 The Monterey Peninsula Toy Box |
Monterey Peninsula Dining
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"Seize
the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the
dessert cart."
-Erma Bombeck
Where's a good place to eat?
A picnic on the beach is Mr. Toy's favorite place. For indoor dining, there are excellent restaurants on nearly every block with sufficient variety to suit anyone's taste and budget. With the exception a few places at the Tourist Attractions, it's hard to find a bad restaurant here. As a general rule, the higher the concentration of souvenir shops the lower the quality of food in the vicinity. But generally speaking, when you get hungry just look around the immediate neighborhood and see what looks good. You can't go too far wrong.
Having said that, however, there are a few well-established places off of the beaten path, which you may not find on your own:
- Tarpy's Roadhouse is in an old stone house on the Monterey-Salinas Highway (Hwy. 68) near Canyon Del Rey Boulevard. It's about a mile east of the entrance to the Monterey airport. Lunch and dinner. Fairly expensive, but worth it. 647-1444
- Mission Ranch, Clint Eastwood's place, has a rustic restaurant, lodgings, and tennis courts. It is located behind the Carmel Mission at the south end of Dolores Street. The main buildings were once part of a hundred year old dairy farm. Clint saved it from developers who wanted to tear it all down and build condos. Hooray Clint! The restaurant has a piano bar, outdoor seating, and overlooks a sheep pasture. The Carmel River lagoon and Point Lobos complete the backdrop. Even if you're not hungry, go look the place over, its very pretty. They serve dinner, sometimes lunch. Sunday they have a buffet brunch with live jazz. Fireplaces make the place cozy at night. Prices are a on the expensive side. Quality is exceptional. 625-9040
- Rocky Point, located 12 miles south of Carmel on Highway 1, has spectacular coastal views. The food is pretty good, though not exceptional. The scenery and relaxed atmosphere are he main attractions. At night the rocky shore is bathed in light so you can still enjoy the surf action. Lunch prices are moderate, dinner is in the upper price range. 624-2933.
- California Market. This is one of two restaurants at the Highlands Inn located above Highway 1 in the Carmel Highlands. It offers top of the line cuisine in a casual atmosphere. Outdoor seating is available. The views aren't quite as panoramic as at their main restaurant upstairs, but it is much easier on your bank account. 620-1234
- Baja Cantina can be found on Carmel Valley Road a few miles east of Highway 1. The food is Mexican, the decor is automotive. Old gas pumps are outside the doors, while the interior is decorated with posters, photos, and old gas station signs. The seating includes a large outdoor deck where you can enjoy your meal in the sun while gazing at the surrounding hills. At night they'll have a fire going. Prices are very reasonable. You'll find the Baja Cantina next to the entrance to Quail Lodge. As you near the restaurant, coming around the bend, you can see the peak of the roof proudly displaying an old Mobil flying horse sign. (It's the same one which hung for decades on the building at the end of the Municipal Wharf in Monterey). 625-2252.
The Toy's personal favorites:
Mr. & Mrs. Toy have a few places they like to go with some regularity. But be advised, their tastes may be different from yours, so there's no guarantee you'll like these places as well as they do. Moreover, restaurants around here tend to change owners and names with some frequency, so there's no guarantee they'll still be in business when you get here. You'll be relieved to know that most of the Toy's favorite hangouts are modestly priced.
Monterey:
- Turtle Bay has two locations, one in downtown Monterey on Tyler Street (behind the Golden State Theatre) and another in Seaside on Fremont and Trinity. These are taquerias specializing in seafood. For just a few dollars you can get a filling meal to go or just eat it there. Their bowls work well on picnics. Order ahead and it'll be ready when you arrive. 333-1500 (Monterey) or 899-1010 (Seaside).
