“We’re making some right now.”

Regulars from Bill Lee’s previous restaurants have their favorite dishes, from ribs to bread pudding. As eyes scroll down the menu at Kona Steak & Seafood, squeals of elation burst from tables. Every once in a while, a low “they don’t have…” mumble can be heard.

What happens when a fine dining chef buys a wood-burning oven? We’re about to find out.

This shouldn’t be too difficult.

Kevin Kim borrowed the recipe for his marinade. The kimchi is the work of someone else too.

They say that nothing good ever happens after 2am. But what about 2pm—and on a Sunday, no less?

If you happen upon the Comanche Cellars tasting room in Monterey late one evening—and by late, we mean a respectable 8pm—don’t be surprised to see people bouncing to “Bad Romance.”

On Thursday morning Jonathan Roberts set about preparing to open, as usual. But the night before, Feb. 15, he took to social media to inform his customers of an unfortunate decision.

When the folks at Del Monte Grill promise a toasted bun, they mean it—seriously.

You might wonder why chefs and bartenders tend to ignore all the folk wisdom traded over the millennia—especially on Valentine’s Day.

What do people look forward to come Super Bowl Sunday? The game?—yeah, there’s that. Those hyped-up 30-second television slots haven’t amounted to much in recent years. And the halftime extravaganza? Might as well watch The Masked Singer.

Why is pizza so divisive?

Say you crave a warming tom kha or decadent beef Wellington, perhaps a molten lava cake because you somehow miss the ’90s. Where do you start? Well…um…

Zero is never a good score.

You’ve heard it before, life is unfair.

It is said that Napoleon could do wonders with dessert. For his part, Wellington was a red meat master—and pretty good with puff pastry, to boot.

Pancakes or waffles? Short stack or full? A couple of eggs, your way—sunny side up, over easy, scrambled. 

From the moment Ehab Ali opened the doors of The Creperie Café for the first time regulars were waiting.

Onion rings may not say everything about Maligne. In presentation and flavor, however, they tell a pretty close story.

“I’ve got one more in me—just one,” says veteran restaurateur Bill Lee.

It’s unlikely that anyone ordering a hot link from a New Orleans street vendor ever followed up with “may I see your wine list?”

Freddy Menge knows a lot about apples. To be fair, he’s been learning about this widely cultivated fruit ever since he was a kid—that’s when he remembers finding old, abandoned apple trees growing in the forest near his home by La Selva Beach. 

When Jonny Black wants squab on his menu, he seeks out a woman named Helen who raises the birds. Before a guy named Tony left the Central Coast for a ranch in Nebraska, he was happy to allow the chef to take artisanal hams, cured in the revered Spanish style, from his barn.

You are standing on concrete, cracked and pitted in places and dusty from the procession of passing trucks. Aromas of exhaust from the traffic mix with the ting of fresh petrol gushing from multiple pumps.

One day, somewhere, someone placed a scoop of ice cream between baked goods.

A BURRITO A DAY… It was rumored, it was anticipated and now it is here – beloved Salinas spot El Charrito is opening up a second location in downtown Monterey. Starting Friday, Sept. 2, El Charrito Express will be serving all its greatest hits for breakfast and lunch. But that’s not all – th…

The first thing you notice about chef Christian Ojeda’s menu at Lucia Restaurant & Bar is the utter lack of grandiloquence.

There are touches that have yet to be finished, but Bulldog Sports Pub is—finally—pouring beer, serving pub fare and welcoming back regulars who immediately notice that many things have changed.

“I think we’re going to run out.”

Somewhere a diabolical chef is huddled over a grill, tossing Flamin’ Hot seasoning over strips of Wagyu beef. Another is preparing Flamin' Hot pad Thai. And you know very well that behind a sushi counter someone is looking at the dragon roll and putting two and two together.

It might take a while to tally the awards earned by chef Zachary Ladwig’s kitchens. Michelin Stars, Forbes Five Stars—the honors are testament to his culinary might.

“Montrio is a story.”

Quiz time. “Windy City.” Right you are, Chicago. Another easy one next. “Mistake by the Lake.” Everyone knows that’s Cleveland. How about “Land of the Wing and Home of the Weck”?

The equation is pretty straightforward. Open a wine market and restaurant, add dinner service, divide time between running a business and studying toward a coveted Master Sommelier rating and spend more time with the kids.

Say it was in the realm of possibility that Greek history played out in Texas rather than the Hellespont.

First someone decreed that bartender was a term too modest to encompass the care being devoted to cocktails. The newly dubbed mixologists—who all thought to don leather aprons and sport facial hair fads borrowed from the 19th century—then set to work crafting meticulous concoctions that migh…

From the outside, Rudolfo’s Cafe in Pacific Grove appears humble. Inside, too—a model of modest informality.

After about eight years in business, Salinas’ Blue Aces Bake Shoppe is closing. The bakery’s final day of operation is Saturday, June 18.

Pork rinds and fine wine.

“Some say ‘eww,’ some say ‘yes!’”

Whatever questionable decisions one chooses to make in life, regret will follow almost immediately if that choice involves tackling the burger from Bear + Flag Roadside in the car.

You can order decaf in a hipster coffee joint, no problem. Ketchup on a hotdog? Outside of Chicago you can probably get away with it. Mention barbecue, however, and you’ll likely start a verbal brawl.

When a restaurant is in its infancy, the dining experience is often awkward. You know how it goes—line cooks are still learning the recipes, servers hesitating when identifying tables, the manager practicing apologies before approaching guests, the usual growing pains.

“We’re running around like crazy,” says chef Klaus Georis. “But it’s a good crazy.”

Stroll into an old school British pub and say “Chardonnay, please.” You’re still likely to be served a lager or IPA along with a scowl.

It may look like the popular ice cream flavor and the taste is spot on. It’s studded with dark shards of cookie. But what’s in the container at MoonScoops Ice Creamery has no cream, and no milk substitute.