Readers’Picks

Best Wine by the Glass

Passionfish

701 Lighthouse Ave, Pacific Grove 655-3311

Ted Walter, chef and owner of Passionfish, is a world-class foodie. His devotion to great flavors has led him on all-night romps through restaurant capitals across the globe, searching out indigenous tastes and creative food pairings. It shows in his restaurant’s menu and it shows on the palate. That same great palate chooses all the wines on his incredibly diverse, uniquely original list that encompasses the best wines available from throughout the world, all sold at ridiculously low prices. Consequently, the wines by the glass at Passionfish are an ever-changing amalgam of choices. Always there are wonderfully interesting selections from Spanish Albarino to Australian Shiraz to New Zealand Pinot Noir to Argentine Malbec to…you get the idea. Oh yeah, after dinner, check out the dessert wines; they’re just as great. [RN]

Best Sports Bar

Knuckles Sports Bar

Hyatt Regency, 1 Old Golf Course Rd, Monterey 372-1234/647-2039

Thousands of visitors descend on the Monterey Peninsula each year, flooding this sleepy community to enjoy one of our many world-class events. It’s only natural they’d want to join the locals to watch their favorite team play. That’s where Knuckles comes in. With televisions broadcasting all the important games in a comfortable, fun environment, why would you want to be anywhere else? Every game is guaranteed to have loyal followers rooting for both teams, just like it should be. Recent upgrades to everything from the décor (enough neon to make a Vegas native proud) to the food and beverages have elevated this Hyatt saloon to the level of Sports Emporium. Just ask anyone who went to this year’s Super Bowl party. [RN]

Best Club for Rock

Viva Monterey

414 Alvarado St, Monterey 646-1415

During the past year, Viva’s has had a major makeover. Instead of metal art decorating the interior, the place is decorated with Caribbean island décor, and has a brand new sound system. Though Viva’s has started to branch out with blues, funk and reggae acts, the people of Monterey voted the club as the best place for rock music. Despite the changes, Viva’s had some great shows by rock ‘n’ roll bands like the Cadillac Angels, The Infrareds and Connected. In April, expect some new bands at the club including Sacramento’s Down Boy and Santa Cruz’s The Woodsmen. [ST]

Best Club for the Blues

Sly McFly’s

700 Cannery Row, Monterey 649-8050

With a great sound system and a view of Monterey Bay, Sly McFly’s is the best place to see blues artists like Shane Dwight and Chris Cain. The popular bar has also been hosting an increasing amount of high-energy Latin dance bands like Santa Cruz’s SambaDa and Monterey County’s Orquesta Candela, R & B acts like TYT and Soulshine, and rock groups like Coco Beat. With a menu including tuna melts, burgers, seafood and pasta, Sly McFly’s might be the best spot for everything. [ST]

Best Hangout After a Movie/best pub

Crown and Anchor

150 W Franklin St, Monterey 649-6496

There’s something fun and cozy about passing by the wood Beefeater and going downstairs to the Crown and Anchor’s basement-level front door. It’s right next to the Osio, the perfect place to snap out of the post-movie daze over a hot crab and shrimp melt or a banger in a roll, washed down with a Bellhaven Scottish ale. It’s got a patio perfect for grabbing a smoke, and the unpretentious but classic décor feels comfortably old school, and yes, a little British. With twenty British and International draughts on tap, and an intimately sized space, the Crown and Anchor lives up to its motto, “You’ll be a stranger here but once.” [BW]

Best Martini/Best Place For Mindless Chatter

Lallapalooza

474 Alvarado St, Monterey 645-9036

There are no longer giant olives painted over the bar, but this place can still shake ‘em. Besides the classic cold and dry martini—shaken with Bombay Gin or Skyy Vodka with a taste of dry vermouth—Lallapalooza’s has got all kinds of sweet and sour martinis. The Lemon Drops are luscious, the Purple Headed Dragon is naughty, and the Bad Appletini— made with Stoli, Midori and Apple Pucker—is both. At $6 or $7 a pop for double martinis, and a wait staff versed in the makeup of every drink, it’s easy to overindulge just a bit. Hence the possible correlation to Lalla’s also being voted best place for mindless chatter. But it’s important mindless chatter, like discussing whether or not to order the firecracker fries or the Thai spring rolls, or having another round of Ruby Martinis. [BW]