- Rosines is on Alvarado Street and Bonifacio in downtown Monterey. A family owned family style restaurant with a wide variety of menu options at reasonable prices. Rosines is open from breakfast through dinner. For dessert they offer several varieties of chocolate cake, the best available on the peninsula. 375-1400
- Schooners is in the Monterey Plaza Hotel on Cannery Row. Indoor and outdoor seating places you right over the edge of the bay. The menu is a little on the trendy side, but they also have some old standards like burgers or fish & chips. The views are terrific. 372-2628
Pacific Grove:
- Peppers,
is a little hole in the
wall Mexican restaurant, one of our best, in fact. You'll find it on
Forest Avenue a half block north (downhill) from Lighthouse Avenue.
373-6892
Tourist Attractions
vs.
Real Life
Monterey
Peninsula
Toy Box Store
- Nico is on San Carlos near the southwest corner of Ocean Avenue. just a few steps outside the Doud Arcade. Mediterranean is the style. Nico is Mr. & Mrs Toy's favorite place to go before a concert at Sunset Center, which is just down the street. The entrees, priced on the high side of moderate, are excellent, as are their more budget-minded pizzas and sandwiches. Service is excellent while the atmosphere is calm. They have a cozy indoor fireplace, and a handful of outdoor tables. Their one weakness is their dessert menu, which tends to be a little bland. Their after dinner mints are also interesting. Mr. Toy calls them "anti-Altoids" or "curiously weak peppermints." 624-6545
- Patisserie Boissiere is a cozy little French restaurant in Carmel. Specifically, it's on the east side of Mission Street between Ocean and 7th by the Carmel Plaza.You'll find it costs much less than the fancy famous French place across the street. The lunch prices are even more affordable. They'll even pack a picnic for you. One warning: you have to walk past a display of delightful French pastries and other tempting desserts to get to the dining room. 624-5008
- The Forge in the Forest, at Junipero & 5th, was once a blacksmith shop in the olden days. The menu features a little something for everyone including sandwiches, meat, seafood, pasta, tacos and pizza. The food quality is quite good, though not quite good enough to be labeled exceptional. Desserts, though, are fabulous. Their main attractions are the fun, relaxed atmosphere, good service, and beautiful garden patio. 624-2233
- Le Coq D'Or is an intimate little place offering French, German and local cuisine. Their scalloped potatoes are to die for. It is located on Mission Street just North of 5th in an inconspicuous little building. Except for a small sign hanging on the wall, you could easily pass it and not know it is there. Its more expensive than most of the places the Toys normally go, but the lady who runs it will make you feel like you're having dinner at Grandma's house. 626-9319
- Bahama Billy's, is located in the Barnyard off of Highway 1 at the mouth of Carmel Valley. They provide hearty, stick to your ribs meals with a Caribbean accent in a fun, casual atmosphere. Ask for their coconut covered sweet potato fries and save room for dessert. 626-0430
- Cafe Stravaganza is an informal Italian/Mediterranean place in the Crossroads Shopping Center at Highway 1 and Rio Road. Mr. Toy says their pizza is among the best around, while Mrs. Toy loves their pasta. You'll find it at the far end of the Crossroads Boulevard. 625-3733
- R.G.
Burgers is in Carmel in the
Crossroads Shopping Center on Highway 1 and Rio Road. They make Real
Good ("R.G.") hamburgers in many different styles, plus old fashioned
milkshakes in more flavors than we can count. Be sure to get a basket
of their fabulous onion rings! Enjoy, then eat low fat food the rest of
the day. 626-8054.
A word about fish. Whether you are dining on the Monterey Peninsula or at home on the range, please be aware that some of the fish you eat is becoming depleted from overfishing. To help you make wise choices, please check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch guide. They have a wallet sized card you can download for easy reference when reading menus or browsing at the fish market.
WARNING
TO PARENTS:
There are no fast food chains in Carmel.
They're about as welcome as ants at a picnic. Local politics stuff, don't get involved. There is some fairly fast food, however, mostly in the form of delis. Many restaurants also offer take-out, so you can do that picnic thing. Just be sure to clean up afterwards.
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