San Carlos between Ocean and Seventh, Carmel

624-7400, www.mundakacarmel.com

The ever-changing menu of Spanish tapas composed by Chef Brandon Miller won the county’s gastrophiles over quickly with wonders like ricotta ravioli with organic egg, chanterelles and pancetta; and cinnamon-braised goat with root veggies and chickpea fritter. But there’s a certain upscale hipness that makes Mundaka more than an Old World culinary delight. In a space masterfully designed with reclaimed materials and whimsical lighting, somehow even the hog leg on the bar comes off as sophisticated (turns out it’s Serrano ham worth hundreds). And night brings out Mundaka’s other identity: a long-overdue Carmel place to dance in heels and jeans, featuring owner Gabe Georis’ bro Nico killing them softly on Wednesdays, DJ Hanif Wondir spinning soul-funk-hip-hop Thursdays, and reggae Saturdays. The Spanish wine flows freely among friends – particularly from the porrón – and everyone seems to be amigos at Mundaka. Hard to tapa that.

Bernardus Lodge, 415 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley

658-3595, www.bernardus.com

Hyperboles have lost their power. A minute of TV commentary provides compelling proof: Talking heads can’t go two syllables without involuntarily burping up an “absolutely amazing” or a “completely unbelievable.” Having cashed those descriptive chips, such knucklenuts would have a hard time describing a dinner here: Cal Stamenov’s black morels in black truffle oil, grilled peaches with Moroccan spices and Hudson Valley foie gras or oh-so-tender alder-grilled Sonoma duck; Ben Spungin’s clouds of poached meringue floating in soft vanilla custard with toasted almonds and spun sugar; or Wine Director Marc Jensen’s Wine Spectator Grand Award-winning stash. Because that’s where those hyperboles find their true home.

101 The Crossroads, Carmel

625-5436, www.riogrill.com

During its 27 years in business, each new chef at Rio Grill has learned to leave the sacred cows alone – note the smoked chicken and prawns over penne, to name two standouts. Changes are continual, but are only discernible to the many devout followers. The restaurant just keeps doing it, and fans just keep loving it – the playful art, the rascally bar, the lighthearted vibe, and some of the most consistently good chow around. Chef Cy Yontz raised the bar on quality when he arrived and keeps it in place. His duck breast with mole should be added to the untouchable canon.

48510 Highway 1, Big Sur

667-2345, www.nepenthebigsur.com

To truly know Nepenthe is to know the lore of Hollywood parties past, the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright student Rowan Maiden, the steal-your-circulation vistas that fall from the decks like so many hearts do for Big Sur – and to know the family behind it, the community forged from it, the resurgence summoned through it. This knowledge tastes damn good, not unlike the suitably storied Ambrosia Burger or the South Coast Margarita.

Dolores and Seventh, Carmel

625-6500, www.cantinettaluca.com

It’s the gorgonzola prosciutto olive in the Cavalli-vodka Luca Tini. It’s the house-cured artisan bresaola and salame cotto hanging by the bar. It’s the casual pizza counter – try the “bianca” – and the sumptuously big-city open spaces. It’s the stozapreti with housemade sausage, the arrosto di pollo that’s vacuum-sealed to elevate juiciness, and the braised Colorado lamb shank with Taffiasca olives and fresh rosemary. It’s the endless racks of carefully curated Italian wines ringing the inviting back room. It’s the Dolores location. It’s the great bartender. It’s the general buzz about it. It’s the bomb.

10 Delfino Place, Carmel Valley

659-4444, www.caferusticacarmel.com

Can we stop deferring to Europe now on matters of charm? We have our own charm, our own wine-country roadhouses, heirloom produce, earthy-yet-sophisticated architecture and design. Café Rustica is all that, plus it serves up seductive dishes that manage to be both hearty and a showcase of local produce. The wood-fired pizza and patio seating are popular attractions, as are colorful salads, creative sandwiches and pasta, and beautifully roasted meats.

