Photo: Burrfect Burrito: Roll 'em up with hot sauce and beans; Chipotle's makes the Weekly's favorite burritos. Here's an interesting story about specialty foods. Honeybees possess long, tubelike tongues, which they use to suck the nectar out of flowers. While they''re buzzing around, they store the nectar in something entemologists actually call a "honey stomach." (Bees have two stomachs). The honeybees then return to the hive and pass the nectar onto worker bees. (Don''t ask-the process is kinda gross.) The worker bees then spread the nectar around the hive to air-dry, which makes it into a thicker, sweeter syrup. Get this: They fan it with their wings. When they''re done, we''ve got honey.

Honey is an excellent specialty food. So are bagels. Pizza. Burritos. Zinfandel. In the following pages, there is no information about how these foods are made. Just directions on where to find the best of them.

readers'' picks

Best Bagels

BAGEL BAKERY

locations in Carmel, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Sand City and Salinas.

This local bagel joint has it half right. Back East in the New York metropolitan area, aka the spiritual homeland of the bagel, the typical neighborhood bagel shop will have bins and bins of hot bagels with crusts that are the perfect mix between hard and chewy and insides that have that high-gluten, somewhat doughy consistency. Not only are the bagels delicious but the counter staff gets ''em to you in a hurry. You say what you want, they get it, you throw money over the high counter and they throw you your bagel-in and out in less than two minutes, with coffee and a paper. Anywhere west of the Delaware River, however, they take their sweet-ass time getting you the bagel, which defeats the purpose since this is generally something you need in a hurry. That little note aside, the Bagel Bakery can be relied on for bagels of the proper consistency and flavor, bagels that will pass muster in Manhattan as well as Monterey. And unlike many other so-called bagel shops, the Bagel Bakery gets the salt bagel right.They are delicious every time.

Best Desserts

ROSINE''S

434 Alvarado St., Monterey, 375-1400.

Desserts aren''t all they serve at Rosine''s, but they''re certainly a reason to go. Delicious treats like ollalaberry pie, Oreo cookie cake, brownies, cookies, and the much-praised German chocolate cake are enough to make passers-by drop their diets and embrace a life of sweet, sweet sin and obesity. The wait-staff is courteous and helpful, the other food is very good. But it''s all about the desserts. Give in.

Best Juice/Smoothies

JAMBA JUICE

Locations in Monterey, Sand City and Salinas.

There were more innocent times, times when no one knew what a "smoothie" was. Now, everyone is addicted to them and smoothie shops have opened everywhere. It''s good to know that one of the frontrunners in the trend is still going strong on the Peninsula. Jamba Juice opened its first doors a couple hours south of here several years ago, and has spread its delicious tentacles all over the state, bringing us the sweetest way to get our five daily servings of fruit. So few things in life are both good and good for you.

Best Deli Sandwich

COMPAGNO''S MARKET AND DELI

2000 Prescott Ave., Monterey, 375-5987.

Sometimes when you''re hungry you just gotta have a sandwich, and that''s pretty much what they do at Compagno''s. Say the word "Compagno''s" in the neighborhood and you''re going to get a warm smile, followed by an inquiry followed by a declarative statement, something like "Have you had the Hoagie? It''s the best." Compagno''s has the full range of hot and cold sandwiches, from a club sandwich to Italian sausage sandwiches to a cheese and avocado deal. The only problem with Compagno''s is that it''s too popular. Go up there at lunchtime and you can expect to wait. Bring a newspaper. A line is a good sign, of course, even more so when most of the folks in that line will be wearing fatigues, having walked over from the Presidio-these are folks who know a deal.

Best Pizza

GIANNI''S PIZZA

725 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey, 649-1500.

Weekly readers say Gianni''s makes the best pizza around, and that''s no empty claim. They know how to make a pie at Gianni''s. Any kind you get is gonna be good, and they have all different sizes depending on how many friends you have. If you''re lucky, you''ll end up at Gianni''s on a Sunday night after having spent the weekend doing something fun and outside. Slightly dazed maybe, you''ll find yourself sitting at a table with a big, steaming hot pizza in front of you, a few pitchers of beer within reach, and a few good friends just a little farther away. If you''re even luckier, Johnny Indorato and his lady will be there playing old-time favorites on the accordion. He plays there once a week, usually on weekends.

Best Bakery

PARIS BAKERY CAFE

271 Bonifacio Pl., Monterey, 646-1620

Napoleons and fruit tarts and baguettes, oh my. The way Weekly readers see it, Paris Bakery''s got all the five food groups covered. Breads sit at the bottom of the food pyramid. Freshly baked loaves and the like also line Paris Bakery''s shelves. Then there are the fruits and vegetables. Paris'' tortes are a veritable salad of kiwis, mandrin oranges, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. As for vegetables -does chocolate count? There''s the dairy level of the pyramid in the sweet, sweet form of buttery croissants and light, flaky, and yes, buttery pie crust. And nothing goes together like Napoleons and coffee-with cream, of course. Ham-filled croissants and almond pastries count as meats and nuts. Finally, fats, oils and sweets sit at the top of the food pyramid. Don''t worry, they''re at Paris, too.

Best Cup of Coffee

STARBUCKS

Various locations

It''s a sign of the times-Starbucks this year overtook perennial Monterey favorite Morgan''s as the county''s Best Coffeehouse, and was also named as the purveyer of the Best Cup of Coffee. The combination of funky-elegant surroundings, cool music, casual, efficient service and convenience, having taken over half the world, now conquers Monterey County. Three new locations apparently put the corporate coffee kings over the top-there are now nine Starbucks in the county. With his one Monterey location, the local-guy, former mayoral candidate and semi-pro gadfly placed a very close second; in a literal sense, Morgan''s one coffeehouse is still the single favorite. Meanwhile, lattes and caramel macchiatos (as well as our readers favorite cup o'' joe) are more available to the masses.

Best Bakery

PARIS BAKERY CAFE

271 Bonifacio Pl., Monterey, 646-1620.

Best Bagels

BAGEL BAKERY

locations in Carmel, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Sand City and Salinas.

Best BBQ

SMALLEY''S ROUNDUP RESTAURANT

700 W. Market St., Salinas, 758-0511.

Best Burger

RG BURGERS

Locations in Monterey and Carmel.

Best Burrito

CHIPOTLE

Del Monte Center, Munras Ave., Monterey, 641-9353.

Best Calamari

MONTEREY''S FISH HOUSE

2114 Del Monte Blvd., Monterey, 373-4647.

Best Deli Sandwiches

COMPAGNO''S MARKET AND DELI

2000 Prescott Ave., Monterey, 375-5987.

Best Butcher Shop

GROVE MARKET

242 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove, 375-9581.

Best Cheese Selection

WHOLE FOODS MARKET,

800 Del Monte Center, Munras Ave., Monterey, 333-1600.

Best Cup of Coffee

STARBUCKS

Various Locations.

Best Desserts

ROSINE''S

434 Alvarado St., Monterey, 375-1400.

Best Ice Cream

BASKIN ROBBINS

Various Locations.

Best Birthday Cake

LAYERS

160 Webster St., Monterey, 655-1544.

Best Pizza

GIANNI''S PIZZA

725 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey, 649-1500.

Best Salads

CRAZY HORSE RESTAURANT

1425 Munras Ave., Monterey, 649-4771.

Best Juice/Smoothies

JAMBA JUICE

Various Locations.

Best Local Red Wine

BERNARDUS

5 W. Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel Valley, 659-1900.

Best Local White Wine

CHALONE VINEYARDS

Stonewall Canyon Rd., Soledad, 678-1717.