Best Movie Theater

The New Osio Cinemas

350 Alvarado St, Monterey 644-8171

The Osio blew into town six years ago like a Wind From The East, expanding our parochial, Hollywood-centric vision with its offerings of five or more indie and foreign flicks every week. A new group of local investors took over last year, infusing the space with even more energy and passion. Sure, a couple of their viewing rooms are Stranger Than Paradise neck-craning hidey-holes, but who else is going to give us Winged Migration, Whalerider, or The Fog of War, not to mention those great midnight showings of ’70s and ’80s classics? It’s enough to leave one Breathless. [SF]

Best Gallery for Photography

The Weston Gallery

Sixth, between Dolores and Lincoln, Carmel 624-4453

Some of the photographs on display at the Weston Gallery are quite familiar, including the work of some of the most celebrated photographers in American art history. But folks who’ve seen countless reproductions of Ansel Adams or Paul Strand or Chip Hooper or Weston himself but never seen the actual prints will be surprised at the feeling that comes from looking at the real thing. Happily, the Weston also offers fresh delights in the work of lesser-known artists: Joel Pickford’s haunting images of Louisiana and Linda Broadfoot’s photographs of moths, both on display this month, are stunning. Edward Weston helped put Carmel on the map, and his gallery does his legacy proud. [EJ]

Editors’Picks

Best Place to Sooth Jangled Nerves in a Confusing Era

Alfredo’s Cantina

266 Pearl St, Monterey 375-0655

Have you ever come across a place where you just know a couple things for sure? A certain kind of place that when you walk inside for the first time you say to yourself, well, if the Apocalypse arrived and all of civilization was erased from the earth with a whoosh and a boom and a flash, and you just happened to be there at that moment, you’d be OK? And you can imagine cracking open the side door and taking a peek out every so often to see if anything has changed, to see how the fallout was piling up on the sidewalk, but you don’t really care about all that ash and debris, so you go back inside and eat a hot dog? If you haven’t thought of that you are probably a very normal person. You probably haven’t been to Alfredo’s, either. It’s made out of stone, it has a fireplace, a good jukebox and not much light coming through the windows. It used to be a Christian Science reading room, but not a lot of deep reading goes on there anymore, except the sports page or maybe some mind-reading. Alfredo’s has a certain feel to it—a safe place to hunker down during a wicked, three-day storm, or a smart place to hide from someone at home, or, hell, maybe it’s just a handy place to ride out economic downturns or other grand machinations of government policy, fate or the justice system that spin with wild and cruel abandon, beyond your control. Ever find a place like that? [AS]

Best Hotel Lobby

The Inn at Spanish Bay

2700 17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach 647-7500

There simply is no better lobby to lounge at on the Peninsula. The lobby at the Inn at Spanish Bay is not only one of the most elegantly furnished and designed rooms anywhere, but it also has one of the most beautiful ocean views in the world right there from its open-air patio. The servers are delightful and attentive to your needs, whether that be a drink from the bar, or a blanket while you read on one of the couches in front of the high-walled fireplace. With a bagpiper playing at every sunset and heated outdoor seating, the lobby section at the Inn at Spanish Bay is one of the most divine spots this side of heaven. [AB]

Best Place to Find a Sugar Mama

Carmel Mission Ranch

1 Old Ranch Rd, Carmel 625-9500

Some men don’t have to work; others don’t like to work, but do; and still others would rather not work at all, relying instead on the generosity of an experienced woman. The art of finding a Sugar Mama can be best practiced at Clint E’s own Mission Ranch. Every Friday and Saturday night the piano bar/lounge becomes a place for the more mature set to hunt down earthly delights, such as a fine aged wine. Many of the Peninsula’s finer human vintages also hang out here looking for romance and excitement. A young man hoping to slip himself into the keeping of an older, more worldly lady, could do no better. Watch out, however, because with age comes wisdom. [AB]

Best local Band Making It Big

Dubwize

This past summer, Dubwize opened for Midnite, Culture, Burning Spear, Israel Vibration and Yellow Man. Even more impressive is the fact that this eight-piece Salinas reggae group has headlined The Catalyst six times. There are many highlights in a Dubwize show: Skinner Dread’s melodica, their frequent forays into hip-hop and salsa music, their rotating crew of guest musicians including dancehall toaster Mr. English. Unfortunately, Monterey County has not caught on yet, but the band occasionally plays unpublicized shows at venues like the Lava Lounge and Doc Rickett’s Lab. Having just returned from a one-month tour of Puerto Rico, Dubwize is on the cusp of going international. See them while you can. [ST]