3295 Dunes Road, Marina

883-9479, www.kula-ranch.com

Uncommon details make former Baja Cantina GM Joe Loeffler’s little slice of Hawaii thrive like guava trees on the island of Molokai. A television in the men’s room loops Hawaii-themed movies including Blue Hawaii with Elvis. Along with a fresh sushi bar, dishes like the island-inspired macadamia-nut-crusted mahi-mahi keep patrons faithful to the spot. Kula also offers a sweet happy hour every day from 4-6:30pm, with $4 margaritas, $3.50 draft beers and $4 red pepper aioli Hawaiian sliders.

414 Calle Principal, Monterey

648-8880, www.montrio.com

Montrio celebrates its 15th birthday this year (and those are restaurant years), yet it has the vibrant health of a dining establishment half its age. The wisdom it has earned is obvious in the expertly crafted cuisine, fine-tuned service and fashionable interior. Less obvious is Chef Tony Baker’s commendable commitment to sustainability and local produce. Birthday upgrades are planned for May, but one wonders how much better Montrio can be, since this award is just the latest among legions.

7600 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing

633-2152, www.philsfishmarket.com

Weekly readers know a winner when they see, err, taste one. But the word on Phil’s seems to be getting out. Owner Phil DiGirolamo’s famous cioppino has been featured twice by the Food Network – in a cioppino throwdown with celebrity chef Bobby Flay and on an episode of Road Tested. The fame doesn’t seem to be going to Phil’s head. He continues to serve fresh-caught fish in an unassuming warehouse-turned-market-and-eatery at very reasonable prices. And here’s something for the locals, who loved Phil long before he became a TV sensation: weekly in-house specials. Recently, these included sauteed champagne oysters, a lobster roll sandwich served with fries and cole slaw, and half a lobster and salmon strips over sauteed garlic, basil, mushrooms, capers, sundried tomatoes, spinach, butter, mixed olives and wine with penne pasta. Take that, Bobby Flay.

701 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove

655-3311, www.passionfish.net

The team at Passionfish earns international recognition for its sustainable plays, including efforts to save bluefin tuna – their receipts even include helpful Tag-A-Giant links to that end – but it’s really us they’re saving. They liberate us from having to quiz servers on the providence of the succulent sturgeon and seared scallops, they salvage us from paralyzing wine decisions (the eclectic list is famously loaded with affordable fabulosos), and they spare us from debate over who has the freshest, healthiest and most creative food in Pacific Grove.

At the Inn at Spanish Bay,

2700 17 Mile Drive, Pebble Beach

647-7423, www.pebblebeach.com

With the signature of its celebrity chef to beckon all, its world-class backdrop of Spanish Bay to bedazzle those who look up from their plates, and a daily menu that continues to refine the original Hawaiian fusion concept, Roy’s is hard to beat. Inside the gates of Pebble Beach, where epicurean perfection often eclipses the merely extraordinary, Roy’s versions of the Bento box lunch, the misoyaki butterfish and the ginger barbeque ribs have once again earned it the nod from readers as the best.

1410 S. Main St., Salinas

422-1814, www.restauranteur.com/ginospasta.com

The tiny house Gino’s calls home is but a small part of what makes this place feel like our home. Choose any room in the house for dinner. Then indulge. The artichoke bisque is, quite possibly, the best this side of the Pacific. Really, there isn’t a bad choice on the menu: rich, saucy pastas, authentic Italian pizzas, plump calzones, and salads teeming with local veggies. It is home. And then some.

465 Olympia Ave #D, Sand City

393-2063, www.sweetelenas.net

Best in Sand City doesn’t begin to capture the lusciousness within this cozy nook. Elena Salsedo Steele whips up sweet and savory baked goods from scratch that rival the best of Monterey Bay and beyond. She uses only the freshest stuff, and offers a scrumptious vegetable dish and soups and sandwiches daily. Don’t miss the lemon and ollalieberry tarts and lavender cookies. Coffee, free Wi-Fi, beer and wine, and paintings by local artists complete the scene.

