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San Francisco may grab California's culinary spotlight, but local food partisans are quick to point out that celebrity chef Jeremiah Tower (of Stars in San Francisco) roasted his first bell pepper at Big Sur's Ventana Inn. The fires of the California Cuisine revolution were stoked on the shores of the Central Coast. Carmel 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.
It's hard to go wrong with seafood here. The Central Coast yields a bounteous harvest of such delicacies as Monterey Bay king salmon, abalone and the delicate Monterey spot prawn. Restaurants offer seafood in a spectrum of styles: Italian, Mediterranean, Californian, Asian, and Pacific Fusion. The area also features noteworthy steak houses, cantinas and barbecue joints, and green veggies are incredibly fresh. Monterey County grows and ships much of the country's best artichokes, broccoli and lettuces. Heirloom varietals from local organic farms can make even the humble Brussels sprout a star.
Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach, site of the AT&T Celebrity Golf Tournament, is one of the most beautiful and exclusive settings for golf in the world and is priced to match--just a fair warning before entering the casual elegance of the Bay Club at the Inn at Spanish Bay, where Northern Italian cuisine riffs on local ingredients like Dungeness crab and Castroville artichokes. Another great choice is Roy's Pebble Beach, which brings you Hawaiian-style Pacific Rim cuisine with a California twist in an informal setting. The posh Club XIX, which overlooks the 18th hole of the Pebble Beach golf course, is likely the most chic, elegant setting on the entire Monterey Peninsula. Hubert Keller, chef at San Francisco's renowned Fleur de Lys, has joined the kitchen there to successfully wed Club XIX's staunchly American menu with lighter, more contemporary fare. The prix fixe menus are a good strategy to take here. Dinner jackets are required for men at dinner.
Carmel and Carmel Valley
Carmel, with its quaint appeal and high per-capita income, is blessed with a variety of first-class restaurants that cater to its constant stream of visitors. Most of the restaurants are found on Ocean Avenue and the cross-streets to the south, as well as some notable restaurants along Highway 1 south of town.
The Court of the Golden Bough arcade offers the dog-and-kid-friendly PortaBella. Its Mediterranean cuisine has garnered praise and awards from publications like the New York Times.
For pure romance, head to Casanova Restaurant. Choose from the Harvest Room, the Milagro Room or the pepper tree-shaded patio, and rest assured that signature dishes like Grilled Veal Chop with Sauteed Mushrooms and Pan-seared Fillet of Salmon with Pasta do not disappoint. The wine cellar is stocked with more than 30,000 bottles.
Two blocks north you'll find La Boheme Restaurant, a tiny Parisian bistro with a delightfully nostalgic setting complete with Paris Match magazines scattered about and a prix fixe menu of one entree nightly. Nearby, the family-owned Tutto Mondo Trattoria serves Italian food at very reasonable prices. The setting is simple and rustic, but what they've saved on decor has gone into the food (pizzas, pastas and bisteccas) and delicious home-made ingredients. The house olive oils and salad dressings are sold at the door. A block up on Sixth Street Grasing's Coastal Cuisine has garnered awards with its exceptional and reasonably priced California Mediterranean fare.
At Carmel's Barnyard Shopping Village, the Lugano Swiss Bistro offers delightful Alpine comfort cooking like Veal Schnitzel with Capers and the Mountain Sausage Platter. It's all delicious and comforting--picture red-and-white checked tablecloths aglow from the flames of the rotisserie. The Rio Grill is situated South of Carmel on Highway 1. It sticks to its specialties: grilled entrees served with a Southwestern twist. The cuisine wins awards, and the service keeps locals coming back.
Don't forget breakfast, often touted as the most important meal of the day. There are few better places to fuel up for a day of sightseeing (or relaxing) than Katy's Place or the Cottage Restaurant, which offer hearty morning meals. Both places are informal, and a friendly way to start the day.
Continuing past The Barnyard on Carmel Valley road brings you to Marinus, a wonderful place to stop while visiting the area's vineyards, shops or golf courses. The cuisine, created by French-trained Bay Area native Cal Stamenov, blends Gallic preparation techniques with the area’s fresh produce. A more informal stop would be Will's Fargo Dining House and Saloon, a steakhouse that serves Porterhouse steaks second to none, as well as such California-style treats as Lamb with pesto. The saloon offers a tame homage to the area’s rowdier days.
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