San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
New businesses showcase Wagyu beef, Float Spa therapy, rare sneakers, specialty coffee beans
One of the many attractions of Monterey County is the abundant, independent stores that line the streets of its quaint towns. In historic Pacific Grove alone, there are four shopping districts: Downtown, Central and Eardley Avenues, Forest Hill and Sunset Drive.
Carmel-by-the-Sea is famous for its downtown shopping, as well, brimming with boutiques for stylish apparel, home furnishings, jewelry, gourmet foods and more.
Niche businesses are a particular draw, like Carmel Stamp & Coin Shop (serving the community since 1942), and Social Hour, which specializes in essentials for the cocktail lifestyle, including barware, glassware and handcrafted mixers, shrubs and syrups.
There is always something new to explore, too. Check out these recently opened destinations:
You may know the original C&S in Monterey, and as of April, there is an outpost in Pacific Grove (insert hearty cheers here). More than just a coffee roaster specializing in direct trade specialty beans from small farmers around the world, this place seeks to do good by contributing to charities and sending employees to visit the international farms and directly support the farmers.
Now that the pandemic is waning, C&S owners Tyler Ellis and Kelsea Richmond are hoping to bring back the after-hours events and weekend artist popups that made the Monterey location so popular. In the meantime, customers are invited to stop in for excellent drip coffees, specialties like cortados and cold brews, and teas including matcha latte, iced black-black and a zingy blend of ginger root, turmeric root, licorice root and lemongrass.
Certainly search out the mouthwatering coffee blends, too. A limited edition Aponte Village brings a honey-processed Colombia batch reminding of chocolate malt, key lime pie and kumquat flavors.
Round your visit out with Parker-Lusseau Pastries, Lazy Daisy Cookie Co. vegan treats, and Nece’s Gluten Free Baked Goods muffins, all crafted daily in Monterey.
What an interesting concept: this sourdough bakery and coffee roaster serves pastries and avocado toast in the morning, plus salads, sandwiches, wine flights and charcuterie and cheese plates at lunch.
At night, it transforms into SteakCraft, showcasing Wagyu from Marin County, Australia and Japan, plus an extensive wine list and full bar. Peek into the butcher case, too, to pick up prime cuts for your own kitchen.
Owners Hans and April Hess opened the bakery-bistro section in early May, taking over the former Nothing Bundt Cakes space in The Crossroads Carmel shopping center. The steakhouse part is still underway, coming soon to the marble and art trimmed dining room.
But this we do know — Hans promises we can sink our teeth into Japanese A5 quality, where the cattle are fed olives, along with their daily hand massages, to increase umami and tenderness. And in the meantime, sandwiches offer coveted beef, such as a sensational open face model loaded with glistening juicy burnt ends Wagyu, arugula, dill pickles, cherry tomatoes, pickled red onions and creamy steak sauce.
All of the several breads are baked on-site daily. The featherlight roll is “crispy on outside and fluffy on the inside, kind of banh mi style,” Hans said, or there’s the sandwich-sized sugared doughnut fried in duck fat for a briochelike texture.
Then the breads are mounded with goodies like bulgogi Wagyu, pickled cucumber, carrots and red onion, cilantro and spicy-sweet chile sauce.
The Hess couple does know their meat, by the way. They founded Elevation Burger in Falls Church, Virginia, before selling the now international, organic ingredient-based chain operation to FAT brands in 2019.
Wines are equally thoughtful, with selections that trot the globe, including the California Central Coast, Italy, Argentina, France, New Zealand and more.
“We’re a last stop before Big Sur for a delicious breakfast or lunch, or to pick up a fine picnic,” Hans said. “A lot of our food transports perfectly with bottled wines to match.”
We could all use some stressbusting these days, and the new Remedy Spa in The Crossroads Carmel shopping center offers
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Editor mcreamer@sfchronicle.com
A combination platter at Old Fisherman’s Grotto in Monterey features an array of seafood, including crab, scallops and shrimp. The restaurant only serves seafood recommended by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program.
Photo by Laura Morton