789 Trinity Ave. (at Fremont), Seaside

394-2027, www.fishwife.com

Let’s not forget that Monterey County would not be Monterey County were it not for the sea. The salty air, coastal breeze and scenic views are all nice, but we love the true gift from the Pacific – seafood! If you want a comfortable, friendly place with great flavor and reasonable prices, Fishwife is the trophy. Their fish sandwiches are savory, messy, and unbelievably tasty – and one of our favorites. The gumbo, chowder and seafood salads are all delicious too. Add in some homemade salsa, a central-American/California taste connection, super friendly, professional service, and soon you’ll want to be a Fishwife regular (in Seaside or at the Asilomar location).

101 Oak St., Soledad

678-3130

La Fuente is entering their 21st year of making Mexican food, with specialties in a variety of shrimp and pork plates. “When I find a taste I like, I’ll adapt it to my own style and make it original,” says owner Ramona Ozuna, who has been in the Mexican restaurant business since 1967. She owned a restaurant in San Jose before moving to South County. Her specialty is camarones al la diabla or shrimp in garlic sauce. Ozuna has traveled all around Mexico, sampling different restaurants and looking for unique tastes to adapt to her own. “I like to do things my own way, and if you come in, give me a few minutes to cook something up, it will be very good.”

2999 Monterey Salinas Highway

647-1444, www.tarpys.com

The balance sheet is all positive. Tarpy’s is based in a beautiful 1917 building, at the old Tarpy’s flats, convenient to Salinas and the Peninsula. The service is outstanding. And Chef Michael Kimmel has designed a widely creative menu that always satisfies: It’s essentially impossible not to devour all of the Cajun spiced prawns, Chinese five spice ribs or Texas-style beef brisket (not to mention the killer Cobb salad). The bottom line is that Tarpy’s food, service and wine list are consistently excellent, making it easy to do business here. So easy, in fact, that you may not want to go back to work.

125 Oceanview Blvd., Pacific Grove 372-1125

171 Main St., Salinas 784-1125, www.firstawakenings.net

Not knowing what delicious breakfast platter to devour is a good problem to have, and it’s especially tough to choose at First Awakenings. The restaurant’s straightforward-yet-perfect eggs benedict and cheese-smothered egg skillets (with toppings ranging from mushrooms to chorizo) are hard to pass up, but eating either hearty dish wouldn’t leave room for buttery raisin walnut pancakes. So it’s best to show up with a friend and share first-meal delight while sipping from a personal pot of coffee and being taken care of by a server in a colorful shirt.

500 Del Monte Center, Monterey

641-9353, www.chipotle.com

Carnitas. Barbacoa. Grilled chicken. Top round steak. The choice is yours. The value – after the piling-on of rice, beans, sour cream, several salsas, and a blend of Monterey Jack and white cheddar cheeses – is non-negotiable, as the tab for any of those fatties will total no more than $6.10 (true, guacamole and beers are extra). Just feel the weight of that tortilla submarine in your hand. That’s a bangin’ burrito for your buck.

Mission between Ocean and Seventh, Carmel

624-8518, 624-8598

Phu and Tommy Mao are the brothers behind this tiny, family-run Chinese restaurant tucked behind Wells Fargo, and though the Mao clan is Cantonese, their menu starts in Szechuan territory, and ranges over Mandarin, Hunan and Cantonese ground. How good the food is can be measured by how packed the 34-seat spot gets, with people loitering outside as they wait for a table, and by Tommy’s laissez-faire approach to the drink menu (pedestrian), décor (minimal) and desserts (they don’t do ’em). What they do is food. Local produce is combined with meats from the Bay Area and noodles from a famous San Jose noodle maker in home-tested recipes, informed by Tommy’s regular trips to the motherland. It’s a surprisingly small and well-hidden op, but the reputation of the food inspires people to search for this. Good food has a way of doing that.