Best Place to Blow Your Laundry Money

Edgewater Packing Company Family Fun Center

640 Wave St, Monterey 647-1769

Actually, the Edgewater Packing Company Family Fun Center is too high tech for quarters and tokens: Patrons purchase game keys at the front counter. In addition to classic diversions like pool tables and air hockey, a game key opens up adventures on a mechanical bull, a 26-foot-high rock climbing wall, a virtual-reality batting cage and a NASCAR Speedway Simulator, which is so intense that people who are not in top physical condition are encouraged to avoid it. If you are not into playing the games, come to see the kids hopping frantically up and down on the Dance Dance Revolution Extreme video game. By summer, a Cowboy Pizza Company will set up shop in the building to supply players with pizzas, salads, beers, wines and sodas. [ST]

Best Yard Art

Anything by John Cerney

Salinas

Okay, we can forgive—but not overlook—the larger-than-life-sized cutout of the farmer at the end of River Road with a machete in his hand and two enormous half heads of lettuce where his hmm hmm would be. The local kids have more than their fair share of fun toying with—or vandalizing—that one. That said, Cerney’s an artistic genius who pooled his knowledge of the ag industry with his artistic talent to create colossal displays that dot the county, from a Wrigley Field replica in Aromas to a new poppy display off Highway 68. The depiction is so remarkable, it blends into its surroundings, making it nearly impossible to tell the 20-foot wood cutout isn’t real, unless you’re up close and personal. Beyond that, his art provides a peek into the pulse of the valley, a glimpse into the rugged, hard-earned life of the fieldworker. [MC]

Best Place to Pretend You Live in San Fran

Fox Theater

243 Main St, Salinas 758-8459

From the unconventional, zany habits of Dan Goggin’s Nunsense crew to the provocative and dastardly deeds of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas chicks, there’s a little something—or a little somethin’ somethin’—for everyone at the Fox. Sure, the shows can be far and few between. But when you can catch ‘em, they’re nothing short of fantabulous. To add to the whole big-city-theater experience, tickets are often sold in conjunction with a full-course dinner across the street at Hullaballoo. But as big city as the perks are, the real charm is in the 1921 theater’s small town-ness. It’s hard not to feel swept away into fantasyland by its Oldtown charm, from the gilded-frame stage to the plush pink seats. [MC]

Best Reason to Be Single in Monterey County

 

 

 

 

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[BW]

Best Place for Junior’s Birthday Bash

MY Museum

601 Wave St, Suite 100, Monterey 649-6444

Flip dough in the pizzeria. Direct puppet shows in the theater. Pile nuts and bolts sky high on the magnet table. For the most fun of all, though, grab a pair of scissors and a hot glue gun, and go to town with your imagination, sticking together pieces of springs, paper, fuzzy balls, pipe cleaners and anything else you can think of into artsy creations. Don’t forget to bring a couple of dozen extra kids and a birthday cake with you to make it the party to be talked about well into Easter break. Other parents will revel in your deviation from the generic pizza parlor locale. Even the wee ones will think you’re über-cool. Just don’t let the “children’s museum” thing fool you. It’s a relative term. When the party’s over, you’re just as likely to be unsticking glued feathers from parents’ fingertips as kids’. [MC]

The Best Place to Find Steinbeck’s Soul

The “Steinbeck House”

Central and 1st, Pacific Grove

Just as Lighthouse Avenue leaves New Monterey and enters Pacific Grove, there is a house on the right-hand corner with a bronze statue of John Steinbeck in front, protected from turds by a jerry-rigged window that hovers like a halo above him. This is John Steinbeck’s soul museum. Within, his two white-haired Celtic helpers are often available for mind-expanding discussion. The first is a man of letters. You will sit in the cluttered room and over a tacky model of a sword in the stone he will weave Arthurian legends around the Kennedys and trace the origins of heroes and warriors. The second disciple carries the spiritual flame, a vibrating wild man who seems to know and not believe in the divinity of the legendary author. To visit these living history books is to experience a whole new chapter in the Steinbeck universe. [NK]

