Turn 12 Bar and Grill

Turn 12 is a lot of things: a place with a mile-long bar, a happy-hour haven, a late night dining hub, a welcome addition to Monterey, a versatile, slick and modern restaurant-grill. More than anything, though, it’s just a lot.

That starts with the space. It’s huge. Some 8,000 square feet huge. Gina and Pat Phinny built it by breaking down the walls of three departed establishments (including Doc Ricketts Lab and Habanero’s), adding in time, money and love. You’ve probably been to Baja Cantina in Carmel Valley, the Phinnys’ other longtime labor of love.

Then there’s the bar. It’s a lot of bar, as in a beautiful, 50-foot, stylish, pewter, custom-made and contemporary top, along with a versatile lineup of diverse food options to enjoy on it – or one of the high top tables in the lounge area, the booths, the more conventional tables in the back or even the fancy wine room.

Any of them makes for a good spot after a day out on the tracks at Laguna Seca Raceway – and its 11 turns, which inspires the name and vintage motorcycle decor. Seca’s notorious corkscrew provides the name for their burger ($13).

The menu offers a lot too. Maybe too much. I’d call the style casual American cuisine with a hip Californian kick. It could do with little less of the food that screams “order me tourists!” – fried calamari ($10), linguine and clams ($16) and a Hawaiian style ribeye ($28) – and some more “pick me locals!,” like a fresh and simple ceviche, an all organic veggie entree, a local pickle platter and maybe a gluten free pizza, pasta or hamburger.

Starters include things like the steamed little-neck clams in a white wine-butter sauce with garlic bread ($12) and a smorgasbord of fried oysters, fire roasted artichoke, calamari and roasted garlic aioli ($14). Like fries? They’ve got them truffled, sweet potato and classic ($6, $5, $4). My eyes went to the Colorado lamb lollipops ($13), three handheld treats seasoned with salt and pepper, grilled and slightly charred. Three were not nearly enough.

There are a lot of salads, too, including a wedge ($9) with bacon, chunks of avocado and a blue cheese crumble and a little Asian persuasion with ahi ($17) served tataki style (seared) with Napa cabbage, mixed greens, crispy noodles, daikon sprouts and a sweet chilli vinaigrette. I ordered the herb-crusted roasted chicken salad ($13) on a bed of greens with roasted corn, avocado, sliced almonds and dates tossed in a summer raisin vinaigrette. Lobster corn chowder ($9) and tomato basil soup ($6) also await.

A lot of other stuff bears mentioning: They dish breakfast, lunch, dinner, a better than average wine list and a children’s menu. Their happy time is 3-6pm with a dollar off drafts, $5 glasses of wine and well cocktails. Bar eats include flatbreads ($7), hot wings (four for $5) and stuffed potato skins ($5). The trio of sliders ($7), which changes daily, seemed promising. My choices were three meatloaf topped with caramelized onions or one of each of fried fish, grilled chicken and meatloaf.

On my first visit the saucy, tender slow-cooked baby back ribs really hit the spot ($16 half rack, $23 full slab), along with garlic mashed potatoes that were some of the best I’ve had. Only on my last visit, they tasted nothing like the first.

On that visit, spaghetti with Mama’s roasted tomato marinara and New York style meatballs ($15), a carbonara with a peppercorn cream sauce ($17) and the short ribs braised in beer with a horseradish cream sauce ($22) all sounded lovely, but I ended up with the Turn 12 sandwich ($13), grilled chicken, Jack cheese, bacon, sliced avocado and tomato. Nothing exciting but it did the trick.

Wait, there’s more. A lot more. Their thin-crust pizza offerings ($10-$13) are quite popular. Two that intrigue: the calabrese, with spicy Italian sausage, basil and buffalo mozzarella; and RP’s famous white pie, with alfredo sauce, layers of mozzarella and goat cheese, prosciutto and arugula tossed in a lemony olive oil.

Another winner is their breakfast pizza: two eggs, applewood smoked bacon, white cheddar, fontina, Swiss chard and roasted tomato ($13). My editor gushes about it; he and staffer David Schmalz, both whom have high expectations when it comes to brunch, have also been raving about the California scramble with goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, basil and avocado served with house potatoes and toast ($10) and the fried egg sandwich ($10) with Swiss, applewood smoked bacon, black pepper mayo and arugula on superb crusty, rustic bread.

Turn 12 has a lot planned in terms of nightlife, too. For now, they offer live entertainment Saturday 9pm to midnight. “Like” them on Facebook for more. Late night happy hour 10pm to midnight too. The cocktails are impressive. The Moscow mule ($10) is spot on, made with Fever Tree ginger beer and served in a copper mug. If you like a good margarita like I do, try the Turn 12 Margarita ($11) – Don Julio blanco, a little Cointreau, fresh lime juice. Find the meat lovers Mary during brunch, a Ketel based bloody made with a hint of beef broth and served with bacon ($10, but often two-for-one). More than a dozen specialty beers flow on tap, like the Estrella, a lager from Spain ($5).

It all means Turn 12 has a lot of one final thing: potential. Over time the menu will become more streamlined and the food a bit more consistent, meaning the spot will continue to offer a larger-than-life venue well worth checking out.

TURN 12 BAR AND GRILL • 400 Tyler St., Monterey. • 372-8876 (TURN), www.turn12barandgrill.com