1188 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove

372-5325, www.fifisbistrocafe.com

Fifi’s has evolved into the quintessential local’s spot by taking care of the so-called small stuff. Consistent, tasty French bistro fare; friendly, attentive and knowledgeable service; thoughtfully chosen, reasonably priced wines; beautiful décor reminiscent of a Parisian boutique; and soulfully selected songs and international music all synergistically combine to create an atmosphere people gravitate to. Michele and Calvin Wilkes dance around this graceful restaurant, bestowing their charm and warmth upon all who happily enter. Fifi’s has also become the place to buy retail wine – most of the restaurant’s offerings are available to take home at great prices. That goes for wines from around the world as well as, of course, the exquisite French variety.

Dolores near Seventh, Carmel

626-6335, www.littlenapoli.com

The menu at Little Napoli is classic old-school Italian-American, with a few updates. The Pepes who run the place recreate the family’s 100-year-old garlic bread recipe and serve up stand-bys like Osso Bucco and pasta dishes with names like Al Forno Sinatra and Ravioli Della Hoboken, while hipper fare like bruschetta with goat cheese sun-dried tomatoes and basil also find their way onto the menu. It’s all served with Chianti by the glass and a page full of La Dolce Vita selections to cap off your meal.

514 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey

649-3474, www.crystalfishsushi.com

The sake is bomb, the quarters are cozy and the sashimi is so fresh it’s still flopping. The winning combination makes Crystal Fish a favorite for work meetings, families and tourists too. We have it on good authority that even Center for the Future of the Oceans staff – the people who brought you the Seafood Watch program – inhale the Crystal with regularity. We’re guessing they zone in on the green – and yellow-list options like saba (mackerel), hotate (scallop), gindara (black cod), ika (squid), kaki (oysters) and uni (sea urchin). Or maybe they’re just hip to the half-off sake on Sunday afternoons.

1884 Fremont Blvd., Seaside

394-9494

Korean tour buses, winding up or down the coast between San Francisco and Los Angeles, stop at this long-standing restaurant to nourish the passengers on homeland fare like bulgogi (marinated beef with onion), clear japjae noodles (a kind of chop suey), bibimbap (rice piled with a little of everything, topped with raw egg), bubbling kimchi jigae (angry red spicy soup), kalbi (barbecue pork or beef strips, commonly referred to as Korean barbecue), kimbap (like a California roll), oxtail soup and banchan. Banchan helps define a Korean meal, the little side dishes adding concentrated bursts of flavor and texture, and Orient Express lays out a small buffet-worthy variety: salted crunchy anchovy, slabs of kimchee, soy sauce black bean, sheets of tofu – it’s like a palette of flavors at the tip of your chopsticks.

435 Alvarado St., Monterey 646-2080

477 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove 649-2530

It’s one of Monterey County’s hidden gems, its outlets tucked into a modest front on Alvarado and what careless passers by might assume to be a P.G. home. Weekly readers rave above everything on the menu, from Greek salads to gyros. For indecisive diners, or those who simply love everything on the menu, try the combination plate: lamb kabob, dolma, tabuli, gyro meat, rice, hummus and pita. Just make sure to save room for the baklava. And its Turkish coffee is darn mandatory.

170 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove

373-6892, www.peppersmexicalicafe.com

A veritable institution in downtown Pacific Grove, Peppers has earned the Best Mexican title for an amazing 20th time in the last 21 years. Peppers wins the readers’ devotion because of its fresh, healthy food, its generous portions and the family-friendly environment. It’s a simple recipe for success, and Peppers prepares it with attention to detail and a garnish of love and affection. The bar at Peppers has also emerged as its own destination for surfers, soul searchers and tequila lovers of every stripe.