Best Place to Relive Your Childhood

Del Monte Gardens

2020 Del Monte Ave, Monterey 375-3202

A whistle blows, and some seventh-grade speedster is busted breaking the speed limit on the floor. Now he’s got to sit out a whole song. Talk about injustice. Maybe it was even you. Or maybe you were one of the sneaky ones who didn’t get caught. But admit it: You broke the rules too, speed-skating or going the wrong direction, stealing a kiss up against the lockers maybe. And your heart still leaps up into your throat a bit when the lights dim, the disco ball tosses light, and the DJ urges you on with a “Couples only, couples only please,” purr. Nowadays the only seventh-grader you know at the rink is your own kid, and somehow the wheels on the bottoms of your skates ended up in a straight line. But boy does it still feel good. Come on now, “All skate. Aaallll skate.” [MC]

Best Place to Spend an Afternoon Watching the Giants

Duffy’s Tavern

282 High St, Monterey 644-9811

Of course, it’s always better—with the exception of some late-season football games in the northern United States—to be physically present for the match, the race, the meet or the bout. But not everyone can get hold of a ticket every time they’d like to go, and that is why neighborhood taverns exist on street corners from Newark to Seattle. There are many reasons to make Duffy’s your neighborhood perch for watching the Giants (or one or two other teams), not least among which are the televisions hanging in the corners and the dart board in the back. They’ve always served decent food, cocktails and frosty beer. What else? It sits at one of the closed gates of the Presidio, which means it’s quiet. No pushy crowds, no loud traffic rushing by, no major knuckleheads and no problem finding a stool and a cold drink. Grab a fellow fan or two, amble over and set up for a ballgame for as long as you want with a beautiful Monterey afternoon just outside the door. [AS]

Readers Poll Winners

Best Local Musician

Dennis Murphy

Best Local Band

Red Beans & Rice

Best Local Artist

Dan Koffman

Best Local Actor/Actress

Clint Eastwood

Best Photo Gallery

Weston Gallery

6th & Dolores, Carmel 624-4453

Best Art Gallery

Monterey Museum of Art

559 Pacific St, Monterey 372-7591

Best Club DJ

DJ Angel at Club Octane

321 Alvarado St, Monterey 646-9244

Best Club For Rock

Viva Monterey

414 Alvarado St, Monterey 646-1415

Best Club For Blues

Sly McFly’s

700 Cannery Row, Monterey 649-8050

Best Club For Jazz

Cibo Ristorante Italiano

301 Alvarado St, Monterey 649-8151

Best Dance Club

Club Octane

321 Alvarado St, Monterey 646-9244

Best Happy Hour

Embassy Suites Hotel Monterey Bay Seaside

1441 Canyon Del Rey Blvd, Seaside 393-1115

Best Pub

The Crown & Anchor

150 W Franklin St, Monterey 649-6496

Best Martini

Lallapalooza Restaurant

474 Alvarado St, Monterey 645-9036

Best Margarita

Baja Cantina & Grill

7166 Carmel Valley Rd, Carmel 625-2252

Best Neighborhood Bar

The Bulldog British Pub

611 Lighthouse Ave, Monterey 372-5565

Best Place For Karaoke

Characters Sports Bar & Grill

215 Calle Principal, Monterey 647-4023

Best Place For Folks Over 50

Mission Ranch

Dolores & 15th, Carmel 625-9040

Best Place You Can’t Take Your Parents

Nu-Art Theater

2116 N. Fremont St, Monterey 372-9430

Best Drink With A View

Highlands Inn-Park Hyatt Carmel

120 Highlands Dr, Carmel 620-1234

Best Selection Of Wines By The Glass

Passionfish

701 Lighthouse Ave, Pacific Grove 655-3311

Best Selection Of Beers On Tap

Britannia Arms

444 Alvarado St, Monterey 656-9543

Best Place To Shoot Pool

Blue Fin Café & Billiards

685 Cannery Row, Monterey 375-7000

Best Bar For Darts

The Bulldog British Pub

611 Lighthouse Ave, Monterey 372-5565

Best Sports Bar

Knuckles Historical Sports Bar

1 Old Golf Course Rd, Monterey 647-2039

Best Singles Bar

The Mucky Duck

479 Alvarado St, Monterey 655-3031

Best Coffeehouse

Morgan’s Coffee & Tea

498 Washington St, Monterey 373-5601

Best Movie Theater

The New Osio Cinemas

350 Alvarado St, Monterey 644-8171

Best Hangout After The Movie

The Crown & Anchor

150 W. Franklin St, Monterey 649-6496