You gotta have a good feeling about a guy like Faisal Nimri. Maybe five minutes into a visit to Dametra Cafe, the still-new spot (622-7766) on Ocean in Carmel that he runs with Bashar Sneeh, Nimri has already splashed tastings of three different wines to help us pick a winner, taken an app order and plucked his bulbous Middle Eastern guitar, or oud, for our grateful table. The guy oozes hospitality.

The food is as superb as the service. With his endorsement we tried the spanakopita of Athens ($7.95) and the steamed mussels and clams ($11.95). Both the baked phyllo dough triangles of spinach and feta and the garlic-parsley-and-white wine-simmered shellfish were great. I’ll be back for the falafel, Greek salad, maybe a kebab.

Brophy’s (624-2476), was the no-brainer for the warm-up venue. Joe Cingari, himself a guy with an over-active hospitality gland, has officially made that place an establishment-by-the-sea. Best philly cheese steak outside of Seaside, great staff, satellite sports, solid draft beers.

Dametra will be hard-pressed, though, to wrestle the local kebab crown from Amir’s Kabob House in New Monterey (642-0231). I ducked in there to take in some belly dancing a week back. It’s worth a visit – go by, try the mantu, watch a talented tummy in a very welcoming venue. The sword balancing and hips wriggling happens every Saturday at 6:30 and 8pm; the superior salmon, lamb and chicken kabobs – marinated for 24 hours and then kept moist midroast on vertical spinning spits by Amir’s relentless spray bottle of water – are there every night except Mondays.

A block down Lighthouse, the night of the week might be Mondays. Hula’s Island Grill (655-HULA, www.hulastiki.com) still has some of the best fish tacos this side of San Diego and a mean burger, and they’ve added more grilled fish choices and a screaming ceviche special. If they’ve got it, get it.

More good news: They still conduct Mahalo Mondays, where they share 10 percent of total sales with various local charities. The lineup runs year round. From January through June, it’s Return of the Natives, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Monterey Museum of Art, CASA, Shelter Outreach Plus and MY Museum.

(They’re doing something similar at Volcano Grill & Mai Tai Bar in Carmel Valley and Hula Ranch Island Steakhouse in Marina all month – until Jan. 31, 20 percent of food and beverage totals goes to the SPCA. All you have to do is download a flyer – www.SPCAmc.org – and bring it with you when you dine at either restaurant. Flyers can also be picked up at the SPCA or the SPCA Benefit Shop.)

SAND CITY HIT

Mondays are money at the Ol’ Factory Café (www.olfactorycafe.com) too, because locals can save some coin when Chef Kevin Fisher puts out a selection of free treats from 5-7pm – they’d run more often if people didn’t gobble up the grub so aggressively. Though it changes every week, last time around it was chicken and beef nachos. (Standard happy hour happens twice Monday through Friday, at noon-2pm and 4-7pm, $1 off draft; PBR, Corona and Bud for $2.) The place, meanwhile, has officially installed itself as one of the most versatile hangouts around: good coffee, a strong Wi Fi signal and big tables make it great for getting a little work done; impressive beers from the West Coast and Europe complement a seasonal menu strong on $4-$6 small plates and sandwiches ($9-$11 with fries, rings or salad); fresh juices and a surprisingly dynamic breakfast menu make it a strong option in the morning (the drop biscuit sandwich I tried was good, but the ranch eggs I saw delivered to another table all stacked up with tortillas and black beans and queso fresco looked awesome); live music from folks like Along Came Sally stir up a nice evening scene; the counter payment set-up makes it a handy place to take a group and avoid bill-splitting headaches. The fireplace is a nice bonus around the chilly holiday season, and the bacon-wrapped figs with bleu cheese and the “pig + fig” pork loin and black mission fig marmalade sandwiches are tastier than figgy pudding.

The Beer Geek-hosted tastings add another good excuse to get down there. Next one is Sunday, Jan. 11 at 2pm, starring beers from Belgium including Brugse Zot from Halve Maan and Rodenbach Grand Cru from Rodenbach.

SPEED ROUND

Ventana is back up for dining after a just-completed $18-million renovation. That is beautiful news for the Ventana team, which has been through fiery hell and back and Big Sur in general… Rosie’s Cracker Barrel (659-2629, www.rosiescrackerbarrel.com) is doing some fun things down by Carmel Valley River on Esquiline Road just past the Village, where they have reinvented the onetime legendary, longtime-abandoned watering hole as a beautiful little wine bar. Saturday there are live acoustic sets from 5-7pm. Classic movie days on Sunday offer more vino and flicks like African Queen and Some Like It Hot from 3-5pm. Movie and pizza run $8.