794 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey

642-0231

For the second year in a row, Weekly readers agree the county’s only Afghani restaurant serves up the county’s best Middle Eastern food. Its kabobs – all served with salad and rice – marinated in pureed onion, garlic and spices keep loyal customers coming back, but don’t overlook Amir’s tasty appetizers like mantu (pasta shells filled with ground beef, onions and herbs, topped with sour cream and veggies), kandu (pan-fried squash with fresh tomatoes, onions and garlic, served on sour cream) and banjan (pan-fried eggplant with fresh tomatoes, onions and garlic), all of which pair well with $2 beers, served Tuesday-Friday from 5-7pm. Bellydancers shimmy at two dinner shows every Saturday night, and hookahs attract a hip crowd for drinks and sweet smoke.

159 Central Ave., Pacific Grove

372-8700

With the profound balance and tempting variety to stand out in a suddenly crowded local Thai food realm – nine houses of Thai from Moss Landing to Carmel – Thai Bistro II is a burgeoning dynasty in the Best Of biz: This is their 13th award in 16 years of business. Yet neither the increased competition nor the rigors of recessionary reserve have slowed the popularity of this P.G. gem. Your taste buds will sail full-sheets with their signature dish, the “Gulf of Siam” and its fresh slate of seafood and crispy basil bobbing in a heroic broth. All told, the seasoned experience is worthy of a new word: “spicial.” Somebody text Webster.

700 Munras Ave., Monterey

375-0176, www.estebanrestaurant.com

Esteban offers more than 30 different tapas, ranging from $3 to $13. Five-dollar patatas bravas are dusted with red spices, fried until golden crisp and served with garlic aioli for dipping. The baby back ribs have a citrus punch; served with a sherry-orange glaze, they are dusted with orange pulp and almond slivers. The brussels sprouts, meanwhile, are an unlikely crowd pleaser – simmered with chicken broth, bacon and an herb medley, they make this veggie no longer distained. “Feliz Hora” is 5-7pm, complete with $5 mojitos and $2 sangrias.

Junipero and Fifth, Carmel

624-2233, www.forgeintheforest.com

The Forge in the Forest boasts two leafy green outdoor patios – one dog friendly and the other humans only. With three fireplaces and outdoor gas heaters, it’s toasty year-round and so romantic that at least once a month a nervous guy calls ahead for champagne on ice and that special table to pop the big question on bended knee. California comfort food is served for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, accompanied by a California-only wine list.

111 Central Ave., Pacific Grove

373-0335, www.tilliegortscafe.com

Carmen Nazer is not a vegetarian. But the owner of Tillie Gort’s will eat any item on the restaurant’s menu, sans meat, any day of the week. Not only will she, but she can rather easily. “We can make any dish on our menu vegetarian,” she says. “We can make any dish vegan by taking out the sour cream, cheese, whatever.” Wheat-free vittles and vegan desserts round off Tillie Gort’s commitment to cater to any dietary need. Inclusive food is just part of the reason the 41-year-old business has kept thriving. “We have a lot of support from the local community,” Carmen says. “They’re what allows us to keep our doors open. And they are very nice people.”

763 Wave St., Monterey

373-3778, www.whalingstationmonterey.com

Steak. It’s what’s for dinner. In so many ways. Porterhouse. Filet. New York strip or sirloin. Each is aged 28 days and oak-grilled. All will put a big smile on your face. The boneless short ribs, served in Cabernet Sauvignon sauce, also result in expressions of beefy bliss. The semi-secret to keeping carnivores happy for more than 35 years: top-notch Nebraskan USDA Prime Grade meat, sparsely seasoned to ensure its superiority is fully savored.

