My favorite new restaurants in Monterey County for 2014, Part One.

Maybe you’re like me, and you find Christmas decorations any time before Thanksgiving scarier than a rabid reindeer stampede.

And maybe you’re like me, and you aspire to be a little more Zen about things, especially during the holidays. To deny things beyond your control – no matter how terrifying the tinsel and tchotchkes – the power to steal your gifts. You don’t have to beat them or join them, you just come to learn from them and use their tricks for good.

That’s what I’m doing here: letting a year-end tradition leak forward across the calendar because it excites me more than any amount of candles and carols.

Here are my year’s top new food-and-drink spots, or at least the first of two installments over the next two weeks.

The bottom half of the top new spots appear below. In the coming days, the runners up, links and photos of each, along with the complete top 10, surface on the blog, www.mcweekly.com/edible. The top five run in this space Nov. 20.

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10 • The Press Club

1123 Fremont St., 901-3900
www.mcweekly.com/pressclub

The groundbreaking project from the Weekly’s own Bradley Zeve, in partnership with art curator Chris Winfield (who rotates the large-format art through) and Perfectly Pressed creator Monica Berriz(who does the cold-pressed juice, slow-drip coffee and fresh snacks) is so ripe with possibility in an area starved for event-driven, youthful and health-conscious venues that it gets a nod despite not being a traditional restaurant. In fact, being so many things besides a restaurant is its super power. (Dubber’s in Oldtown Salinas and Barmel in Carmel also get points for making huge progress, both in food and community building, despite primarily being bars; look for more runners-up recognition on the blog.)

9 • Soban Grill & Bar

Barnyard Shopping Center, Rancho Lane and The Barnyard, Carmel, 624-3318
www.sobancarmel.com

Speaking of the things the area needs, clever upscale Korean – fusion and otherwise – would be one of them. Owner-operator Hank Kim does well with a much smaller spot in downtown Monterey,Sushi Moto (646-1109), but went big with the beautiful setting and spendy, MSG-free, organic ingredients at sizeable Soban. The service has proven a little uneven, but the tea and food – galbi! soy bean paste stew! banchan! dolsot bibimbab in a sizzling stone bowl! – and the aesthetic of the place are so magnetic I’m hoping it can hold on in a traditionally tricky spot for restaurants to stick.

8 • Lucky’s Roadside

1901 Fremont Blvd., Seaside, 899-5825
www.luckysroadside.com

What do you want for Christmas? If it’s a restaurant, there are two awesome choices to wedge beneath the tree or menorah or Kwanzaa obelisk. In fact, two of my favorite new restaurants for 2014 are quietly on the block. Hint: They’re the last two mentioned. Lucky’s finds itself for sale because the same Bill Lee who gave it beauty and buzz also spent a ton of money to do it and canned its best chef. But Seaside needed a younger, progressive, fun, non-ethnic spot badly, and this place does some great American fusion and Italian with a slick wood-burning oven and warm, family-forward and enthusiastic service. The Szechuan green beans, honey-drizzled fried chicken and pizzas are all yummers.

7 • Mr. Noodles

1176 S. Main St., Salinas, 272-3024

Despite its melting pot of cultures and sheer volume of 150,000 people, the county seat was without a real noodle shop until this year. Mr. Noodles set up modestly in a South Main Street strip mall nearRound Table and Save Mart, but the way-harder-than-they-seem fundamentals of a true institution – familial warmth, very solid values and fresh, crunchy, authentic flavors – mean this place will outlast at least several on this list, if not more. The special pho ranks among the most serviceable symbols of the positivity, with a generously portioned and umami-soaked soup of flank steak, eye of round, tendon and tripe for $7.50. Boba too.

6 • Monterey Bagel Co.

San Carlos between Ocean and Seventh, Carmel, 236-6550

This would be a coup: A “restaurant” that serves little more than bagels and coffee – and closes around 2pm – lands on the list of 2014’s top spots. That would also be an indication of how many things there are to recommend it. Those items include a hands-on owner, a gorgeous spot from the designers behind neighboring Barmel and Mundaka, spot-on Ritual coffees and espressos, organic teas, new inventive breakfast cocktails and a young-and-fun vibe. Most importantly, though, the key factors include incredible from-scratch, small-batch schmears (like the alluring house-cured lox and the zatar-infused versions) and pioneering bagel flavors and sandwiches (tasty gluten-free bagels too). That’s something I haven’t seen at other bagel spots, and something worth celebrating.

The newest flavors, in fact, include a cranberry-turkey-stuffing bagel sandwich and some pumpkin-spice cream cheese. You know, so we can get our holidays started that much sooner.

QUICKBITES

➔ Last week, I wrote about the 10-minute, 10-cents-a-drink happy hour 5-5:10pm Sundays at La Playa Carmel. That made me think of another inspired bit of very brief bargains: Insiders tell me every day at 6pm, Hank Kim buys everyone in Soban Grill & Bar a sake bomb.

➔ The Big Sur River Inn continues its 80th anniversary Monday-Friday, Nov. 17-21, with $5 dinners and 26-cent apple pie (a la mode for 10 cents too!).

➔ The irrepressible Beverly Ford’s birthday called for something special, so we went to Andre’s Bouchee (626-7880) in Carmel and the Stephan Lemaire-led team impressed a fickle and well-traveled table of tastebuds with silky salmon tartare wrapped in smoked salmon, sublime endive salads, earthy pâtés and about a French countryside full of other treats, all at a comfy booth with a view of Exec Chef Jacques Zagouri conducting a minor kitchen symphony.

➔ Dishes Bistro and Grill (883-1207) now serves lunch again 11am-2:30pm weekdays with plates like the tilapia Florentine ($12.50), breaded, fried and layered with lemon butter caper sauce.

➔ Speaking of new restaurants (see story, left), the new tenant in the old Henry’s Famous BBQ will be a Thai joint.

➔ Four-course dinner and glass of wine ($36) benefit Bay View Academy at il vecchio Wednesday, Nov. 19. 717-4630.

➔ Trio Carmel (250-7714) hosts local winemaker Ian Brand for a truly unique talk and tasting of his 100-year-old-vine Grenache 5-7pm Friday, Nov. 14, at Trio Carmel. Ann Hougham of Mesa Del Solalso pours two wines for the last time, a 2007 Syrah and 2010 Prima Rosso.

➔The most heavenly place for fruit and nut cakes handmade by monks and new “holy” granola enters its busy season right now. Deep Big Sur’s New Camaldoli Hermitage (866-886-0544) specializes in cakes dipped in brandy and ready for holiday tables ($22/pound, $43/two). Granola is $12.50 for 13 ounces.

➔Favaloro’s Big Night Bistro (373-8523) turns 21 with a week-long bash (Nov. 17-22): selected wine bottles and menu specials for $21 and a Facebook contest to win dinner or gift certificates.

➔”The secret of change is to focus all of your energy,” Socrates said, “not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”