019s pet care will help you heal your critter, whether they need medication, surgery, or just for their people to give them a little less kibble during the day. The clinic will treat virtually anything mammalian, and they have been doing it for many years. Why, even our poll of the pets that have been treated there revealed a 95 percent satisfaction rating! Okay, not really, but if it were possible, they surely would.", "vid": "best-veterinarian", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.ovvh.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Veterinarian", "contact": "109 Central Ave", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_veterinarian", "name": "Ocean View Veterinary Hospital"}, {"description": "As one of the oldest businesses on the Central Coast, years of local ownership have made this independent pharmacy a long-time winner. Originally built on the corner of Franklin and Alvarado in 1904, Ordway has expanded is size and services, offering locals the personalized customer service that chains stores just can\u2019t give. With a promise to \u201cmeet or beat any price in Monterey County,\u201d Ordway Drugs almost takes the sting out of buying those daily insulin shots.", "vid": "best-pharmacy", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.ordwaydrug.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Pharmacy", "contact": "499 Alvarado St, 372-8085", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_pharmacy", "name": "Ordway Drugs "}, {"description": "Green\u2019s Camera World has been serving both Salinas and Monterey for some time now, since 1921 to be exact. For Green\u2019s, it\u2019s a mix of things that keeps them going: one-on-one customer service, good prices and the only place on the Peninsula that develops slide film (at the Monterey store). They also develop medium format film. Both locations have a nice selection of cameras, accessories and a friendly staff.", "vid": "best-photo-store", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.greenscameraworld.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Photo Store ", "contact": "Various Locations", "cities": ["Various Locations"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_photo_store_", "name": "Greene's Camera "}, {"description": "As grocery stores scramble to keep pace with public\u2019s blooming eco-awareness, natural and organic products timidly surface among the stacks of synthetic and conventional staples on conventional market shelves. But the chain that\u2019s always been ahead of the curve is maintaining its comfortable lead with Weekly readers. Whole Foods remains the only place on the Peninsula where health-conscious customers can find MSG-free veggie bouillon, bulk nutritional yeast and organic turkey sausage; browse abundant displays of pesticide-free fruits and veggies; pair sustainably-grown wine with raw, hormone-free cheese; and nibble on samples of jalape\u00f1o-spiced tortilla chips with cold mango salsa. It\u2019s worth the premium to know that Whole Foods products contain no trans fats or artificial ingredients: because what\u2019s healthiest is also the tastiest.", "vid": "best-grocery-store", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.wholefoodsmarket.com ", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Grocery Store ", "contact": "800 Del Monte Center, 333-1600", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_grocery_store_", "name": "Whole Foods "}, {"description": "Here spirits, cervezas and savignon blancs are but the beginning, young grasshopper\u2014when they say more, they mean it: cheeses, mixers, glasses, goblets, pourers, gourmet snacks, shooters, sauces, syrups, specialty sodas and so on. Imagine everything from a seemingly infinite index of popular red wines\u2014Portuguese to Pessagno\u2014to obscure green fairies (that\u2019s absinthe, and they\u2019ve got a dozen of the domestically approved options). Mo is better.", "vid": "best-selection-of-liquor", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.bevmo.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Selection Of Liquor", "contact": "1900 North Davis Road, 442-2411", "cities": ["Salinas"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_selection_of_liquor", "name": "BevMo "}, {"description": "Wine should be made for the masses\u2014as Trader Joe\u2019s reminds us. They have stuff that can be swirled, sniffed and slurped without causing insufficient fund failures. (Don\u2019t be afraid to move past the bottom shelf values to mild investments that yield even more bang for Bordeaux.) And since the U.S. struggles to make good swill for less in ways that Europe or South America, do not, T.J.\u2019s stocks accordingly\u2014and eclectically. For checkbook challenged oenephiles looking to taste the wines of the world, check this joint: Roll your wagons into Sheryl Harriman\u2019s wine aisle (she plays wine chief at P.G.\u2019s outletCK) and get tips from an expert. With cheese and baguettes waiting nearby, you may see teeth-stained tribe members waltzing in and asking aloud, \u201cWhat should I pair with this Pinot?\u201d", "vid": "best-wine-market", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.traderjoes.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Wine Market ", "contact": "570 Munras Ave, 1170 Forest Ave, 372-2010, 656-0180", "cities": ["Monterey", "Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_wine_market_", "name": "Trader Joes "}, {"description": "Here\u2019s a great little recipe for Sea Harvest\u2019s wild salmon from Alaska or farmed salmon from Canada: Marinate the slab of fish in a mixture of Dijon mustard, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper and then broil. Now, I gotta figure out some good ways to cook up the market\u2019s mussels, clams, Hawaiian tuna and local seafood including sanddabs, red snapper, swordfish, fillet of sole and grenadier.", "vid": "best-seafood-market", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Seafood Market", "contact": "Various Locations", "cities": ["Various Locations"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_seafood_market", "name": "Sea Harvest "}, {"description": "Our lunchbox runneth over here in Monterey County, with hundreds of bomb-diggity restaurants to choose from. But Weekly readers give top take-out honors to the Whole Foods prepared foods section, where 10 bucks can fetch a tasty and healthy gobble to go. All the prepped vittles are made under the guidance of experienced chefs with natural or organic ingredients\u2014and no trans fats or artificial junk. The hard part is deciding what to pick. Will it be the Sonoma chicken salad, oven-poached salmon, smoked mozzarella pasta salad, spinach orzo or cabbage crunch? If you\u2019re craving hotness, choices include pot roast, Hawaiian chicken drumettes and spinach mac \u2019n\u2019 cheese. Or, if you want edible packaging, you can design your own custom burrito. It\u2019s a lot to digest.", "vid": "best-organic-produce-market", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.wholefoodsmarket.