Best Of 2019 - Specialty Foods

Best Local White Wine

Hahn SLH Chardonnay

Soledad tasting room, 37700 Foothill Road, Soledad, (831) 678-4555 Carmel tasting room, Carmel Plaza, (831) 250-7937 hahnwines.com

Hahn Winery does a lot of fun things in their world. Consider the following: One of their two tasting rooms is located at the winery along River Road along the scenic, rolling hills of the Santa Lucia Highlands in the Salinas Valley. This warm and inviting location is a perfect pairing with their SLH Chardonnay – named after the region. The SLH Chardonnay is more of a modern style white, with hints of crisp fruits like honeysuckle, banana and citrus. In traditional Monterey County Chardonnay fashion, Hahn’s Chard is a full-bodied white, which is also best paired with your besties.

Best Local Red Wine

Boekenoogen Pinot Noir

24 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley (831) 659-4215, boekenoogenwines.com

It seems like everyone loves Pinot Noir. And since Monterey County produces some remarkable Pinots, competition for attention is as staunch as Al Bundy’s stubborn moods. Fortunately, the folks at Boekenoogen give you options: The 2014 vintage offers fresh berry flavors with a cherry zing and floral background. The 2015 hits you with brash cherries and subtle lavender. And there’s another 2015 from a different clone with cheerful strawberry balanced by earthier notes. That’s a good starting point.

Best Local Beer/Brewery

Alvarado Street Brewery

426 Alvarado St., Monterey, (831) 655-2337 1315 Dayton St., Suite E, Salinas, (831) 800-3332 alvaradostreetbrewery.com

Travel back to the ’80s with a thirst for craft beer and you will likely be disappointed. There were fewer microbreweries around, so Anchor Steam, Boston Lager and a few others might be your best options. Head back to today and Alvarado Street won’t let you down. They brew an ever-changing and award-winning lineup featuring hundreds of beers, some hoppy, some sour, others heavy with malts. There are light lagers and coffee stouts and just about everything in between.

Best Cappuccino/Latte

Carmel Valley Coffee Roasting Company

Various locations around Monterey County carmelcoffeeroasters.com

The local coffee company churns out quality cappuccinos and lattes thanks to their extra-considerate baristas, certified organic beans and their Cone Peak espresso blend that serves as the base for cappuccinos and lattes, both basic and frilly. Smooth cappuccinos are topped with the standard silky-micro foam while lattes, like the caramel and vanilla Carmel Latte, add subtle sweetness to a rich drink. It’s like going back to simpler times, or going to the future, both of which have great coffee.

Best Smoothies

Jamba Juice

Various locations around Monterey County jambajuice.com

Search online for “Jamba Juice” and a listing of frequently asked questions appears along with the company’s website info. “Is Jamba Juice healthy?” is one of those questions. Sure, some might say you’re better off eating a whole carrot, a whole apple or a whole orange than drinking down a blend of a bunch of them. But that’s pretty boring. And following a sweaty workout or on a hot summer day, or if you’re nursing a cold (or hell, if you’re nursing a grudge) what’s better than a big cup of cold, frothy, fruity and veggie deliciousness? Get a protein boost to make it less carby, or get an immuno boost if you think it will help kick those sniffles.

Best Donut

Red’s Donuts

1646 Fremont Blvd., Seaside, (831) 394-3444 | 433 Alvarado St., Monterey, (831) 372-9761 redsdonuts.com

Monterey mainstay Red’s Donuts must be doing something right. After nearly 70 years of hand-cutting donuts, business in the last five years has increased significantly. The shop is named after Hermann “Red” O’Donnell (nicknamed for his bright red hair), who opened the Alvarado Street location in 1950, then 36 years later, opened a second spot in Seaside where all of Red’s baking is now done. The team bakes every day, cranking out over 350 dozen donuts every night. Red’s does everything from classic jelly and glazed, to large donuts with custom sprinkles and donut tables for weddings and parties. That’s the hole truth.

