Review

China House

The spiciest broth one author’s ever embraced, plus other reasons to cheer for China House in Pacific Grove.

My friends and I are always coming up with absurd questions to pass the time, like, “Where would you go if you woke up this morning and realized you could fly?” Another popular question: “If ...

Happy Dragon

Big Deals: Happy Dragon’s Chinese-American cuisine excels in value and selection.

According to the trade publication Chinese Restaurant News, there are more Chinese restaurants in the country than Wendy’s, Burger King and McDonald’s franchises combined. In other words, you could make a compelling case that America’s ...

The Drummond Culinary Academy

At-risk youth trade gang life for aprons at Rancho Cielo on the outskirts of Salinas. 

The Drummond Culinary Academy is likeable long before you try the classic grilled New York steak. The concept, after all, is not only visionary, but downright effective: “training at-risk youth in the Salinas and Monterey ...

Ocean Sushi Deli

Convenience Truth: Tiny Ocean Sushi Deli does its quick Japanese treats with a style that evokes the wondrous conbinis.

The Japanese convenience store is a revelation. Far more than Slurpees and cigarettes, it’s a portal where you can pick up pre-packaged dress shirts and ties for work the next day, DVDs and Playstation games, ...

Big Sur Taphouse

Tapping Excitement: Big Sur Taphouse pours out great value and a surprising amount of character.

After the Big Sur Bazaar closed in 2008, the Mayer family, who owns the space as well as the adjoining Big Sur Deli next to the post office, put out a suggestion box asking what ...

Phoebe's Cafe 

Hidden Heaven: Phoebe’s Café helps make picturesque Asilomar a nice getaway for everyone.

Even for locals, a trip to the new Phoebe’s Café at the Asilomar Conference Grounds can feel like a mini vacation. Tucked into a nook of the spacious Phoebe Hearst Social Hall – where visitors ...

Athena’s Cafe

Freak for Greek: Athena’s Cafe widens Nimri brothers’ family of welcoming restaurants. 

Greek is good. Not only has Greece given us the first working version of civilization, pillared architecture and modern democracy, but grub with historic impact. One can thank Alexander the Great for this cuisine’s originality: ...

Sushi Moto

New, mini Sushi Moto revs up large sound and big selection of creative rolls.

Upon entering new Sushi Moto near the Golden State Theatre in downtown Monterey, the first thing I noticed was the extremely loud techno music. Intermingled with some Lady Gaga, it laid out a much different ...

Caffe Trieste

Cool Beans: Espresso pioneers of the West Coast Caffe Trieste bring good java, Italian cuisine and lasting legacy to Monterey.

Ever since Caffe Trieste first opened its doors in 1956 in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, it’s been a Mecca for artists, writers and freethinkers to congregate. In a swirl of caffeine and hot, frothy ...

Il Vecchio

Straightforward but sexy tastes at good prices in a crafty environment make il Vecchio an instant local hit.

It’s an unlikely set of qualifications for a restaurateur: two enthusiastic daughters, an adventurous spirit, a doctorate in clinical psychology, a career in psychotherapy, and experience opening an Indian restaurant in Rome more than 30 ...

Point Pinos Grill

Sweet as Sunset: Dory Ford’s new Point Pinos Grill deserves wider hours – and now has them (at least temporarily).

It all started with the ice water. It must have been filtered. The slice of fresh Meyer lemon was a refreshing and classy touch. Whatever the case, I can’t remember enjoying complimentary water more. This ...

Diggitty’s Hot Dogs and Ice Cream

That’s My Dog: The Burchell family celebrates an all-American classic with the new Diggitty’s.

For more than a century, the hot dog has been an iconic staple of American comfort foods. Globally, the hot dog can be traced as far back to Homer’s Odyssey, written in the 9th century ...

The Mucky Duck

Different Feather: The Mucky Duck makes some improvements on a Monterey landmark with a mixed history.

One of the most interesting items on the new Mucky Duck’s menu proved impossible to resist from the start: the fried pickles appetizer ($7.95). And yes, a couple of black-and-tan beers sounded just about right ...

Lodge Restaurant at Carmel Valley Ranch

Ranch Rules: Lodge Restaurant packs ‘sophisticated rustic’ flavor behind seemingly private gates (hint: they’re not).

After the brief splash made by celebrity chef Michel Richard and Citronelle restaurant at Carmel Valley Ranch, the renamed Lodge Restaurant reflects the vision of the new owner, John Pritzker, a scion of the Hyatt ...

Vesuvio

Through the Roof:Rich Pepe gives Carmel more bustle, housemade breads and Italian flavor with new Vesuvio.