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Organic Produce Market", "contact": "800 Del Monte Center, 333-1600", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_organic_produce_market", "name": "Whole Foods "}, {"description": "Drew Chernoy and David Babcock understand the good life. David is a wildly creative Le Cordon Bleu trained Chef and Drew has a good head for numbers. They have an apartment in Paris and visit regularly because\u2014because it\u2019s Paris. Their store is full of merchandise as diverse as the latest type of peeler and the fanciest magnificent European dishware. Plus, you can learn how to cook properly in one of the many classes, buy great gourmet food, wine and cheeses and watch Drew worry endlessly about what hair-brained idea David is coming up with next. This store is great goods and great fun.", "vid": "best-gourmetkitchen-shop", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.clementineskitchen.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Gourmet\u002fKitchen Shop ", "contact": "465 Canyon Del Rey Blvd, 392-1494", "cities": ["Del Rey Oaks"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_gourmet\u002fkitchen_shop_", "name": "Clementine's "}, {"description": "Teplitzky\u2019s Catering seemed a bit much for word-weary Peninsulans to handle, so Chef Terry, or T-Squared as he\u2019s known, settled upon Michael as an easy to remember name. That\u2019s where the simplicity ends as this CIA-trained, highly experienced talent helps pedestrian events metamorphose into extravaganzas with his unlimited food expressions. From simple company gatherings to world-class galas, Michael\u2019s Catering turns your hosting from humble to hooray in less time than it takes to spell Teplitzky.", "vid": "best-catering-company", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Catering Company", "contact": "445 Reservation Road. Suite U, 884-2400", "cities": ["Marina"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_catering_company", "name": "Michael's Catering "}, {"description": "A&R Plumbing does it again. The people have spoken and declared they want A&R handling there pipes. Whether you need a new home plumbed, or are working on that remodeling project you have been dreaming about, A&R does it all\u2014earthquake shut off valves, sewer and drain cleaning, appliance installations, and the list goes on. They\u2019re a traditional, full-service plumbing company with more than 35 years of service to the community. Traditional, meaning they charge you for what you get: Time and material. No flat-rate scams where your hard-earned money goes down the drain.", "vid": "best-plumber", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.aandrplumbinginc.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Plumber", "contact": "1720 Contra Costa St, 624-2047", "cities": ["Seaside"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_plumber", "name": "A & R Plumbing "}, {"description": "John Moore is one of the most avid electricians in Monterey County. With 65 years of diligences and dedication to the electrical trade under his belt, his number-one priority is customer service. With a traveling range from Monterey to Big Sur, John Moore and his highly experienced staff come to the front door of any electrical situation with their \u201c do it all\u201d mentality.", "vid": "best-electrician", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Electrician", "contact": "302 Dela Vina Ave, 373-7117", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_electrician", "name": "John Moore "}, {"description": "Weekly readers know lots of do-it-yourselfers in Pacific Grove and not all of them are schizophrenic. Many of them, however, can\u2019t seem to keep the names of the two hardware stores on Forest Avenue straight. One is known as PG Hardware and it is as venerable a small-town hardware store as ever graced the planet. It is smack dab downtown, and it\u2019s crammed from floor to ceiling with everything from replacement water heaters, chisels to the occasional monarch butterfly cut-out. The other store is known as Forest Hill Ace: It\u2019s in a strip center and it\u2019s a little bigger and seems to have more tools and paint and nobody can miss the bargain tables out front. Both of these stores are staffed by the kind of friendly know-it-alls that take a lot of the mystery out of trying to solve a new household problem. And since the voters this year blended their two names, we are going to congratulate both of them as best. ", "vid": "best-hardware-store", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Hardware Store ", "contact": "1136 Forest Ave, 372-3284", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_hardware_store_", "name": "Forest Hill Ace"}, {"description": "Weekly readers know lots of do-it-yourselfers in Pacific Grove and not all of them are schizophrenic. Many of them, however, can\u2019t seem to keep the names of the two hardware stores on Forest Avenue straight. One is known as PG Hardware and it is as venerable a small-town hardware store as ever graced the planet. It is smack dab downtown, and it\u2019s crammed from floor to ceiling with everything from replacement water heaters, chisels to the occasional monarch butterfly cut-out. The other store is known as Forest Hill Ace: It\u2019s in a strip center and it\u2019s a little bigger and seems to have more tools and paint and nobody can miss the bargain tables out front. Both of these stores are staffed by the kind of friendly know-it-alls that take a lot of the mystery out of trying to solve a new household problem. And since the voters this year blended their two names, we are going to congratulate both of them as best. ", "vid": "best-hardware-store", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Hardware Store ", "contact": "229 Forest Ave, , 646-9144", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_hardware_store_", "name": "Pacific Grove Hardware"}, {"description": "Jack London once wrote: \u201cShow me a man with a tattoo and I\u2019ll show you a man with an interesting past.