Quick Bites: Vegas road trip, paella, new menu items and fancy dog treats.

Marina-based Weekly contributor Stuart Thornton is going places.

That's what travel authors do.

One of his most recent creations, California Road Trip, traces a loop through San Francisco, Yosemite, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Los Angeles and the Pacific Coast Highway. 

It also traveled to the top of the nationwide 2016 Independent Publisher Book Awards, claiming a gold in the travel book category. 

Big ups, Stuie. (For more on his travel author adventures, check out "Marina’s Stuart Thornton taps a ton of adventures with Moon Coastal California" and "Monterey & Carmel book release party goes big at CRBC.")

More news nuglets appear here; send yours to edible@mcweekly.com.

➔ Third annual Taste of Spain ($79) with authentic paella and a ton of bocadillos and pintxos by Executive Chef Tom Snyder plus local wines from Morgan Winery, Spanish varietals, beer from North Coast Brewing and classical Spanish guitarist Catherine Broz, all happens at Esteban (1-800-222-2446) 5:30-9pm Thursday, April 21.

➔ Crab House has opened on Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey with everything from crab nachos to crab Wellington.

➔ Mondays at The Wharf Marketplace (649-1116) means $3 pints, $10 pitchers, $3 sliders and $5 quesadillas 4:30-6:30pm; that same time Thursday it’s free wine tastings with rotating wineries featured.

➔ A fresh monthly event called Soft Moon brings on a variety of Afro-soul, house, old-school dance beats, techno, hip-hop and disco from DJ Ana Lola Roman, a NYC transplant, at Cibo Ristorante. The 9pm-2am Saturday, April 16, installment also showcases Poppy’s Boutique and Goodful Slow Food.

➔ Hallelujah: It’s National Garlic Month.

➔ Montrio Bisto (648-8880) now does some dynamic desserts that include more than new offering like the white chocolate brioche bread pudding and cbrown butter almond cake, what with the smaller “sweet bites” (think s’more cups and red velvet cheesecake “sambas”), fancy loaded coffees like the Mexican stand-off, Nashville streetcar and the Italian Lazzaroni and dessert drinks like the Pancho Villa and XXX Float.

➔ Bonus bone thrown from Montrio B: Every “Wine & Whiskers” Wednesday till Labor Day $1 from every glass of wine benefits AFRP and pups get a special house-made dog treat created by Chef Tony Baker while enjoying the dog-friendly sidewalk patio.

➔ The relaunch of Pacific’s Edge at Hyatt Carmel Highlands currently schedules to hit by mid-June at the latest.

➔ Anton & Michel (624-2406) has new menu items making mouths all moist on Mission in Carmel, including paella Valencia, Dungeness crab ravioli, Moroccan-spiced barramundi and Guinness-hoisin braised short ribs. Wine flights ($20) are new too.

➔ Will’s Fargo (659-2774) has its own new goodies like grilled bacon with “easy” eggs and chimichurri, burrata alla panna and asparagus-and-asiago ravioli.