Best Bagel

Bagel Bakery

Various locations throughout Monterey County thebagelbakery.com

There’s a popular dating service that few could’ve conceived of in the 1980s. It’s called Coffee Meets Bagel and in order “to create meaningful connections that spark hearts and inspire people to share themselves authentically and enthusiastically” it uses sophisticated algorithms. Bagel Bakery’s algorithm for love is more simple and savory: loads of fresh-baked bagels with all sorts of flavors and toppings, smart sandwiches, tons of convenient locations and, yes, fresh coffee. Superseed me.

Best Omelet

Googie Grill

1520 Del Monte Blvd., Seaside (831) 392-1520, googiegrill.com

The modern egg omelet first appeared in the ’80s. The 1780s, that is. It’s endured because it’s so versatile. Googie Grill, for instance, does a Denver, a ham and cheese, an egg white, and a Mexican chorizo omelet (“omelet” is the American spelling of the French-derived “omelette”). The Popeye has spinach, mushrooms and mozzarella. But their most popular is the Googie omelet, with smoked applewood bacon, avocado, and jack and cheddar cheese. And Googie wins this category because they’re big (they use three fresh eggs), they’re delicious (they use the best ingredients around) and they are available all day (at least until 4pm).

Best Huevos Rancheros

Crema

481 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove 324-0347, cremapg.com

It started with salsa. Homemade salsa that is, using dishwasher/salsa-maker Teo Cruz’s recipe. She’s from Oaxaca, and brought her family’s secret sauce to Crema. That’s right, the salsa’s not spooned out of a jar from New York City (“New York City?!”). She’s been with Crema since the beginning, both washing dishes behind the scenes and making the salsa and chile verde. What comes next is cooking the eggs in Cruz’s salsa, then annointing two flour tortillas with those eggs, plus black beans, cheese and a choice of avodaco or chorizo – or both. What follows is happy (and full) customers – and huevos rancheros that readers rank as the best around.

Best Biscuits and Gravy

From Scratch

3626 The Barnyard, Carmel (831) 625-2448, fromscratchrestaurant.com

There’s a man who lives in Seaside who is so obsessed with biscuits and gravy – and talks about them so much – that he’s had to shorten the term just to save time, to “Bs-n-Gs.” The plate of A+ Bs-and-Gs he talks about the most is the “extreme sausage biscuit” platter at From Scratch with sausage patties and slow-simmered gravy – available with the homemade cheddar cheese biscuit to boot – plus signature baby red potatoes, cheese hominy grits and sliced tomatoes. Be about your Bs and Gs.

Best Deli Sandwich

Compagno’s Market and Deli

2000 Prescott Ave., Monterey (831) 375-5987, compagnos.com

Pity the fool who hasn’t eaten the heartiest sandwich of their life. Not much competes with the size of these military-themed deli masterpieces, packed hot or cold in creative variations with all the sandwich ingredients one could imagine, and then some. This is not to neglect the mouthwatering Snickers cakes or sides like broccoli salad and deviled eggs, though it’ll be a challenge to save room.

Best Salads

Crazy Horse Restaurant

1425 Munras Ave., Monterey (831) 649-4771, crazyhorserestaurant.com

As diners became more health conscious in the 1980s, steak and potato chains like Sizzler seized the opportunity and went big into all-you-can-eat salad bars. It’s hard to believe here in the home of the Salad Bowl of the World, but the salad bar craze dwindled, causing sales to dip in the 1990s. Restaurants that invested heavily in them closed or nearly closed – Sizzler went into bankruptcy and weathered ownership changes. Vestiges of the classic ’80s salad bar can still be found, however, and Crazy Horse is a prime example. A long bar along one wall of the restaurant features a dizzying array of toppings and sides. Salad fanatics can load up their plates with a few different kinds of pasta salad, potato salad, cheeses, veggies and two of the mainstays of any good ’80s salad bar: three bean salad and canned beets.