\u201d Tattoos are sublime. They are sexy, mysterious, dangerous, expressive, sometimes campy, and an art form that\u2019s more than 5,000 years old. The Gold Coast crew has been renowned purveyors of this ancient and transcendent means of expression in Monterey for 33 years. And these guys are proud of every flesh canvas they perforate. \u201cAll the work we do stands out,\u201d tattoo artist Orlando Ferron says. \u201cWe\u2019re always trying to progress.\u201d ", "vid": "best-tattoo-parlor", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.goldcoasttattoo.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Tattoo Parlor", "contact": "639 Lighthouse Ave, 642-9404", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_tattoo_parlor", "name": "Gold Coast Tattoo "}, {"description": "Find fun, quirky gifts for everyone on your list at Never on Sunday, Weekly readers go-to spot for everything from French linen tablecloths, vintage Parisian street signs, Greek soaps, Dia de los Muertos figurines, Ugly Dolls and Chan Luu jewelry, just to name a few. And who can resist a cat-butt air freshener or \u201cLooking Good for Jesus\u201d lip balm? Whoever they are, we admire their restraint.", "vid": "best-gift-shop", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fhttp:\u002f\u002fwww.never-on-sunday.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Gift Shop ", "contact": "251 Pearl St, 372-1051", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_gift_shop_", "name": "Never on Sunday "}, {"description": "In addition to a rock CD selection that stretches from AC\u002fDC to Frank Zappa, Do Re Mi has blues, country and jazz sections along with smaller genres including big band and Dixieland jazz. So that you know what you are getting, Do Re Mi has 66 CD listening stations set up around the store with a variety of CDs from The Killers\u2019 Day & Age to Neko Case\u2019s Middle Cyclone.", "vid": "best-place-to-buy-music", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Place To Buy Music", "contact": "26135 Carmel Rancho Blvd, 625-1229", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_to_buy_music", "name": "Do Re Mi Music & Video"}, {"description": "When owner Kelly Sorensen first opened On the Beach Surf Shop in 1986, it was a 1,600 square foot basement store in Carmel. Now, Sorensen has a 6,000 square foot shop, which opened back in 1994, that has been designed to look like a tropical village. Though it\u2019s radical (pipes are painted to look like bamboo, and the floor seems like a beach), what boarders really look for in a surf shop is the gear. On the Beach delivers with snowboards, skate decks, paddleboards and a variety of surfboards.", "vid": "best-surf-shop", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.onthebeachsurfshop.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Surf Shop ", "contact": "693 Lighthouse Ave, 646-9283", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_surf_shop_", "name": "On the Beach Surf Shop"}, {"description": "Weekly distribution chief Aaron Thomas\u2019 look reflects his gift for thrift: He sits in a pimpy \u201980s Adidas jumpsuit (or a vintage velour shirt) in a tall lime green office chair beneath a huge fantasy-wizard painting next to a mug the size of a volleyball and reads THINK BIG. When asked to rank the options out there, the man who knows second hand like the back of his hand is succinct: \u201cGoodwill is pretty much it. It\u2019s the place,\u201d he says. \u201cIt should be a verb. Like Google.\u201d", "vid": "best-thrift-store", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.goodwill.org", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Thrift Store ", "contact": "Various Locations", "cities": ["Various Locations"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_thrift_store_", "name": "Goodwill "}, {"description": "You may notice that there\u2019s one less Hollywood Video in Monterey County. Early last year, the movie rental franchise closed their Marina branch. But in a Netflix world, things could be a lot worse. Hollywood Video has always been the kind of video store that hovers respectively, between the Blockbuster and the mom-and-pop sensibility. It carries classic films like Kurosawa\u2019s Seven Samurai and Renoir\u2019s Grand Illusion as well as big-budget Vin Diesel flicks. Netflix may be stiff competition but Hollywood Video comes through at 10pm when you get that sudden urge to watch a movie. ", "vid": "best-place-to-rent-videosdvds", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.hollywoodvideo.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Place To Rent Videos\u002fDVDs", "contact": "Various Locations", "cities": ["Various Locations"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_to_rent_videos\u002fdvds", "name": "Hollywood Video "}, {"description": "Gone are the days when a cell phone was a clunky status symbol wielded by the wealthy and chic. Celly\u2019s are now as ubiquitous as a wallet or a pair of shoes; one simply doesn\u2019t go out without it, and everyone has to have one, or two. Verizon is the triumphant telecommunications offspring of the Ma Bell annulment, and now stands atop the fantastically lucrative industry that has revolutionized every aspect of modern life, from how businesses operate, to news reportage, to the updatable honey-do list. ", "vid": "best-place-to-buy-a-cell-phone", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.verizonwireless.