Jump to content

Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur, CA


Halloween

Recommended Posts

I'm heading to Monterey in October for a long weekend (Thursday-Monday). Are there any dining options in Monterey, Carmel or Big Sur that you recommend? It is possible that I will have one big blow out meal, but i'm mostly looking for casually elegant places and hole-in-the-wall regional spots. I will not be heading to S.F. on this trip. As always, thanks for your help!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For your big blow-out meal, I'd suggest Sierra Mar at the Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur. The food is fantastic, and the setting is incomparable -- because the window-heavy restaurant is propped up slightly on a hill overlooking the Pacific, it feels as if you're dining in the sky or have alternatively been transported to Jetsonsland. Even if you don't eat there, it's worth stopping in for a drink.

Nepenthe is a fun, more-casual stop in Big Sur -- very high prices for what you get (I ate a very overpriced $13 burger for lunch the last time I was there), but it's extremely quirky and the views are also amazing. Worth a stop, at least.

If you make it into Santa Cruz, I really like what the wine bar Soif is doing right now -- interesting small plates and a reasonably priced, thoughtful wine list (with many selections available by the glass) that doesn't come exclusively from California. Its closest relative here in the D.C. area is the Iron Bridge Wine Company in Columbia.

I can't really speak to Carmel, as the high restaurant prices for seemingly standard fare there really turned me off. Although it's a Cal-chain loved by some and hated by others, I admit that I enjoyed my meal at the bustling Il Fornaio. But when in Carmel, I much prefer to grab a tasty sandwich and a soda from Nielsen Bros. Market and head down to the beach for an impromptu picnic.

Michael

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stop by the Big Sur Bakery and Restaurant for ANY meal of the day. They do excellent breakfasts (think huge cast iron skillets full of quiche and frittatas as well as top notch coffee and espresso), lunch, and it's a great spot for dining out on the patio at night.

Nepenthe, mentioned above, has a cheaper alternative on the same property called Cafe Kevah. Have a light lunch with their salads and antipasto plates. Drink some wine. You still get the same gorgeous view:

post-27-1151250533_thumb.jpg

I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but there is a small town south of Big Sur called Lucia with a cliffside restaurant (if memory serves, this joint is the only game in town) that serves up some killer fish and chips:

post-27-1151251037_thumb.jpg

It's very casual and inexpensive, plus you can sip your Anchor Steam while viewing this:

post-27-1151250885_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Michael and Mike, Thanks so much for the recommendations. Mike, The pictures are spectacular. I've been to S.F. several times, but I always head north not south, so this trip will be a real treat. I will be heading to Santa Cruz, where one of my friends lives, so I will check out Soif. When I return, I will post all the wonderful culinary details.

(I note that by seeking your dining recommendations, I am undercutting the very purpose of my trip, which is to walk the Big Sur half marathon (and develop a non-food hobbie). It seems that no matter I do, I can't get away from food!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Monique - I second the recommendations for Big Sur Bakery and Sierra Mar. Here's some pics of the latter:

exterior view

view of entrance

Here's a Sierra Mar dinner menu from January 2004: (I used to take careful notes and get souvenir menus whenever I could.)

Course One

1 oz. Caviar with Lemon-Chive Creme Fraiche and Traditional Garnishes

Crab Tempura Roll with Shiso and Tobiko Beurre Blanc

Organic Baby Beet Tasting

Roast Squab Breast with Wild Mushroom Risotto

Sea Scallops with Sherry Glace and Warm Frisee-Lardon Salad

Course Two

Wild Chicories with Pears, St. Agur and Bacon

Lobster Bisque with Vanilla Creme Fraiche

While Bean Soup with Caramelized Onion and Morbier Sandwhich

Course Three

Roast Flat Iron Steak with Ham-Gruyere Croquette and Provencal Olive Butter

Rabbit Pot Pie with Big Sur Chanterelles and Black Truffle

Grilled Hawaiian Escolar with Pineapple, Prawns and Cashews

Caramelized Eggplant with Miso, Shiitakes and Matsutaki Sukiyaki

Course Four

Chocolate Tart with Caramel Ice Cream

Maple Flan with Warm Apples

Banana Feuillettes with Caramel Sauce

Selection of Artisan Cheeses

I had the beets, chicory salad, and escolar; don't remember the dessert, though.

At the time it was one of the best meals I had ever eaten. They also had a 10,000 bottle wine cellar.

If you do go, please post about your experience. Hopefully it's still as good.

If you're ever looking for an incredible escape, get a treehouse at Post Ranch Inn (where Sierra Mar is). It is the best lodging I've ever been in. Create a reason to treat yourself to it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't you love how they are able to use rosemary as groundcover and shrubbery in that climate? That's what is dripping down the walls that flank the door. I had a big rosemary shrub in my herb garden in Santa Monica, and used to throw a handful of the little blue flowers into my salads. There's a lot I don't miss about living in California (traffic, smog, earthquakes, horrible post-WW2 commercial architecture, etc. etc.) but my perennial herb garden is one of the things I do miss.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you make it into Santa Cruz, I really like what the wine bar Soif is doing right now -- interesting small plates and a reasonably priced, thoughtful wine list (with many selections available by the glass) that doesn't come exclusively from California. Its closest relative here in the D.C. area is the Iron Bridge Wine Company in Columbia.

I wholeheartedly second the Soif Wine Bar recommendation. I've recently taken a new job that brings me to Santa Cruz every now & again and have eaten at Soif several times. The cuisine is much more sophisticated than you might expect hearing Soif is a "wine bar." The selection of wines by the glass are extensive and include some small California producers. The adjoining wine shop's prices are slightly high but it does offer some bottles that are otherwise hard to find. If you're a solo diner, the bar itself is a comfortable place to sit and converse with the bartender and your fellow diners. Note that the menu and wine selection on Soif's web site is not up-to-date.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try Tutto Mondo for good Italian fare in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Every time I go to Monterey I have to have dinner there. Casual atmosphere, excellent service and reasonably priced menu. Their website is http://www.mondos.com/

I ALWAYS eat here when I'm in town for business.