Vesuvio, named after Italy’s Mount Vesuvius, erupted three months ago in the old Piatti Ristorante space at Junipero and Sixth in Carmel. As the volcano responsible for burying the town of Pompeii and a symbol ...

Place Apart

Restaurant 1833 uses setting and gold-plate-pedigree chef to match the hype and then some.

Monterey’s 1833 Restaurant, named after the building’s year of origin, is the latest in a series of restaurants to occupy Stokes Adobe, the home of former mayor James Stokes, whose name stuck with it. The ...

Mundos Café

A pair of brothers seduces the Peninsula one sandwich at a time. 

The guy that recently won the Food Network’s “Next Food Network Star” competition came up with a universally relatable concept for a new show: “The Sandwich King.” The theme behind the show Jeff Mauro will ...

Stone Creek Kitchen

Rockin’ Food : Stone Creek Kitchen assembles a hit list of retail cooking tools, gourmet hot food and cheffing classes.

Stone Creek Kitchen is the kind of place that requires some serious time to dig in. So I blocked out half my day in order to seize the grand experience, and was left with the ...

Salinas City BBQ

Veteran Salinas City BBQ converts nonbelievers into barbecue disciples.

I’d heard about the barbecue joint that took the place of Smalley’s Round Up a year ago from my friend who works nearby. He swears it has transformed him into a barbecue addict. So it ...

Gluttony a Go-Go

XL Grindhouse’s monster burgers and giant beers turn heads, moisten mouths in Oldtown Salinas.

In Cleveland, Ohio, the Melt Bar & Grilled has a five-pound grilled cheese challenge. In Nashville, Tenn., Roosters Texas Style BBQ and Steakhouse has a 72-ounce odyssey. Trimbo’s Pizza in Butte, Montana, tempts customers to ...

Oh Mama

Cabo Blue Taco Shack’s matriarch gives downtown Monterey authentic Mexican.

I should have been born Mexican. I love the burn-so-goodness of a jalapeño, make my own tamales from scratch and perpetually seek the best chile relleno the country has to offer. As I set my ...

China Delight

Fine China at the Crossroads: China Delight proves a fresh find for fabulous lunches at the mouth of Carmel Valley.

Even though it’s been a couple of years since China Delight lost its lease and moved into a new space on the opposite side of Crossroads, patrons are still discovering that the restaurant moved. For ...

Julia's

Vexing Veggie: Julia’s in Pacific Grove gives vegetarians and vegans hope, or at least a little.

Though vegetarianism has been embraced by an ever-increasing number of our populace, one thing remains sadly the same: Herbivores face a dining-out dilemma. Sure, the rabbits among us can focus on a few things at ...

California Star Seafood

Lifetime local fisherman Ron Aliotti smokes up some serious fish for area farmers markets.

Carmel native Ron Aliotti knows as much about fish as Eric Schlosser knows about fast food. As a kid, he worked down at Fisherman’s Wharf, filleting fish for local party boats and occasionally working as ...

Redwood Revisited 

The new chef at Fernwood’s Redwood Grill gives Big Sur new flavor that’s well worth a nibble.

Big Sur’s Fernwood is many different things to many different people. It’s the favored longtime watering hole for Big Sur locals. For tourists, it’s an affordable option for campsites, cabins or motel rooms. It has ...

Petals and Pastries

Adorably Edible: Pastries and Petals’ sensual from-scratch treats make a cute home in Carmel.

In the heart of tourist town U.S.A., it was the locals Jeanne Johnston was after, people who would come back to P&P over and over again and spend as much time there as they’d like. ...

Orient Express

Seoul Survivor: Post fire, Orient Express reasserts its Korean credibility with bubbling clay pots and blockbuster banchan. 

Orient Express has stuck around Seaside since the Fort Ord days, when it was a gathering spot for GIs, Korean spouses, their kids and extended family. Current owners Jong Yool Yun and Ran Yun have ...

Morning Do

Six different ways to start the day in Big Sur.

No fewer than six restaurants in the Big Sur Valley boast fun, hearty, sweet and innovative inspiration to set the alarm a bit earlier on the weekend, or find an excuse to call in sick ...

Mando's

Fast Acting: Mando’s quickly fills a beloved Mexican spot in Pacific Grove with attentiveness and flavor.

When my friend pointed out the curious painting of the Venice canals amid Mando’s Mexican décor, she knocked over her Pacifico. It drenched our basket of chips. The waiter was there in seconds with towels, ...

Habanero’s Grill & Cantina

Habanero’s Grill & Cantina’s atypical approach works in downtown Monterey.