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Place To Buy A Cell Phone", "contact": "Various Locations", "cities": ["Various Locations"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_place_to_buy_a_cell_phone", "name": "Verizon Wireless"}, {"description": "Is that spiked heel on your favorite stilettos breaking off? Sole of your hiking boots a little weathered? Bring that beloved pair to Federico\u2019s, a place with status beyond shoe repair. Opened in 1939, Federico\u2019s is a gateway in time, characterized by its mom-and pop-atmosphere, affable service, and (not to forget) the little mechanical man working overtime in the shop\u2019s window. As for those stilettos, you\u2019ll promptly have your stomp back.", "vid": "best-shoe-repair-shop", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Shoe Repair Shop ", "contact": "542 Abrego St, 649-3322", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_shoe_repair_shop_", "name": "Federico\u2019s Shoe Service "}, {"description": "Long live the Actual Toy: The pliable, buildable, throwable, posable, explodable (with supervision of the equally under-aged brother, of course) toy! Far too much precocious creative stoke is lost to the widening maw of the digital realm these days, but thankfully there is still a toy store that Santa himself would be proud to post residence. Seaplanes and sidewalk chalk, science kits with eyeballs and hand bones to build, model cars and dragon kites, elves and ponies, Lincoln logs and Playmobile, fart generators, simple spinners and yo-yos, teepees and unicorns await imaginative youngsters. It\u2019s a compact, old-school toy store, not an overreaching corporate warehouse for Chinese electronics, and it should be considered a local treasure, a creative buffet for county youth. Did we mention the choo choo\u2019s, and submarines, blocks and lions and\u2026MOMMY!", "vid": "best-toy-store", "url": "", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Toy Store ", "contact": "Seventh and San Carlos, 480 Del Monte Center, 624-0441, 643-0907", "cities": ["Carmel", "Monterey"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_toy_store_", "name": "Thinker Toys "}, {"description": "Now 55 years strong, this performing arts center is a mecca for those yearning to hone their creative expression. Four-hundred students flow through the building\u2019s six studios, soaking up training from more than 30 instructors in acting, voice, musical instruments, ballet, acrobatics, and a range of dance forms like tap, modern, jazz, Celtic and hip-hop. They organize special camps throughout the year, are a community partner of MPUSD After School Academy\u2019s Extended Learning program, and now offer Kindermusik, a music and movement program, and Zumba fitness. That\u2019s a lotta creative action.", "vid": "best-performing-arts-training", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.carmelacademyofperformingarts.com", "section": "shopping & services", "label": "Best Performing Arts Training", "contact": "Mission and Eighth, 624-3729", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "readers choice", "id": "best_performing_arts_training", "name": "Carmel Academy of Performing Arts"}, {"description": "With its homey ambience and excellent egg Benedicts, Deetjen\u2019s is usually the first place on people\u2019s minds when they think of breakfast in Big Sur. But it\u2019s hard to find a better place to be than Ripplewood Resort Restaurant\u2019s garden patio, which soaks up the morning sun, enjoys very attentive service and is surrounded by orange and passion fruit trees and colorful flowers. The main items are always a treat\u2014try the huevos rancheros with rice or the cinnamon French toast with homemade applesauce (just $6.50\u2014or our favorite, the grilled vegetable scramble with a homemade muffin) and everything but the steak and eggs is under $10. But the most inviting element here is a side item: homemade potato gratin. An unadvertised adjustment only familiar to locals makes the already-great gratin amazing: Get it grilled.", "vid": "best-overlooked-big-sur-breakfast-spot", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.ripplewoodresort.com", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Overlooked Big Sur Breakfast Spot", "contact": "25 miles south of Carmel on Highway 1, 667-2242", "cities": ["Big Sur"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_overlooked_big_sur_breakfast_spot", "name": "Ripplewood Resort Restaurant"}, {"description": "Scott Grover launched this gallery\u002fcaf\u00e9\u002ftoy store last May in the wake\u2014and spirit\u2014of Andrew Jackson\u2019s kindred Outer Edge Studio. The Caf\u00e9\u2019s M.O.: Innovative work from artists from near and far; opening receptions overflowing with Acme coffee, wine, music and creative types; and celebrating a hot genre of art known as \u201cunderground,\u201d aka \u201clowbrow,\u201d aka \u201cnew brow,\u201d aka \u201cpop surrealism,\u201d etc. The stylish, green-friendly gallery tractor beams fresh art (and artists) like Eric Joyner, Shawn Barber, Anne Faith Nichols and Shepard Fairey (the red and blue Obama posters), and locals like Ray Magsalay and Chris Love\u2014Greg Gossel and Travis Louie are coming, FYI. Grover, Justin Giarla of San Francisco\u2019s Shooting Gallery, and local director Tanem Davidson made a documentary on the whole dang scene called New Brow: Contemporary Underground Art, world premiering at the Golden State Film Festival. Art is back, with an edge.", "vid": "best-reason-to-hang-out-behind-a-711", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.thealternativecafe.com", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Reason to Hang Out Behind a 7-11", "contact": "1230 Fremont Blvd, 583-0913", "cities": ["Seaside"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_reason_to_hang_out_behind_a_7-11", "name": "Alternative Caf\u00e9"}, {"description": "Not that the last-call crew, feeling no pain beyond drunken hunger, isn\u2019t giddier than Bruce Delgado at a native plant talk to have a late night option besides Denny\u2019s and Jack in the Box\u2014let alone a shop that serves Nana-designed, New York-quality slices with carefully chosen ingredients (try the powerful Godfather or the wild Pink Pizza). But it\u2019s the blue suits and the yellow cabs that really dig Croce\u2019s, which stays open \u2019til 2:30am nightly and 4am Friday-Saturday (and just expanded into the former Pink Tuna next door and now offers cheesesteaks, pastas, beer and wine, too): The 5-Oh loves that there\u2019s delicious greasy pies to soak up all the gin and juice that makes for stupid pre-dawn decisions, and cabbies appreciate seeing the closing time crush sprinkled over several hours as folks graze on high-grade Italian grub\n", "vid": "best-friend-to-police-and-cabbies", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.crocespizza.com", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Friend to Police and Cabbies", "contact": "400 Tyler St, 375-5150", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_friend_to_police_and_cabbies", "name": "Croce\u2019s East