Best Burrito

El Charrito

122 W. Market St., Salinas (831) 424-9446, elcharrito.com

This is not the biggest burrito you’ll ever eat. It is, however, the best burrito you’ll ever eat. The lines that wend through the store and spill out onto the sidewalk don’t lie. The family-run Charrito, started by Irene Moncada, her brother Carlos and their mother, Teresa (who at 87 is still in the kitchen every day, supervising workers who make her original recipes) start building their burritos with a fresh, house-made flour tortilla (and God, those are so flaky and soft and good). Inside it’s a fielder’s choice of deliciousness, from juicy chile verde to drippy chile colorado to salsa-drenched chicken. Point to what else you want – crema? Yes, please. Queso? Yes, please – and the counter workers fill and wrap and get you out the door in no time. Buy two, because you’ll want to eat one immediately. By the way, the last bite of an El Charrito chile verde burrito may be the most perfect bite of food there is – one last morsel of succulent pork, juices nestled at the bottom of that soft tortilla. May every bite be that good.

Best Pickled Food

Happy Girl Kitchen

173 Central Ave., Pacific Grove (831) 373-4475, happygirlkitchen.com

If you were a preschooler in the 1980s, there’s a good chance you owned a green plastic carrying case shaped like the fictional Sweet Pickles bus driven by a friendly duck, or at least hummed along with the commercial for the educational product: “Smart moms know/ how kids’ minds grow/ upon Sweet Pickles.” Happy Girl Kitchen doesn’t have its own jingle, but it does make tasty pickles both sweet and sour, out of a whole lot of different organic vegetables from local farms. Smart moms know you can buy a gift case of HGK pickles. It comes with a jar each of bread and butter pickles, spicy carrots and pickled beets.

Best Food on a Stick

Monterey County Fair

2004 Fairground Road, Monterey (831) 372-5863, montereycountyfair.com

A visit to the county fair is the ultimate throwback to a childhood in the 831. Every summer inevitably ended with a trip to the fair for carnival rides and indulging in festival foods. With reckless abandon, we’d nosh on fried favorites then hop on those spinning carnival attractions, much to the chagrin of our grown-ups, of course. Fast forward a few years, and it’s still fun to grab those plentiful and portable snacks on sticks at the fair – everything from corn dogs and Mexican elote-style corn to cotton candy and frozen bananas.

Best Fish & Chips

London Bridge Pub

256 Figueroa St. #2, Monterey (831) 372-0581, lbpmonterey.com

London Bridge Pub is the place to go to satisfy your fish and chips cravings in Monterey County. One gargantuan piece of fresh fish cooked through to piping hot perfection. No need to drench it in malt vinegar and tartar sauce – a complete whirlwind of tasty seasoning comes intact, encased in the lightly fried beer batter. Even if you’re not a steak fries person, London Bridge does their steak fries so good, they could make you a convert: fried crispy on the outside, with inner potato that’s soft and tender. The creamy fresh coleslaw served on the side ties the whole ensemble together.

Best Clam Chowder

Old Fisherman’s Grotto

39 Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey (831) 375-4604, oldfishermansgrotto.com

The clams are tender and moist, the potatoes appropriately textured and proportioned, the base creamy, buttery and garlicky. The ensemble cast works wonderfully, making the Grotto chowder The Breakfast Club of chowders. (Emilio Estevez is the potatoes.) That movie debuted in 1985, and it feels like The Grotto has won this title every year since then. For the record, this victory makes it 17 years in a row.

Best Calamari

Abalonetti

57 Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey (831) 373-1851, abalonetti.com

Fisherman’s Wharf is famed for its rich history, fueled by nostalgia for a time when rough-hewn fishermen would unload their catch on the wharf that visitors come from far and wide to see. Local squid is still a popular cuisine, and a trip to Monterey wouldn’t be complete without sampling freshly caught local delicacies – like the calamari from Abalonetti. Grilled calamari steak, marinated Monterey calamari and buffalo calamari – these are just a few of the dozen varieties of squid dishes the menu offers. But the crowd favorite is the simple yet classic fried Monterey calamari, an Abalonetti favorite for over 60 years.