Sibling rivalry is nonexistent in Dennis Barwick’s family – his food and entertainment family, that is. Habanero’s Grill and Cantina, which opened on Sept. 17, joins sister establishments Bellagio Pizzeria (404 Tyler St.) and Luxe ...

The Bakery Station

Fuel for Life: The Bakery Station gasses up Salinas on fresh java, pastries and sandwiches.

On an island once reserved for gas pumps, newspaper stands sit beneath an historic overhang’s classic Airstream curves. Above, a ’50s-style sign with a Mrs. Cleaver look-alike declares “Now Baking Daily.” Stepping into The Bakery ...

Half Baked

Food safety and school lunch gets a hard look from Congress.

Rarely in our history have food politics so dominated the national spotlight. Two food-related bills are currently circling the legislative drain, and their backers are running out of time to get them signed by the ...

Toast

Toast gives Carmel Valley an informal slice of fine French countryside.

Warm sun soothes the comfortable patio. Flowers along its edge quietly radiate calm and add color to the buzz of pleasant conversation. In the background, oak-brushed ridges sweep into the distance with an easy grace. ...

Noodle Bar Restaurant Two

Noodle Bar’s second station adds smoothies, space and “local favorites” menu.

The owners of the Noodle Bar Restaurant knew they had a good thing going after opening their first shoebox spot in Seaside a few years back – people routinely lined up for a sought-after spot ...

Pensi Pasta

From raviolis to spreads, Pensi Pasta’s Evette Lecce knows how to deploy the seasonal squash.

It is only fitting that Evette Lecce, owner of Pensi Pasta, grew up on Monterey’s Spaghetti Hill. By now she has been in business for 13 years as one of only a handful of local ...

Really Fat Burger

A heart-attack hamburger and lard-cooked fry reply to healthy food trends finds traction.

The burgers are free – all day, every day – at the Heart Attack Grill in Chandler, Ariz. The only catch is you have to weigh at least 350 pounds. The fake nurse who weighs ...

Happy Girl Kitchen Co.

Tickled by Pickles: Happy Girl Kitchen Co. opens in Pacific Grove.

Summer’s end always sends me into mourning. Goodbye heirloom tomatoes in all their sun-ripened goodness. Farewell ruby red strawberries with hints of honey and perfume. Adios peaches. This fall, however, I’m not hanging my head ...

Nielsen Brothers Market

Market Matters: Nielsen Brothers Market celebrates 80 years of excellence in Carmel.

Many people on the Peninsula don’t get to Carmel enough. Perhaps the parking and traffic seem daunting. But by not spending more time in this quaint-slash-fascinating town, we don’t enjoy the sense of community that ...

High Frying

Flanagan’s Irish-American pub brings a much needed watering hole - and excellent fries - to the Barnyard.

In this age of foodie-mania – where pig heart, foie gras and soft-boiled quail eggs reign – we tend to forget about the simple foods we will always love. Like good old French fries. I’m ...

Bellagio’s

Bellagio’s pizza is the first of a three-part epicurean/entertainment powerhouse.

I bet y’all thought the Weekly was expanding to Sin City, but nope. Bellagio’s is a new pizza restaurant in downtown Monterey. It’s part of a hybrid actually, with a Mexican bar/restaurant next door named ...

CAFÉ FINA - DOMENICO’S

The Mercurios work farm-fed magic at Cafe Fina and Domenico’s with special dinners.

You can covet the matchbooks from all the world’s great restaurants that have accepted your card, but I’ll bet there ain’t a tableful of you who has spent four hours in two buildings consuming eight ...

Quince Quotient

Simply Quince by P.G.’s Barbara Ghazarian is a pioneering book for a pioneering fruit.

Quince may well be the most under-appreciated fruit in this country, which is surprising since the Pilgrims considered it essential enough to cultivate less than a decade after settling in Massachusetts. By 1720, quince was ...

Oh Baby

Eating out with a new little one is far from impossible. Here’s how to do it richly.

As a new mom, I’ve had to make a few lifestyle changes. I’ve convinced myself that sleep isn’t necessary. I’ve concluded that spit-up on my sleeve builds character and that my diaper bag makes a ...

Perfect Pairing

The Highlands’ Paul Fried and Matt Bolton combine talents to deliver an impressive wine dinner series.

With few exceptions, when it comes to ultra-premium, multi-course menus paired expertly with notable wines from around the world, the distance between Monterey and the Michelin-starred chefs and wine cellars of San Francisco and Napa ...

Perfect Pairing

The Highlands’ Paul Fried and Matt Bolton combine talents to deliver an impressive wine dinner series.