Coast Pizza"}, {"description": "It\u2019s the Salad Bowl of the World, for freak\u2019s sake. So excellent produce stands are pretty commonplace around here. Root 68 takes it a step further. Think corner store, hip coffeehouse\u002fjuice bar, and a mind-blowing array of fruits and veggies. There\u2019s milk and eggs and other daily conveniences, a fully stocked produce stand, and then there\u2019s Tiffany and Megan whipping up lattes and frappes at the Surf City Coffee bar in the back. Not into coffee? Grab some fruit off the shelf, and they\u2019ll blend it into a smoothie. It\u2019s a brilliant marriage of simple bests. We do.", "vid": "best-place-to-get-your-fruit-on", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.root68produce.com", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Place to Get Your Fruit On", "contact": "92 A Monterey-Salinas Highway, 455-0750", "cities": ["Salinas"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_place_to_get_your_fruit_on", "name": "Root 68"}, {"description": "Founded in 1910, and tucked away on a darkened Carmel sidestreet, the Forest Theatre is still going strong as a bastion of progressive theater, with excellent revivals of The Petrified Forest to Waiting For Lefty this season alone. Under the guidance of artistic director Nick Hovick, the son of Children\u2019s Experimental Theater guru Marcia Gambrell Hovick, it\u2019s a place you could imagine enlightened, idealistic folks gathering together to meet in the \u201930s\u2014probably because it was one. It still is.\n", "vid": "best-boho-old-carmel-hangout", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.cetstaffplayers.org", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Boho Old Carmel Hang-Out", "contact": "Mountain View between Santa Rita and Guadalupe", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_boho_old_carmel_hang-out", "name": "Indoor Forest Theatre"}, {"description": "Boom! The Brazilian drums and dancers spring to life with thumping rhythms and transform a room or outdoor gathering full of individuals into a collective mass of joy, shimmying and sweating as the shared energy builds, reaching a Bacchus-worthy frenzy of free-flowing limbs and minds, pulsing hearts and pounding feet. No wine needed to achieve ecstasy\u2014although we\u2019re sure neither the Sambahemians nor the gods would shun a fiery libation or two, just so long as the dancing and drumming don\u2019t stop.\n", "vid": "best-legal-way-to-induce-a-bakkheia", "url": "", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best (Legal Way) to Induce a Bakkheia", "contact": null, "cities": "", "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_(legal_way)_to_induce_a_bakkheia", "name": "Sambahemians "}, {"description": "They poured Dom that was older (and far more charming) than some of the vertical tasting\u2019s attendees, unveiled celeb chef dinners that soared to dizzying flavors, and, in a crowd of practiced food snobs assembled in the 45,000-square-foot tent for the Grand Tastings, left virtually no one disappointed with their performance, least of all the ready-to-return star chefs like Michel Richard, Thomas Keller and Claudine P\u00e9pin. Better yet, event power brokers David Bernahl, Rob Weakly and Gary Obligacion are gearing up for an elevated April \u201909 event without raising prices.", "vid": "best-new-event", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.pebblebeachfoodandwine.com", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best New Event", "contact": "1-866-907-FOOD", "cities": ["Pebble Beach"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_new_event", "name": "Pebble Beach Food & Wine"}, {"description": "Those with historical knowledge are in dispute over the origin of the name Bloody Mary: Some say it references Her Majesty the Queen, others say it is named after a bartender at Chicago\u2019s old watering hole the Bucket of Blood. Similarly, the editors at the Weekly are divided about the county\u2019s best Bloody Mary. But in the newfound spirit of bipartisan cooperation, two winners are awarded, with guidance built in: When a little midweek pick-me-up seems in order, head over to Wharf 2; on weekends go the distance to Spanish Bay. At either location the mixicologists behind the bar stir a secret combination of tomato juice, vodka, horseradish and Tabasco that rises to the occasion (and the spiced rim of a highball glass)\u2014you\u2019ll be rewarded with a potent and tasty tonic whichever day you choose. Consider the barstool view from both locations a uniquely Monterey County garnish.", "vid": "best-bloody-mary-tie", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.sandbarandgrill.com", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Bloody Mary (tie)", "contact": "Wharf #2, 373-2818", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_bloody_mary_(tie)", "name": "Sand Bar and Grill (weekdays)"}, {"description": "Those with historical knowledge are in dispute over the origin of the name Bloody Mary: Some say it references Her Majesty the Queen, others say it is named after a bartender at Chicago\u2019s old watering hole the Bucket of Blood. Similarly, the editors at the Weekly are divided about the county\u2019s best Bloody Mary. But in the newfound spirit of bipartisan cooperation, two winners are awarded, with guidance built in: When a little midweek pick-me-up seems in order, head over to Wharf 2; on weekends go the distance to Spanish Bay. At either location the mixicologists behind the bar stir a secret combination of tomato juice, vodka, horseradish and Tabasco that rises to the occasion (and the spiced rim of a highball glass)\u2014you\u2019ll be rewarded with a potent and tasty tonic whichever day you choose. Consider the barstool view from both locations a uniquely Monterey County garnish", "vid": "best-bloody-mary-tie", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.pebblebeach.com", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Bloody Mary (tie)", "contact": "2700 17-Mile Drive, 647-7500", "cities": ["Pebble Beach"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_bloody_mary_(tie)", "name": "Sticks (weekends)"}, {"description": "David Drew loves his hometown. He just shows it differently than most, by summoning Scorpions, Styx and celebrated steaks. As a promoter, he brought the Scorps, Poison and Mike Epps to Salinas in \u201908 (and Jessica Simpson, Heart and Randy Travis to