Like ol' life coach Tony Robbins says, change is inevitable. Progress is optional.
Here come 11 servings of a bit of both, in the form of what local food-and-drink lovers can anticipate in 2015:
11 • Gusto, from Basil Carmel co-owner Denis Boaro, will take over Lucky’s Roadside by early spring, giving Seaside a hip, affordable and authentic Italian eatery.
10 • Despite Coastal Commission requirements and other permit entanglements Lalla Oceanside’s birthdate will come before the year is done, down on Cannery Row in the old Paradiso’s, providing another sister spot to Lalla Grill, Lallapalooza and Lalla Lounge.
9 • Will’s Fargo Steakhouse (659-2774) will celebrate its new Holman Ranch ownership with a stylish-and-big-eating menu with things like quail and double-stuffed spuds with a new wine done exclusively for the Carmel Valley institution.
8 • Tarpy’s Roadhouse (647-1444), riding the creative mania of Exec Chef Todd Fisher, a review from Shiho Fukushima, and a Los Angeles staff trip to 20 or so restaurants in two days, will introduce its zestiest seasonal menu yet, with things like blistered salmon belly buns, polenta gnocchi and foraged mushroom hash debuting by the end of the month.
7 • Craft beer will appear at farmers markets, after Assembly Bill 2004 creates a new Certified Farmers Market Beer Sales Permit.
6 • The Chocolate Dipper (754-1931) will earn a Monterey congregation with its new spot on Alvarado after doing that on San Miguel in Salinas, with help from chocolate strawberries and caramel apples.
5 • Mundos 3 should open softly this week near the post office in Monterey, unleashing Argentinian brisket, chicken pesto and fire bell sandwiches on its expanding cult following, and giving it another location to go with the North Monterey (#1) and Marina (#2) outposts.
4 • Rappa’s on the Wharf, the relatively recent acquisition for Jim Gilbert’s restaurant group, the same people behind Beach House at Lovers Point, Whaling Station and Abalonetti’s, has its new name/sign/project passing through city approval. “It’s a fairly radical change,” says partner Kevin Phillips, who declines to share the name. “If we can’t do it the way we want to, we may go another direction.” A new brunch menu and locals menu long on values (see also Beach House’s wildly popular Supper Club) come with the sign. The Beach House’s proposed downstairs coffee shop with local joe and patio seating, meanwhile, is calculating its strategy to win approval from the Coastal Commission. (The city’s given the go-ahead.)
3 • Brand new and owner-operated Zab Zab Thai (747-2225) now dishes a big menu of noodles, fried rice, spicy seafood and in the former Henry’s Famous BBQ on Lighthouse in New Monterey, after opening quietly with the turn of the new year. Get tasting notes on the blog in the next couple of days, and expect it to be one of the more popular new restaurants for 2015.
2 • Justin Cogley will claim the area’s first Best Chef West distinction from James Beard, which awards its Oscars of the food world in May.
1 • Jose's Mexican on Wave Street in New Monterey closed a while back. The best news to emerge from the closure: Mike Gilson, co-owner of Big Sur Bakery, has signed a lease with the landlord, Peter Mungridis, who owns Episilon in Monterey. Construction is happening inside and its debut will prove one of the biggest food stories of the year to come.