With few exceptions, when it comes to ultra-premium, multi-course menus paired expertly with notable wines from around the world, the distance between Monterey and the Michelin-starred chefs and wine cellars of San Francisco and Napa ...

Something Brewing

Cannery Row Brewing Company earns full houses with great tastes at fair prices.

Who’d be crazy enough to open two restaurants in the same year? Robert Weakley and David Bernahl of Coastal Luxury Management – that’s who. The buzz generated by their nascent Cannery Row Brewing Company is ...

Hearting Hearty

DownUnder Deli does authentic Australian, good wine values and filling specials in Mid-Valley.

You can find great Jewish delicatessens in New York, and there’s Canter’s in Los Angeles, but most everywhere else that “deli” appears above the door, the proprietors are clueless about what the word means – ...

Digging In

Myra Goodman’s new Earthbound Cook burrows deeper than delicious food.

The first recipe Myra Goodman ever fashioned does not appear in her second splendid cookbook, The Earthbound Cook: 250 Recipes for Delicious Food and a Healthy Planet, which was released in stores this week. Nor ...

Pico de gallo

Little Pico de Gallo serves big burritos in a tucked-away place.

Come bien, bebe bien, vive bien. “Eat well, drink well, live well,” the Pico de Gallo placard says. Owner Hugo Lopez-Zarazua makes this happen, or at least the eating and drinking part. Note the guacamole, ...

TusCA

TusCA’s new chef builds upon a beautiful thing.

Most travelers know that hotel restaurants don’t always set the finest tables in town. Some hoteliers believe that they will fill enough seats with business folks who have spent too much time in the air ...

Sweet Skills

Sierra Mar’s Jamie Jarrard offers an exclusive peek into what makes her treats soar.

Noon in the kitchen at the award-winning Sierra Mar at Big Sur’s Post Ranch Inn – rated first in California for cuisine in the 2003 Zagat – may appear to the outsider as a whirlwind ...

Quinoa Sushi and Such

The Homesteader’s Kitchen makes healthy hippie cooking tasty and accessible.

I admit. I’m a whole foods virgin. I’ve never sprouted alfalfa seeds. I’ve never made spelt flour pie crust. Yet, I find Robin Burnside’s The Homesteader’s Kitchen (Gibbs-Smith, August 2010) intriguing. Burnside’s approach to food ...

Chopstix

Chopstix packs ’em in for bubble teas and sturdy Vietnamese at bargain prices.

You either love ’em or hate ’em. I’m talking about those chewy, coffee-colored, gelatinous orbs known as boba or pearls. I, for one, love them. So I was thrilled to find out that boba drinks ...

Frutti De Mar Grill

Loving the mini sensation next to a Marina laundromat, Frutti De Mar Grill.

You’ve probably driven by it unknowingly, given its humble hideout between an industrial-sized Vietnamese market and a laundromat in an unassuming, pink Del Monte Boulevard strip mall in Marina. In that way, it’s easy for ...

Jacks Restaurant

Portola Hotel’s restaurant succeeds with an impressive and increasingly conscious upgrade.

In five years, I’ve eaten several times at Jacks in the Portola Hotel. This last time, I dined. Congratulations to Chef Jason Giles, who is a true prandial artist. From design to execution, choice of ...

Element Tasting Bar&Bistro

Inside a tucked-away discovery on River Road in Salinas wine country.

The essential elements in life are air, water and a good novel. Oh, and food. Which brings us to another element. This Element is a restaurant on River Road 3.2 miles east of Route 68. ...

Element Tasting Bar & Bistro

Inside a tucked-away discovery on River Road in Salinas wine country.

The essential elements in life are air, water and a good novel. Oh, and food. Which brings us to another element. This Element is a restaurant on River Road 3.2 miles east of Route 68. ...

Birthday Gift

Montrio Bistro celebrates 15 years by getting better.

The mocktails send a message, one that’s stowed by the salt pig, sizzling in the bacon-and-egg salad and wildly alive in the oxtail risotto. It’s even in the water. The message: Montrio, long one of ...

Penny Farthing Tavern

Salinas’ Penny Farthing Tavern returns with a cleaner look and improved food.

“Good beer and fancy food should be kept separate… like church and state,” rogue food writer/chef Anthony Bourdain once declared. “That wall crumbles and all will be chaos.” The return of Salinas’ most revered pub, ...

Karma Policing

Quick Indian, fab froyo, wine notes and a hard-to-believe soft opening.

In only four months, Monterey’s number of quick-Indian spots has zipped from zero to two, with the Ambrosia India Bistro (641-0610) opening a tiny but tasty cafeteria version of the place our readers vote Best ...

