Salinas Valley Fish House Closes Down
The Salinas Valley Fish House is saying goodbye for good after New Year's Eve. After 15 years in business, the Oldtown Salinas spot known for its "where everyone knows your name" atmosphere, full bar and expertise with seafood is shutting down; Dec. 31 will be its final day of operation. ...
Controversy at Monterey County Vitners and Growers Association
In many ways, it's good to be Rhonda Motil. The executive director of Monterey County Vitners and Growers Association, which was founded around 40 years ago to boost the repute and sales of Monterey grapes, harvests a big salary (well past $150,000 according to two sources), has the opportunity to ...
Fresh Flavor Plays Come New Year's Eve—Plus il vecchio Adds 'Worker's Lunch' Jan. 14
It would be nice to settle in at newly redone Aubergine (624-8578)—just the new cheese cave alone is incredible—for New Year's Eve and graze through transcendent tastes like the sablefish mousse with winter radishes and warm cuttlefish with roasted beet, smoked roe and shiso. It would also be expensive. The ...
Some of the Sexiest Farm-Fresh Cocktails in the County
Fog & Smog, the viral video gurus behind “It’s Getting Real in the Whole Foods Parking Lot” and “Yoga Girl,” have some fun with the burgeoning craft cocktail trend with their parody anthem “Hey Mr. Mixologist.” They lampoon giant ice cubes, $20 price tags, snobby bartenders and suggest drinks like ...
Reflections on First-Ever Carmel-by-the-Glass by Rich Pepe and Local Wineries
The surprising success of Carmel-by-the-Glass bodes well for a sequel.
Bacon Shaving Cream, Tony Baker's Insane Bacon and Why Monterey Is Bacon Capital of the U.S.A.
Glorious is the morning when you can wake up, shower, shave and—thanks to the country's latest bacon craze breakthrough—smell like you just worked a double at a pork processing plant. The jar of J&D's Bacon Shaving Cream ($14.99) itself smells less like the workers at such a plant than it ...
Seafood Four Ways at Carmel's Charming New La Balena
Everything about Carmel’s new La Balena Cucina Toscana (250-6295) is understated, from the decor to the menu, in a way that left our table collectively murmuring in thoughtful delight throughout a two-hour dinner Sunday night—instead of punctuated by the “Oh wow” kinds of flavors you might expect from a meal ...
Maldonado Vineyards Gets Help From Facebook in Naming New Pinot
Naming wines can be a very important endeavor to a new winemaker—and can often lead to countless hours sifting through names and label ideas. Some outcomes aren’t so tasty: Among the funkiest, of late, rank Thierry and Guy's Fat Bastard Shiraz, Cleavage Creek Cellars Secret Reserve and a small, Montpellier ...
Double Good Foodie News With Bigoli Pasta and Basil Carmel
In a perfect world, your from-scratch sauces take several hours, but the organic pasta only takes two minutes. But that world is only obtainable with super-super-fresh pasta. And there’s not a whole lot of that laying around for those without the culinary wherewithal or the Italian grandma to whip it ...
Dessert Log, Stardate 12/12/12: What Goes Into Parker-Lusseau's Tastiest Holiday Treats
Yann Lusseau plunges a lean forearm into a 40-quart stainless-steel bowl and whirls a thick pool of fresh custard, melted chocolate and whipped cream. The motion is as artistic as it is athletic: Decadent brown swirls into fluffy white, transforming into a creamy chocolate mousse. “It gives me a feel,” ...
Mouthwatering Peek at Sierra Mar's New Taste of Big Sur Tasting Menu
Not a bad year for John Cox—and therefore, not a bad year for local foodie appetites. First Chef Cox took a trusted but tired community landmark, Casanova (625-0501), and gave it vibrant new life with an ingredient-driven tectonic shift, as I described with an April piece called "Super 'Nova: Recent ...
VIDEO: Scores of Test Tastes Later, Fried Chicken Nights Finally Here
After brining, sizzling, pressure frying and dipping through 75 different types of fried chicken, dozens of sauces and literally months of prep for his Fried Chicken Nights at Restaurant 1833 (643-1833), Levi Mezick got a phone call. It came after word emerged FCNs would start 6-9:30pm Sunday of this week. ...
Abel Maldonado: Lieutenant Governor of Transforming Loss Into Our Wine Gain
When life gave Abel Maldonado a couple of lemons, he made wine. The lemons were political losses: He finished behind Gavin Newsom for lieutenant governor in 2010 and Lois Capps for Congress this fall. He's got some time on his hands, hence he's sticking his feet in the barrel. The ...
Eco-Friendly Food Container Compliance, or Lack Thereof
In a an ever more polluted and warming world it’s not only the food people eat and drink that raises concern—and backlash—but the containers they eat and drink from. The sustainable spotlight frequently finds disposable containers like polystyrene (styrofoam) and plastics. Recently, a TV commercial produced for Israeli-based, home-carbonated soda ...