Best Poke

The Poke Lab

475 Alvarado St., Monterey (831) 200-3474, thepokelab.com

The Poke Lab is Monterey’s poke pioneer, dishing up a creative and customizable model for totally tubular Hawaiian raw fish bowls. As the tide of mainland poke spots seems to be receding, the Lab has stayed as fresh as ever for fast and healthy lunch options. In 2018, it rode out changes in management, too, with the Folktale team taking over the popular shop this January. With Folktale Sous Chef Eddie Martinez helming the kitchen now, get ready for some rad new additions here in 2019.

Best Burger

In-N-Out Burger

1350 Del Monte Blvd., Seaside | 151 Kern St., Salinas in-n-out.com

The Weekly has published its share of stories that have shocked readers over its distinguished three decades. The most intense reaction of all came after a “special April 1 report” informed the community the incoming Seaside In-N-Out was being canceled in favor of a Burger King that would be the exclusive home for Left-Handed Whoppers, in which all the ingredients are rotated 180 degrees for optimized southpaw consumption. Inattentive peeps not so attuned to MCW’s long-running April Fools’ pranks (Disney buys Del Rey Oaks!) were furious. That’s how much they love the burgers. No foolin’ there.

Best Fried Chicken

Sur Restaurant

3601 The Barnyard, Carmel (831) 250-7188, surcarmel.com

There’s a lot to like about Billy Quon’s Sur, especially the fried chicken. Crispy and amber brown on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside, the calm white meat sweetened by a drizzle of honey that also carries a bitter edge. And as if that’s not enough, there’s a dusky paprika spice in the crust to contend with the honey. If KFC has a colonel and Chinese restaurants have a general, the chef at Sur must be a field marshal of chicken. Reach your friends on the ol’ pager and let them know about it.

Best Chicken Wings

Peter B’s Brewpub

2 Portola Plaza (Portola Hotel and Spa), Monterey (831) 649-2699, portolahotel.competer-bs-brewpub

Could you even have a pub without chicken wings? As if! But what was once a basic construction of butter and Tabasco now borders on fine dining. Restaurants serving wings doused them in all manner of sauces and seasonings, right down to fennel pollen (probably somewhere). The folks at Peter B’s remain true to the traditional Buffalo style, served with a choice of blue cheese or ranch. They focus on making this classic presentation timeless – and perfect.

Best Pizza

Gianni’s Pizza

725 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey (831) 649-1500, giannispizzamonterey.com

Before pizza got fancy, and before there were cheap, low-quality chains that delivered it, there were classic, delicious and affordable pizzerias like Gianni’s. A neighborhood staple in New Monterey since it opened in 1974, Gianni’s brings authenticity – the family recipes were brought to America more than 80 years ago from Palermo, Italy – without any pretense. Diners order at the counter, take a number, and find a table to wait eagerly for their cheesy, saucy redemption atop a pillowy crust.

Best BBQ

Salinas City BBQ

700 W. Market St., Salinas (831) 758-2227, salinascitybbq.com

It’s always comforting to see smoke rising from well-worn hunks of metal outside a barbecue joint – as comforting as popping that favorite movie into the VHS machine. And it’s nice to know that some pit masters in California know how to treat more than just tri-tip to a round of low and slow. There’s dry rub brisket, mellow pulled pork and meaty ribs. They make a sauce, but you don’t really need it. Just a beer to go along with all that meat.

Best Butcher Shop

The Meatery

1534 Fremont Blvd., Seaside (831) 656-8810, themeatery.us

The Meatery is not a large space. It’s possible, however, to spend hours gazing at the meat case. There’s USDA prime beef that chefs Jason Balestrieri and Kevin Hincks dry age in-house, pasture-raised pork, hand-made sausages, racks of lamb, game meats. Turn around and find pickles, sauces, lard. Pardon me, do they have any Grey Poupon? If they have mustard, it’s likely prepared there or by another artisan. And there’s a deli, as well (give their Reuben a try). Best of all, these guys are butchers as well as chefs. They focus on quality and will work with customers. When you finally leave, it won’t be empty-handed – and probably not empty-bellied, either.