Tap That

Monterey Beer Festival introduces a range of additions that make popular tasting that much tastier.

There’s a big difference between the guy doing naked keg stands and real beer enthusiasts. True beer enthusiasts are not much different from wine enthusiasts. They too love seeking choices from all over the world, ...

Courtside Café

Serious Game: Courtside Café’s David Frappiea hits a winner with an under-the-radar eatery.

Sometimes a place to get a bite to eat pops up in the least expected spot. I can’t think of one more inconspicuous than Courtside Café at Chamisal Tennis and Fitness Club, a public restaurant ...

Frothy Times

Breaking beer news, Bahama Billy’s deals and fresh farmers markets.

And first, a word about beer. Duvel from Belgium. Goose Island from Chicago. Port Brewing from San Diego. Magic Hat from Vermont. Ninkasfrom Oregon. Speakeasy from San Francisco. Unibroue from Canada. Yes, the Monterey Beer ...

Goin Gets Tasty

Cooking for Solutions builds upon a breakthrough with help from its Chef of the Year.

Cooking for Solutions Chef of the Year Suzanne Goin can make sustainable barramundi sing with a little help from fresh-crushed fingerling potatoes, fava beans, pea tendrils and savory crème frâiche – as she will demonstrate ...

Le Normandie

Christine and François Richard take their French cuisine to Pacific Grove.

French country cooking can produce the most satisfying repast, especially on a cold and windy night. And it was just such inclemency we escaped to enjoy a marvelous evening at Le Normandie, a new restaurant ...

Michael’s Grill and Taqueria

Third Place: The latest Michael’s Grill and Taqueria gives Oldtown Salinas a creative Mexican outlet.

The first thing you notice on the menu is: “We started Michael’s Grill and Taqueria in 1986 with duct tape, leftover lumber from Grandma’s fence, and lots of love.” Lots of love has definitely gone ...

Real Deal

Yama Sushi rolls up creativity with a discount.

“Pocket Monster” and “Mr. Bulgogi” are not punchlines to dirty jokes. They are two of the more than 50 artful maki creations offered at Yama Sushi. It’s that lengthy lineup and a standing 50 percent ...

Sweet LouLou's

A new look at an old community classic, LouLou’s Griddle in the Middle.

In the days before fast-food ubiquity, for those of you who can remember back several decades, it was an old saw of the highway that you could tell a good place to eat by the ...

The Fly South

The women behind Southern Latitudes in Carmel like to get their wine down low.

A woman who just got off work walks into Carmel’s Southern Latitudes Wines and says she’s having raviolis for dinner and loves fruity Pinot Noirs. As co-owner Kerre Dubinsky directs her to the New Zealand ...

Easter Rising

Local pastry and chocolate craftspeople elevate the occasion with exquisitely unique treats.

Special pastel outfits. Suspenseful Easter egg hunts. Grandmother’s bunny cake. Wicker baskets full of grass and goodies. Yes. Easter is here, in all its unique interpretations. But with it come fluorescent Peep chicks, the M&M ...

Third Degree Indulgence

The third annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine only ups the excellence.

The better the good life gets at the Pebble Beach Food & Wine, the more difficult it becomes. Really. “It’s harder and harder,” co-founder David Bernahl says, “to top what we did last year.” Feeling ...

Fresh Cream

Fresh Cream Restaurant’s new location is only one of several upgrades.

After 27 years at Heritage Harbor in Monterey, the now 32-year-old Fresh Cream Restaurant broke loose from its moorings. After a short sail south, she dropped anchor in the former site of Bully III, a ...

Family Recipe

A brotherhood of chefs creates meaty magic at Castroville’s Trolley Car Rotisserie.

The first bite took me back to my childhood like the snooty food critic Anton Ego in Ratatouille. Trolley Car Rotisserie’s tri-tip sandwich ($9.95) starts with a liberal stack of strapping tri-tip (adoringly marinated for ...

Red’s Dawns

The Monterey-Seaside down-home donut dynasty turns 60.

Red’s Donuts owner Matthew O’Donnell got a call a few months ago from a woman asking if he would ship a dozen coconut-sprinkled donuts to Detroit for her brother’s 60th birthday. The woman explained he ...

Julio Redux

County culinary royalty Julio Ramirez makes Edgar’s excellent at Carmel Valley’s Quail Lodge.

The story behind Julio Ramirez’s electric-orange “dog’s nose” habanero salsa is appropriately spicy, involving the Yucatan Peninsula, open-air markets and hot pepper seeds he imported personally. Same for the tale behind the humble Fishwife-Turtle Bay ...

Baby-Making Menu

Dining / Review

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