The Other Side

It’s been at least 15 years since I last set foot in the place that until recently housed the once-popular Mexican restaurant known as El Palomar, more noted as a music and dance venue than for a food destination. Now the place is under new ownership, with a new vision, in which food is the priority.

The new name is The Other Side, where, according to owner/operator Cliff Jansen, the grass is always greener – a new and better place to go.

He and his mother Marie Reman bought the behemoth, high-ceilinged, multi-leveled location, with a fire-pitted outdoor patio in December 2014 after a successful two-year run in Carmel with their cozy Marie’s Garden Cafe. Debbie Cogco (Jansen’s sister and Reman’s daughter) brings 30 years of restaurant experience and bounces back and forth from kitchen to dining room, wherever her skills are needed. Mom’s journey through the restaurant biz has been even longer, as she worked in places like Casanova, Quail Lodge and Carmel Valley Ranch. She runs the kitchen with the help of culinary pros and sister-brother team Jose and Magdalena Valenzuela.

Plans to keep the place running without interruption during the transition were halted when it became clear how many upgrades were needed to meet their standards. The soft opening was delayed until Feb. 27, as they updated the dilapidated kitchen. A few more upgrades, and a much-awaited grand opening could happen by the end of this year.

Before I finally ate there, I felt a bit sad to see the place virtually empty each time I poked my head in. Even at dinner hour there was only an average of five people. The vastness of the place (seating for 215) intensifies the emptiness. This is a family-run, medium-budget, non-corporate place that has the huge challenge of getting enough people through the door. Serving good food would be – and is – a good start.

One Thursday evening I went for a beer and a bite to eat. Besides me, alone at the bar, there were two separate couples and another guy on his own. One server. No one else. Keeping me company was Thursday night football and other sports on the six big-screen TVs. Some decent-sounding Spanish guitar music and elegant potted plants also helped mitigate the mood.

The Other Side has an interesting menu, with all the classic Mexican dishes one would expect, as well as an ample selection of American bar favorites. Like the four different burgers ranging from $10 to $16, a B.L.T. ($10), Philly cheesesteak ($14) and grilled cheese ($9), all served with choice of fries or salad.

The friendly and attentive server suggested the fajitas or ribeye steak. Being a fan of braised or otherwise slow-cooked meat dishes I opted for the chili colorado ($14.95). No great bargain, like most of the dishes on the menu. However, the quality was top notch and the portion generous. Large chunks of tender and juicy braised pork, a tasty, tangy, not overly spiced red guajillo sauce, with rice and refried beans served in a tortilla shell. Choice of corn or flour tortillas. Easy decision. The corn ones are handmade in-house. Handmade flour tortillas are coming soon, according to the boss. It was good enough that chili colorado danced in my head when I thought of future visits – but not before I tried some of the other Mexican classsics.

Next time was a Tuesday (farmers market day), around 6:45pm. Once again, except for TV sports and piped-in music, deadsville. One guy at the bar. A family of four and another couple, all looking like tourists from one of the local hotels.

Chiles rellenos are one of the dishes I use to measure a Mexican restaurant. Done right, love ’em. So I ordered Magadalena’s chile rellenos ($13.95). Fresh roasted pasilla peppers, filled with Monterey Jack, light egg batter, tomato and onions. Ahhh, just right. Rice and beans on the side. Total satisfaction.

My friend heeded our server’s advice: steak fajita ($15.96). The sight, sound and aroma of the grilled meat and julienned onion and peppers sizzling on a cast iron casserole dish primed the palate. The taste did not let us down.

On my last visit I traveled to the other side of the menu. Jansen recommended one of the burgers he had a hand in creating: the cliff hanger burger ($16) with bacon, avocado, sauteed mushrooms, blue cheese cream sauce and a housemade onion ring on a maltagliati bun (a kind of ciabatta). All those ingredients made it a little unwieldy but the savvy bun choice provided enough sturdiness to save the burger’s structural integrity.

I’ve sampled enough of the menu to see the food is plenty good enough for the place to be a success. But restaurants are a fickle business. Getting people to come and keep coming is tricky. Jansen is aware of that and has plenty of ideas to make that happen: live music and DJs, TV sporting events, Sunday brunch, $1 Taco Tuesday (5-7pm) and holiday meals. He hopes all this and a focus on food will get locals and tourists to come to The Other Side and stay for a while.

THE OTHER SIDE. 724 Abrego St., Monterey. 11am-4pm, 5pm-9pm Sun-Thu; 11am-4pm, 5pm-1:30pm Fri-Sat. 372-1032,. www.facebook.com/TheOtherSideMonterey