Whaling Station Steakhouse
763 Wave St., Monterey, (831) 373‑3778, whalingstation.com
It’s not often that we quibble with Steinbeck, but how can a line like “The martinis came, not in little glasses but big as bird baths with twists of lemon peel” appear under a title like The Winter of Our Discontent? While they may not be as big as bird baths, the martinis prepared by bartenders at Whaling Station are every bit as satisfying – and much more sophisticated, as they are meant as a moment of cool, crystalline calm. And no matter the season, there is no discontent with a Whaling Station martini in hand.