Pandemic pivots for local restaurants
Change is in the air — fall brings plenty of new tastes to savor. From new restaurants to fun pivots from old favorites, here’s what’s on my radar this month. Send any news tips, questions, curiosities or just friendly notes you might have to offthemenu831@gmail.com.
Recent arrivals
A pair of openings slipped under the radar this summer.
Longtime Pacific Grove favorite Goodie’s Deli quietly relocated down the block to the space vacated by Carmel Valley Coffee Roasting Co. when the local coffee chain downsized earlier this summer. The shop’s signature sandwiches, salads and soups
are still available.
Eagle-eyed epicures may have spotted the bright green BobaLicious & Bites trailer in the parking lot of the Exxon gas station at the corner of Fremont and Abrego in Monterey. The new food truck boasts a menu of almost two dozen different boba tea combinations. On the food front, nosh on Indian street food, including chicken kebab burger ($10), roti wraps (choice of chicken kebab or butter chicken and rice, $10), momo dumplings (chicken $10, vegetarian $8) and samosas (two for $5).
Meanwhile, a new restaurant over in Carmel Valley has made a big splash.
Mika Sushi is now open and drawing sizable crowds as the village’s first bonafide sushi spot. The menu celebrates sushi, naturally, with an extensive selection of sashimi ($21122) and nigiri ($5-MP), plus creative rolls ($6-23) and paired bite-sized “deviations” ($8). Also look for grilled specialties — including chicken teriyaki ($21), broiled hamachi kama
($16), grilled saba (mackerel) shioyaki ($18), Korean beef bulgogi ($21) and more — and noodle soups ($1519). Vegetarians will appreciate a menu of a half dozen veggie maki rolls ($9).
On the horizon
Nacho Bizness is relocating to downtown Monterey and taking over the former Boardwalk Sub Shop location on Alvarado Street later this month. The move to a larger location means an expanded menu. Don’t worry, nachos will remain the concept’s core, but look for new offerings like nacho burritos, cheese-shell tacos and waffle fry nachos. Follow @nachobiz831 on Instagram to get the scoop on opening.
Popular farmers market vendor Mai Thai Cuisine is opening a brick-and-mortar location this fall. Renovations are underway at the former Alberto’s Ristorante location in Pacific Grove’s Forest Hill neighborhood, trading Italian for Thai. Expect favorites like pad thai, spicy chicken fried rice, curry bowls and more.
It looks like Aabha Indian Grill has closed on Alvarado Street — don’t worry, the original Carmel location in the Barnyard seems to still be going strong — but the space won’t be empty for long. Legal notices point to the impending arrival of KUMA offering an assortment of Asian cuisines from Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia. Follow @ kuma.monterey on Instagram for more.
Trending tastes
The Monterey Peninsula has seen a birria boom this summer. Birria de res — slow-cooked savory and spicy beef stew — has become increasingly popular around town.
A growing number of taquerias and restaurants now serve beef birria tacos stained red by a chile-rich consomé broth before they hit the grill. Some even feature quesabirrias loaded with cheese that melts on the grill to give a crisp shell of chile and cheese. All come with a side of extra consomé for dipping.
Monterey’s La Bahia Mexican American Restaurant offers birria tacos and quesadillas on the weekends starting around noon. The tacos (three for $10.50) are tasty, but the birria quesadilla — a quesabirria with the cheese quotient dialed up to the max ($10) — is a must- order. Some weekends also feature birria ramen — a fun and fiery fusion pioneered by resourceful Los Angeles taco trucks that adds beef birria and chile consomé to spicy Tapatío instant ramen ($10). And while you’re at La Bahia for birria, don’t forget to snag a michelada featuring housemade Jeezy’s Miche Mix.
Pandemic pivots
Restaurant owners are getting resourceful to survive the coronavirus pandemic — and diners can reap the rewards to upgrade the meals they cook at home.