Monterey). As an entrepreneur, he and his longtime lover Dawn Madri, brought the landmark spot that was The Pub back to life (the reminted and reappointed Growers Pub has been packed and slanging scores of its patented prime ribs since opening in February). His inspiration is simple. The fourth generationCK local loves seeing folks attracted to\u2014not evacuated from\u2014his sacred Salinas.", "vid": "best-hometownhero-moves", "url": "", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Hometown-Hero Moves", "contact": "227 Monterey St, 754-1488", "cities": ["Salinas"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_hometown-hero_moves", "name": "David Drew, Dawn Madri Productions, Growers Pub "}, {"description": "The Peninsula\u2019s bike path and walking trail is many things to many people. Certainly the Rec Trail wins as a place to let the wonders of nature calm ruffled nerves: The stresses of everyday life get appropriate perspective as one travels the coast line from Lovers Point in P.G., along Monterey\u2019s harbor, out past Scribble Hill in Seaside and then north towards Marina. For the reflective, contemplation and rejuvenation accompany the crashing seas, marine life, ancient dunes and old growth trees; for the singles\u2019 wandering eye, it\u2019s also a place to take in some skin tight lycra. It\u2019s an exercise regimen, it\u2019s a melting pot, it\u2019s a commuter\u2019s artery, it\u2019s a social scene and it\u2019s a majestic display of public policy contributing to the public good. Good, better, best.", "vid": "best-discount-therapy", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.monterey.org\u002frec\u002fcoastaltrail.html", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Discount Therapy", "contact": null, "cities": "", "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_discount_therapy", "name": "The Recreation Trail"}, {"description": "Six-year-old Bo-pah can barely see over her snare drum but the Afro-sporting drummer holds down Stevie Wonder\u2019s \u201cSuperstitious\u201d like a studio pro. Nine-year-old Mimi equally captivates a rowdy bar crowd and a restrained City Council meeting with her soulful pipes. With this much talent so early in life, the four sisters of the Sledge Grits Band are destined for stage lights beyond local fairgrounds. The Salinas band is one of six finalists in The Early Show\u2019s \u201cSinging Family Face Off.\u201d We\u2019re guessing the Sledge sisters will eat up the competition like grit\n", "vid": "best-underage-band", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.gritsworld.com", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Underage Band", "contact": null, "cities": "", "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_underage_band", "name": "The Sledge Grits Band"}, {"description": "At 6,800 square feet, we thought the five-bedroom Sunset Idea House at Monterra was a distorted and dubious example of sustainable building from the get-go. Sadly enough, the whole Monterra development and the Sunset House are today completely upside down financially. The Mills brothers, the key developers and former agricultural wizards, are now on the brink of bankruptcy, lots aren\u2019t selling, and the bad news and legal action against Monterra are piling up faster than you can say \u201cenergy efficiency.\u201d Travis Construction, the Sunset House\u2019s builder, is still trying to collect $245,000; octogenarian investor Mary Margaret Graham alleged the brothers took advantage of her old age by borrowing $500,000 (the lawsuit has since been settled); Don Chapin Company is owed more than $1.5 million; the city of Salinas employee retirement fund is foreclosing on its lots, hoping to recoup 15 loans at Monterra totaling $17.2 million\u2026and the grief and beef only deepen from there. When people should be moving into Monterra, things are only moving backwards.", "vid": "best-bad-idea", "url": "", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Bad Idea", "contact": "Monterra", "cities": "", "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_bad_idea", "name": "Sunset Idea House"}, {"description": "Steinbeck Library has enough cool technology to entertain a busload of energy drink-wired teens. The centerpiece of the Salinas library system\u2019s renaissance, the Digital Arts Lab, features four iMacs, four MacBooks, and one Mac Pro. Students have come in regularly since the lab\u2019s September opening to create YouTube videos, spruce up their Facebook page and make music on GarageBand. \u201cAs far as just walking in the door, pulling out your library card and using technology like this, we are the only game in Monterey County,\u201d says lab advisor Garland Thompson Jr. And if cutting up movie clips or arranging a score gets old, kids can wail to Guitar Hero\u2019s hair metal on the Teen Lounge\u2019s flat screen TV.", "vid": "best-new-tech-hub", "url": "", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best New Tech Hub ", "contact": "John Steinbeck Library, 350 Lincoln Ave, 758-7311", "cities": ["Salinas"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_new_tech_hub_", "name": "Digital Arts Lab and Teen Lounge"}, {"description": "Sandwich shops are a dime a dozen\u2014within a 1-mile radius of The Weekly offices, there\u2019s at least four. We guarantee none of them produces a sandwich that sings to you like those on the menu at Mal\u2019s. While their displays and marketing campaigns get fancier, Mal\u2019s stays simple: Everything in the place is pretty much the same as it was two decades ago, including (thankfully) the sandwich menu, a one-page photocopy with a handful of choices, including a huge Philly with an indulgent garlic spread, a better-than-ever club with crispy bacon and a Bomber that will make you want to slap your personal trainer. For around eight bucks, you can score an edible piece of Americana easily big enough to share and good enough to arm-wrestle over.", "vid": "best-reason-to-cheat-on-your-diet", "url": "", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Reason to Cheat on Your Diet", "contact": "1264 Noche Buena St, 394-1881", "cities": ["Seaside"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_reason_to_cheat_on_your_diet", "name": "Mal\u2019s Market"}, {"description": "Forget John McCain or Sarah Palin, we\u2019ve got our own wild card right here on the Central Coast: State Sen. Abel Maldonado, recently propelled into the national spotlight after breaking with the GOP and casting the key 27th vote needed to pass the state budget\u2014and keep California from falling off a cliff. The spending plan contains nearly $13 billion in new taxes, which didn\u2019t endear Maldonado to the Republican leadership, who have said they won\u2019t give him any money to run for statewide office in 2010. \u201cThis will probably be the end of a political career for me,\u201d he told reporters. But don\u2019t cry for Abel, Monterey County. He\u2019s crazy like a fox, and, we\u2019re betting, will use this new-found savior status to seek something higher than state controller. Gov. Maldonado, perhaps?