Also good is Lugano's Swiss Bistro at the Barnyard in Carmel. Specialty is fondue, but they have other items. Their veal schnitzel is the best I've ever had (crisp and tender).

If you change your mind and want to splurge, I highly recommend Bouchee (Restaurant/Wine Bar) also in Carmel by-the-Sea

http://boucheecarmel.com/dinner.htm

Happy hunting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In Monterey we were mainly going for the aquarium as I am aquarium OBSESSED (yes, I really am 5). The sit down restaurant in the aquarium there is so nice and worth the wait. We wandered while we waited. We both had the fish of the day. I believe it was a California Bass of some type. Anyway it was delicious, with nice seasonal veggies underneath. I will try to post a picture later. It was delicious though and the whole menu looked great. I had a glass of wine, Hubby a beer while we watched the otters and seals play out in the water. It was like eating at the Wegman's fish counter, but a notch or two better foodwise, with a completely amazing view of incredible wildlife. Anyway highly encourage it if you are at the aquarium.

We then headed to Carmel and wandered around the shops, drove through pebble beach, stopped and took pictures, etc. By the time 7:30/8 rolled around we were getting exhausted, so we popped into Mundaca. While the crowd around us was hilarious (those people) and we should have perhaps asked for the secluded little table. The lemonade was really nice and refreshing (we were too tired to have a drink before hitting the road to head back to San Francisco, wouldn't have been a good idea). We had patats bravas, fried squash blossoms with chili oil, squash and zucchini with almonds and pecorino, lamb chops and the lavender pork skewer with almost a kimchi like side of greens. I really loved this little place and we didn't want a huge meal, even with this we ordered to much, but it was all fresh and prepared well. Our server was as nice as can be and handled all the amazingly odd tables around us with incredible grace (the table who tried to speak in broken spanish because they were at a tapas restaurant, the overly touchy-feely couple who wanted to know if she remembered what tempranillo they had last time which was over four months ago, the cougar dressed really inappropriately who wanted everything the second she ordered it). Anyway I would really highly recommend this place. The menu was lovely. The decor was nice too. They work with seasonal ingredients and change the menu often, but keep a nice Spanish twist on things.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bumping this one once again - any recent updates on Monterey? A cousin recommends Akaoni in Carmel for sushi ... any other thoughts? Also, I'll have a car and will be driving to San Francisco a few days into my trip, so any tips for spots to stop on that drive, and/or can't-miss spots in San Francisco, would be much appreciated. Thanks!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bumping this one once again - any recent updates on Monterey? A cousin recommends Akaoni in Carmel for sushi ... any other thoughts? Also, I'll have a car and will be driving to San Francisco a few days into my trip, so any tips for spots to stop on that drive, and/or can't-miss spots in San Francisco, would be much appreciated. Thanks!!

Delfina and Zuni, surely. Eric Z says every time he's in San Francisco, he drives an hour to go to Sushi Sam's in San Mateo which he swears is the best (non-ultra-upscale) sushi he's had in the country. He even has a Sushi Sam's t-shirt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everyone should make the drive along the Pacific Coast Highway at least once in their lives.  Stunning!

We actually took the inland route from San Fran to Monterey stopping off at Big Basin State Park to take in the Redwoods, and highly recommend the trip.  On the way back to S.F., we drove up Route 1, stopping off at the beaches, taking in the sights and had a late lunch in Half Moon Bay.  I recommend stop offs at Gazos Creek Beach (Highway 1 Brewing Company is across the road) as well as Bean Hollow State Park, although all the beaches along that stretch are beautiful. Most of these beaches are nothing more than a parking lot, a bathroom, and short trail down to the beach.  We made the drive on a Tuesday and had most of the beaches to ourselves.

Another good state park in the Monterey area is Point Lobos State Nature Reserve.  Stunning views of the coast, as well as good opportunities to see seals, sea lions, and otters.

Alvarado Street Brewery (Monterey) - Located on the main drag of downtown Monterey.  Upscale-ish brew pub with modern American grub.  Soup, salads, flat bread pizzas, burgers, the kind of place that has pulled pork sliders and pork belly poutine.  The food was pretty much what you would expect from such a place, solid, without being memorable.

Chopstix (Monterey) - A store front style Vietnamese restaurant with good bahn mi and large boba drink menu.  These guy were doing a solid lunch trade on a Monday afternoon and a good spot to pick up a couple of bahn mi for your drive along the coast.

Robbie's Ocean Fresh Seafood - We bought what was billed as Monterey Bay salmon, apparently they are trying to reestablish the area's salmon and trout fishery.  Regardless, simply grilled with the skin on, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil, by far the best piece of salmon I've ever had.

Moss Landing Farm Stands - About 15 minutes north of Monterey is the fishing and farming community of Moss Landing.  Along Rt. 1 is a series of farm stands, and while they didn't appear to be organic, they have lots of local California produce.  7 (small) avocados for $1.  I got the impression this was the California produce that we get in our grocery stores, but actually ripe and not needing a cross country journey.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So a few to recommend from our trip to Monterey,

Bistro Moulin - French, very small (Make reservations) a block off cannery row (867 Wave):  Pork Cheek, Lamb, Spinach Gnocchi , all with great service - best meal of our trip

Lalla Oceanside Grill - GREAT VIEW, great seafood options, comfortable booths, watched the sunset

Austino's Patisserie - this is the fast option - great breakfast sandwiches, quick lunch since just across from aquarium

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...