Best Appetizers/Small Plates
Estéban Restaurant
Casa Munras Hotel & Spa, 700 Munras Ave., Monterey
(831) 375-0176, estebanrestaurant.com
As a Spanish-inspired restaurant, Estéban was ahead of the small and shared plates trend. Naturally, the Weekly’s readers caught on. The tapas lineup includes empanadas, wild-caught prawns, grilled octopus, tartare and tataki from the raw bar and more. It’s the difference between a single-ring affair, where you focus on one act at a time, and the sideshow, with all its enticing options. A big attraction is the daily Tapas Hour, which beats a regular happy hour menu in terms of many plates on the table.