All About Monterey
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San Francisco may dominate California's culinary spotlight, but local Monterey area food partisans are quick to point out that the fires of the California Cuisine revolution were stoked on the shores of the Central Coast. Certainly, Monterey is blessed with a year-round cornucopia of fresh local ingredients, Pacific Rim flavors carried in by the ocean breeze, and a host of creative chefs who know what to do with both.
Downtown
In downtown Monterey, with its Spanish Colonial coziness, one of the most traditional spots you will find is Stokes Restaurant & Bar. An archetypal Monterey adobe home, Stokes was built in 1833 and has been functioning as a restaurant under various managements since 1890. Popular with locals and visitors alike, Stokes' California-Mediterranean creations are bold and adroitly executed. Not far away, on Calle Principal, sleek Montrio does well enough with its eclectic menu to win awards and earn rave reviews. Montrio is a good bet for the vegetarian and for the wine lover, too, with a list featuring 'alternative' and rare wines as well as the esoteric Back Room List, if you know what you are doing. Nearby Jugem is a sushi spot sophisticated enough to please the most jaded sashimi snob. El Palomar serves exquisite Mexican seafood and a whole menu of tequilas in a comfortable and spacious ambience. For an antidote to all this new world fare, duck into the Crown and Anchor English pub, not far away on Franklin Street.
Fisherman's Wharf
On Fisherman's Wharf, Cafe Fina fulfills the most serious pizza cravings with imaginative creations from their wood-burning oven, as well as mesquite-grilled seafood, chicken, and beef. The atmosphere is friendly and the view can't be beat, providing you don't mind looking at water. Abalonetti Seafood Trattoria treads much of the same culinary territory, but it is particularly famous for the variety of calamari preparations it offers. If the lines are prohibitively long, try Domenico's or Rappa's, two more Fisherman's Wharf seafood-dining favorites that have delighted diverse clientele for years. Just across the way, in Heritage Harbor, dine at Fresh Cream for a Californian take on French cuisine. Meticulously crafted dishes like Poached Salmon with Artichokes and Saffron-Thyme Sauce grace the menu of this unpretentiously decorated five-star restaurant. The service is impeccable, the prices a bit steep.
Cannery Row
Among the former sardine-packing plants of Cannery Row and within sight of the Monterey Bay Aquarium are some of Monterey's most popular restaurants. The Whaling Station has for years been one of Monterey's most popular destinations with its winning steak-and-seafood menu. A few doors down on Wave Street, The Sardine Factory, another nod to Monterey's aqua-cultural heritage, features filling seafood dishes like Lobster and Prawns on Crescent Pasta in brandy-lobster sauce, all served in astoundingly large portions. The signature dish is an abalone bisque; the only sardine on the menu is in the house salad. For a drink on Cannery Row, stop into Sly McFly's, also a good bet for an inexpensive lunch, or A Taste of Monterey, which lets you sample many of the wines that have made Monterey County so revered among oenophiles. Also renowned for its wine selection is Shnarley's Pizzeria, a great place for a raucous group dinner or a soul-warming late-night slice.
Pacific Grove
Though PG is so cozy and quiet, it has no shortage of destination restaurants, with mouth-watering menus and dynamite ocean views. Across the street from the historic Asilomar Conference Grounds is the Fishwife, a slightly upscale seafood shack serving fresh-caught delights with a dash of Latin spice. Passionfish will help you cut through both the fog and any residual Victorian torpor with its seafood cuisine served up with a contemporary panache. Locals seem to think so, at least; lines to get into the cheery, pepper-accented restaurant can be long. Fandango (located in an old house) will also dispel a gray mood with its sunny yet sophisticated Mediterranean menu, reflecting the Basque, Spanish, and Algerian backgrounds of its owner-chefs. Joe Rombi's, for its part, offers a sophisticated, contemporary take on Italian (note its many vegetarian options and generally light and sleek cuisine). Not in the mood for light and sleek? Opt for Vito's, a classic neighborhood Italian eatery, serving pastas, pizzas and veal entrees, all loaded with cheese, sauce and zest. Cuisine at Fifi's is similarly loaded, this time with the cheeses and sauces of France. When your arteries need a rest, count on the friendly staff at Tillie Gort's Cafe to serve you up some fresh and healthy vegetarian specialties, though meat eaters have plenty to choose from as well.
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