\n", "vid": "best-maverick", "url": "", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Maverick", "contact": null, "cities": "", "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_maverick", "name": "State Sen. Abel Maldonado"}, {"description": "Any Joe with a pocketful of dough can take his gal to a fancy-shmancy place with an ocean view, but how creative is that? The real romantics head for Norma Jean\u2019s for some quality alone time with their sweetie. Tucked between a produce shop and a minimart, Norma Jean\u2019s doesn\u2019t seem like an obvious choice. But the devil\u2019s in the details. This hidden gem is quaint, quiet and rarely crowded. It\u2019s a perfect spot for sipping wine and gazing into your honey\u2019s eyes while playing footsy under the table. Oh yeah, the food\u2019s great too. Try their lobster ravioli or a tasty osso bucco. Or ask Norma Jean to recommend one of the daily specials.", "vid": "best-restaurant-for-a-lunchtime-rendezvous", "url": "", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Restaurant for a Lunchtime Rendezvous ", "contact": "2339 Fremont St., 372-3265", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_restaurant_for_a_lunchtime_rendezvous_", "name": "Norma Jean\u2019s Restaurant and Mediterranean Cuisine"}, {"description": "Artist Jayson Fann has created the perfect vantage point from which to experience the spectacular Big Sur Coast: branches woven into a hollow sphere, padded with pillows and perched atop tree limbs, a dreamy escape. It\u2019s accessible by a 10-foot ladder\u2014or wings\u2014that leads to the round entrance into the Spirit Nest, and it\u2019s enough to make one second-guess the American dream of owning a house with a white picket fence\u2014why not a nest? Fann says he\u2019s created multi-room nests for collectors, but our needs are more modest. We could be perfectly happy lying here, cocooned in branches, looking up at the sky\u2014until a small child climbs up the ladder and indicates we\u2019re hogging the nest. She almost gets pushed out. Instead, we remorsefully climb down. Suddenly nesting instincts makes perfect sense.", "vid": "best-birds-eye-view", "url": "", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Bird\u2019s Eye View", "contact": "Big Sur Spirit Garden, Highway 1, 26 miles south of Monterey, 667-1300", "cities": ["Big Sur"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_bird\u2019s_eye_view", "name": "The Spirit Nest"}, {"description": "PG&J Supply is a retail version of your favorite hole-in-the-wall eatery that\u2019s short on decor but long on quality and value: At the 32-year-old Green family operation, they keep the costs down and pass on the savings. In addition to repairs, they sell estate jewelry, loose gems and mineral specimens (including Big Sur jade), and create custom designs. They\u2019ll gladly refashion your tired jewelry by restringing necklaces and updating inherited pieces or that ring you loved 20 years ago. You can also imagine a design and they\u2019ll bring it to life. Local collectors of jade and other rocks especially enjoy the lapidary services, with expert repairman and lapidary Kris Green freely educating novices interested in cutting and polishing.", "vid": "best-jewelry-repair", "url": "", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Jewelry Repair", "contact": "2245 Fremont St., , 375-3027", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_jewelry_repair", "name": "Peninsula Gem & Jewelry Supply"}, {"description": "The Italians go tiny with their coffee, sipping aromatic espresso out of doll-sized cups. Turks follow suit, imbibing cups of thick dark brew equivalent to about three liquor shots. The giant mug of Joe is an American thing, right up there with fried Twinkies and eBay. But barista Daniel Ericksen of P.G.\u2019s Juice & Java takes it one step further with his trademark Heart Attack Latte, served in a cup bigger than his head. He\u2019ll sip on it all day long through a little straw, evoking a scene from the Mad Hatter\u2019s party. Rumor has it customers in the know can order one\u2014but he won\u2019t let you leave until it\u2019s gone.", "vid": "best-stimulus-beverage", "url": "", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Stimulus Beverage", "contact": "599 Lighthouse Ave., , 373-8652", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_stimulus_beverage", "name": "Juice & Java"}, {"description": "The Chautauqua Assembly founded this nonprofit museum in 1883. Its mission: \u201cTo inspire discovery, wonder and stewardship of our natural world.\u201d Done\u2014with a fascinating and rotating treasure trove of Monterey County artifacts, native plant species, animals and geology (31,000 of them) and special exhibits like the recent 200th birthday retrospective on Charles Darwin. To help them deal with drastic budget cuts, the Packard Foundation\u2014that brought you the Monterey Bay Aquarium\u2014 bestowed a one-year grant, but what really sustains the museum are the legions of volunteers and the faithful public, who browse the exhibits with awe, and whose children love to climb Sandy, the school bus-sized concrete whale out front. The next exhibit, coming March 28: \u201cCelebrate Our Underwater Parks,\u201d and soon thereafter, a native garden.", "vid": "best-place-to-enjoy-the-outdoors-indoors", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.pgmuseum.org", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Place to Enjoy the Outdoors Indoors", "contact": "165 Forest Ave, 648-5716", "cities": ["Pacific Grove"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_place_to_enjoy_the_outdoors_indoors", "name": "Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History"}, {"description": "Sure, Monterey\u2019s Old Fisherman\u2019s Wharf is the place to go if you need a caricature of yourself or you want to fuel up on free shots of clam chowder, but we\u2019ll take the more modest Municipal Wharf II any day. On the municipal wharf, there are almost no tourists to bump into and more sea lions to view bulleting through the water. Past the micro diner Loulou\u2019s Griddle in the Middle and its sassy waitresses, sturdy fare and ideal seaside breakfast setting\u2014and the almost water level Sandbar & Grill, another low-pro locals\u2019 favorite for drinks and seafood\u2014are a pair of locally owned wholesale fish companies crawling with great deals on fresh catches. Meanwhile, salty dogs pole fishing along the pier and weathered fishing boats recall the days Steinbeck helped immortalize as \u201ca stink, a grating noise.