Gabe Georis (owner of Pescadero and Barmel) and Brandon Miller (executive chef for il Grillo) have teamed up to launch The Chef’s Stash to offer home cooks access to the same gourmet goods chefs use in their restaurants. The longtime friends — the pair previously worked together at popular tapas spot Mundaka — are leveraging their insider connections to local farmers, fishermen and ranchers to curate topquality grocery boxes. Visit thechefsstash.com to shop the week’s selections — vegetarian, pescatarian and omnivore “stashes,” plus a la carte extras — or sign up for a subscription. Place orders by 5 p.m. Tuesday for pickup between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday across the street from Katy’s Place in Carmel.
In Pacific Grove, Passionfish is serving bottle shop vibes with the debut of its new wine club. Each Sunday, wine director Jannae Lizza will unveil the week’s offering on Instagram — three bottles centered on a unique theme. So far, that’s meant support for a local winery impacted by recent wildfires, rarities from a famed French producer and “easy-breezy” wines for effortless enjoyment. Follow @passionfishpg on Instagram for details on the week’s wine club selections. If they grab your fancy, head over to passionfish.net to place an order for pickup.
Bring the chef’s kitchen home
With restaurants doing less business during the pandemic, many purveyors now offer products for sale direct to home cooks.
Baker’s Bacon has unveiled a new retail outlet in Marina. Think of it like a butcher shop specializing in bacon — peruse artisan bacon smoked and cured by chef-owner Tony Baker, plus a curated selection of meats sourced from his favorite producers. The new Baker’s Bacon Company Store is located at 445 Reservation Road (Suite G) and is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday (closed weekends).
On the veg front, Savor the Local sources locally grown organic fruits and vegetables from small Central Coast farms for some of Monterey County’s top restaurants. Now you can bring those farm-fresh flavors home. Owner Colleen Logan offers fruits and veggies picked just this morning for sale at popup markets in Carmel or delivered to your door in time for dinner. Visit savorthelocal.com for more details on produce boxes for home delivery on Tuesday, Thursday or Friday or pick and choose market items for pickup on Wednesday or Saturday.
Dinner deals
Don’t forget, Monterey’s Montrio Bistro offers Locals Night on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, 4:30 to 9 p.m., through the end of October. Show proof of residence to redeem 25% off dinner, plus an exclusive menu of specialty cocktails priced at just $11. The promo is only valid for dining in — well, outdoors on the patio, technically — not takeout. Reservations highly recommended — call 831648-8880 to snag a table.
And if you’re sticking to takeout, Montrio’s “Pick It Up, Pay It Forward” charity drive has been extended through December. Montrio and sister properties Rio Grill and Tarpy’s Roadhouse will donate 10% of proceeds from takeout orders to the Food Bank for Monterey County.
Food festivals, flipped
Local food festivals are trying out new formats to make their events socially distant to keep participants safe from coronavirus. That means the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce’s annual Flavors of Pacific Grove will embrace the outdoors.
The event has been modified from an indoor grand tasting to a walking tour — participating eateries will offer a signature small bite and beer and wine tasting will be distributed throughout town.
Attendees can tour five dining districts around town from Asilomar (The Fishwife Restaurant), Lovers Point (The Beach House), Forest Hill (Eddison & Melrose Oats N Scones, Mezzaluna Pasteria & Mozzarella Bar, Pizza My Way and Taste of India), Central and Eardley (Cafe Guarani, Happy Girl Kitchen and Vivolo’s Chowder House) and downtown (Fandango, International Cuisine, jeninni kitchen + wine bar, The Monarch Pub & Restaurant, PG Juice ‘n’ Java, Pacific Grove CiderWorks, Passionfish, Peppers Mexicali Cafe, Petra Restaurant and The Red House Cafe).
Flavors of Pacific Grove is Oct. 15 from 5:30—8 p.m. Tickets are $60 per person and available at pacificgrove.org or call 831-373-3304.