720 Cannery Row, Monterey

373-1884, www.bubbagump.com

What does Forrest say to President John F. Kennedy when he meets him in the White House? And which female actress’ picture is in the bathroom when Forrest relieves himself? If the trivia doesn’t charm you and the kids, there’s always the “dynamite” popcorn shrimp, “hush pups,” classic mac ‘n’ cheese and the ever-popular Americana chicken strips. Meanwhile, the blue-and-pink “lemon-ups,” so named because they arrive in glasses that light up, juice kids’ engines – and the dull roar makes that OK. (Answers: “I gotta go pee”; Marilyn Monroe.)

2114 Del Monte Ave., Monterey

373-4647, www.villagefishhouse.com

The Fish House is a family affair with generational roots. The unassuming white-washed building is off the tourist track and decorated with a gallery of black-and-white family photos. Once seated, you’ll find the menu is chock full of incredible Italian-style seafood, but don’t get your heart set on any one item until you hear the knowledgeable wait staff effortlessly rip off a Magna Carta-length list of nightly specials – no teleprompters or Sharpied palms here. The Fish House is known far and wide for their oak-barbequed oysters and Sicilian Holiday Pasta. For a treat, try their local chanterelle ’shroom and scallop dish – with a cream so rich, sweet and delicate that you’ll need a firm pinch to prove you aren’t dreaming it up. Don’t be surprised if a fork fight breaks out at your table – plate sharing is a contact sport at the hottest seafood seat in town.

39 Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey

375-4604, www.oldfishermansgrotto.com

The world would be a neater place if more culinary regions offered samples of their local specialty en masse, gratis. Monterey is a special place to visit (and live) for many reasons, but a major one is the long-standing tradition of its seafood houses offering chowder samples to passersby. Old Fisherman’s Grotto patriarch Sabu Shake invented the practice long ago when the beverage controllers frowned on his practice of giving out a free glass of wine to customers who were waiting outside for a table to open up, and his son Chris has continued his legacy with Sabu’s secret recipe. Devilishly creamy, masterfully seasoned and textured to perfection, the Grotto’s chowder is the original, and still the best.

48123 Highway 1, Big Sur

667-4242, www.ventanainn.com

The place is no longer called Cielo, but the treats still seem to tumble from heaven – and in even lovelier combinations since it reopened in ’09 after the hellish Basin Complex Fire. A recent reverie involved cauliflower-horseradish gratin, natural bone-in rib-eye, diver scallops as soft as a snow drift, a show-stopping foraged mushroom strudel in a tarragon beurre blanc and endives stuffed with oven-roasted squash, Shaft’s blue cheese and spiced walnuts – all enriched with added indulgences like an ’07 Rosenblum Zin. Ace chef de cuisine Esteban Jimenez is devoutly talented in a toque, as is pastry queen Gina Scalla.

701 Wave St., Monterey

373-3775, www.sardinefactory.com

Where else can you get an 1877 Chateau Haut-Brion ($4,500), an 1899 Chateau Léoville Poyferré ($1,500)and a 2008 Dr. F. Weins-Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett ($28)?With over 35,000 bottles and 1,775 selections, the list has what Weekly readers want. (Lots of wine.) Arvind Dutt, former Pacific’s Edge cellar master (’98-’06), now runs this cellar, and hopes to regain Wine Spectator’s Grand Award for having one of the best wine lists in the world. Theselections are focused on California but offerplenty of rare Bordeaux andlots ofvalues for the checkbook-challenged. Fred Dame, who is now aninternationally recognized master sommelier, was long the cellar master here. His legacy is in good hands.

120 Highland Drive, Carmel

622-5445, www.pacificsedge.com

Romance is like the ocean outside this palatial dining wonderland. It constantly ebbs and flows, rolls and churns, carrying away our control, seducing us with its power and grace, eroding our façades – no matter how sturdily constructed. Romance, like the ocean outside Pacific’s Edge, may appear either calm or tumultuous on the surface, yet disguise the exact opposite lurking below. This restaurant, with its practiced excellence amidst a most magnificent setting, provides the perfect nesting place for romantic interludes in any weather, for any romance, whether stormy or just smooth sailing.