\u201d", "vid": "best-positive-pier-pressure", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.monterey.org\u002fharbor\u002fwharf2.htm", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Positive Pier Pressure ", "contact": "Wharf II", "cities": ["Monterey"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_positive_pier_pressure_", "name": "Municipal Wharf II"}, {"description": "When the Otter Bay Caf\u00e9 opened on campus in the mid-1990s, it was similar to most institutional dining halls\u2014the veggies were overcooked and, despite our unsurpassable local agricultural credentials, there was not a single local piece of produce on the menu. But today, thanks in large part to the Caf\u00e9\u2019s association with the campus-based Monterey County Farm to School Partnership, the Sodexo-run Otter Bay Caf\u00e9 has a lunchtime organic salad bar buffet featuring a wide-range of local veggies from Earthbound Farms, all for $5.25. (The full buffet, for $8.95, often features organic specials too\u2014can you say stuffed peppers?!) If you want a completely balanced meal you can get your carbohydrates from the nine beers on tap. Mix that in with a little CNN or MTV from the big flat screen TV, and class feels less filling. Otter Bay is open to the public, and its roof-top patio opens onto views of the campus and the blue Monterey Bay beyond. The cafeteria even has a Facebook page (OBR Sodexo).", "vid": "best-institutional-food", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.csumb.org\u002fdining\u002flocations.html", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Institutional Food", "contact": "CSUMB University Center, 582 5020", "cities": ["Seaside"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_institutional_food", "name": "Otter Bay Caf\u00e9, CSU Monterey Bay"}, {"description": "Does tequila go with pizza? Eh, with a live band and a packed dance floor, who cares? Or isn\u2019t that a dance floor? The best thing about Casa is its anything-goes attitude. No tables? Sit with a stranger. No room on the dance floor? Mount a chair. Dress code is strictly enforced\u2014depending on door guy\u2019s mood\u2014so boys should wear collared shirts. Girls must have a pulse. The excellent Italian cuisine becomes secondary weekend nights, when the place is packed with local professionals and over 30s gettin\u2019 their groove on.", "vid": "best-tables-for-dancing", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.casasorrento.com", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Tables for Dancing", "contact": "393 Salinas St, 757-2720", "cities": ["Salinas"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_tables_for_dancing", "name": "Casa Sorrento"}, {"description": "Ensalada Hola, the feisty house salad at this family-owned relative newcomer to the area is easy to miss on the lengthy menu. At only $5.65, it\u2019s thoroughly loaded with Romaine lettuce, fresh grilled corn that\u2019s hand-cut off the cob, avocado, radishes, cucumber, and tomatoes with a garlicky house dressing. Many places charge $8 for little more than a pile of lettuce. This delicious, nutritious mound represents a generosity of labor, big flavor, and a wealth of raw material.\n", "vid": "best-salad-for-the-bucks", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.holarestaurant.com", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Salad for the Bucks", "contact": "3600 The Barnyard, 626-1814", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_salad_for_the_bucks", "name": "Hola! Mexican Restaurant and Cantina"}, {"description": "Let\u2019s face it, plants are nymphomaniacs. And they don\u2019t need fertility clinics. With scant effort from a willing partner, bang, 150 apple trees were born from a branch in what turned into a silly scandal in relatively crimeless Carmel Valley. Mark Marino, Carmel Valley farm manager for Earthbound Farm, heard about a rare heirloom apple tree at a private property deep in the valley. He tracked it down and tried to contact the owner several times at what appeared to be a vacant property. With no one willing or available to play ball, Marino succumbed to the apple\u2019s temptation, took a few cuttings and propagated a tree. Then another. Then another\u2014apparently with the noble intention to preserve a rare variety. When the trees were mature enough, there was a small harvest one season and those apples were sold at the Earthbound Farm Stand in Mid-Carmel Valley. We\u2019re not saying it\u2019s OK for anyone to pilfer a branch from a private resident\u2019s apple tree without permission, but the price Earthbound had to pay to settle the legal dispute seems absurd: six figures in cash, plus the trees were dug up and delivered to the owner (Valley Hills Nursery had some for sale in the $500 range). At the core, no serious harm was done and nature\u2019s bounty was shared with many. The saga of this forbidden fruit showcases a system of justice that has evolved to allow high levels of injustice when the rich soil of greed meets the warm climate of modern legal practice.", "vid": "best-raw-deal", "url": "", "section": "editors choice", "label": "Best Raw Deal", "contact": null, "cities": "", "type": "editors choice", "id": "best_raw_deal", "name": "Priscilla Higuera vs. Earthbound Farms"}, {"description": null, "vid": "best-wedding-planner", "url": "http:\u002f\u002fwww.amybyrdweddings.com", "section": "write-in", "label": "Best Wedding Planner", "contact": "PO Box 222748, 626-6261", "cities": ["Carmel"], "type": "write-in", "id": "best_wedding_planner", "name": "Amy Byrd"}], "properties": {"url": {"valuetypes": "url"}}}