Hula's Island Grill
622 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey, (831) 655‑4852, hulastiki.com
One word: Sweep. Steinbeck was no stranger to accolades, having earned a Presidential Medal of Freedom, Pulitzer, Nobel Prize for Literature and a National Book Award. Something around New Monterey just inspires champions, we guess. Readers rightly favor the daily Hula’s Happy Hour schedule and small plates as the best. And they’re tough to beat: They have a daily happy hour (and a half) from 4‑5:30pm where tiki drinks and wine by the glass are $8, except on Tiki Tuesdays when that deal runs all night long. The value also extends into the small plates, or “pupus,” which are inspired by the flavors of some vaguely tropical islands. If three prizes aren’t enough, Hula’s longtime friendly face and astute head server, Daniel Niland, snagged Best Server. That’s a winning team.