Best Cupcake

Kara’s Cupcakes

1240 Del Monte Center, Monterey (831) 375-2253, karascupcakes.com

If you’re a sucker for sweets, look no further than Kara’s treats… er, um, Kara’s Cupcakes. And her cakes. And cookies. Founded in San Francisco, Kara’s has slowly built a dedicated customer base eager to try the latest creations from the kitchen of Kara Haspel Lind – who, after opening the Monterey location over five years ago, still finds time to spend most mornings in the bakery experimenting with new recipes. Be sure to try the fleur-de-sel, a chocolate cupcake with caramel filling and topped with sea salt. It’s a consistent crowd favorite, for good reason.

Best Cookie

Pavel’s Backerei

219 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove (831) 643-2636

Pavel’s has a formidable lineup of baked goods, including apple fritters the size of a human head, but it’s one of the smaller items for sale that is legendary. In the cookie section, near the wild cherry thumbprints and peanut butter crunches is the chocolate chunk cookie. Not content to showcase paltry chocolate chips, this dynamite desert has such giant chunks of chocolate that you are almost guaranteed some gooey chocolatey goodness in every bite.

Best Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt

Myo Frozen Yogurt

491 Alvarado St., Monterey, (831) 649-3769 | 1091 S. Main St., Salinas, (831) 759-9769 | 840 Broadway, Suite B5, Seaside, (831) 375-3669 myofrozenyogurt.com

The “MYO Promise” is right there, on the website: The company uses only 100-percent pure yogurt with live and active cultures. From there, you can make Myo your own – take the healthy route with plain tart yogurt topped with fresh blueberries and coconut, or take the wild route and top a raft of cake batter fro-yo with caramel sauce, chopped nuts, cookie crumbles and candy. A personal favorite? Start by squeezing some warm marshmallow cream into a cup, top with chocolate fro-yo, then add roasted almonds, peanut butter sauce and fresh slices of banana. MYO is also invested in the community: check out their scholarship program as one example. Plus, it’s just a fun hangout for teens trying out adulting on their own for a few hours, or for adults channeling their inner-child by concocting the biggest, baddest dish of fro-yo money can buy.

Best Cakes Best Desserts

Layers Sensational Cakes

9 Soledad Drive, Monterey (831) 655-1544, layerscake.com

If death by chocolate were a thing, crowds would still line up at the Layers Cakes counter. And indeed, they bake a Death By Chocolate cake – as well as specialty cakes, wedding cakes, favorites like coconut cream, cheesecake, tres leches, carrot cakes, cookies, brownies, pastries. And that’s just the beginning. There’s generations of baking knowledge behind Layers, and it shows. Pity the fool who doesn’t crave dessert right now.

Best Milkshake

Fountain Court Café at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula

23625 Holman Highway (CHOMP), Monterey (831) 624-5311, chomp.org

The ’80s saw a long list of fad diets. Was the milkshake diet ever a thing? Probably not. No matter – for the best milkshakes in town, head over to the Fountain Court Café inside the hospital. (Ironic, no?) The shakes here are just what the doctor ordered. Well, maybe if your doctor is Doogie Howser. Milkshakes are made to order, serving up a healthy dose of nostalgia for retro soda shop staples like floats and Orange Flips too. Just remember, the hospital’s doctors will probably urge you to take your milkshakes in moderation.

Best Cheese Selection

The Cheese Shop

Carmel Plaza, Junipero and Ocean, Carmel (831) 625-2272, thecheeseshopinc.com

Chef Justin Cogley has been spotted in The Cheese Shop, which says a lot. That more than half of the Peninsula crams into the narrow counter area and willingly waits their turn says even more. The shop is an experience, one on the bucket list level. There are hundreds of cheeses from all regions and in all styles. And the staff knows all of them thoroughly, spewing information as you struggle to make decisions. Best of all, they feed you. Sample all you want. Have them carve off a section of a cheese you like and then sample some more – until you’ve fallen and you can’t get up.

Best Catering Company

Aqua Terra Culinary

529 Central Ave., Pacific Grove (831) 657-9790, aquaterraculinary.com

Catering events with quality food and drink will never go out of style. Whether it’s a wedding, lunch time at local schools or a conference, Aqua Terra provides farm-to-table dishes and menus that are #foodporn worthy for the Instagramsavvy among us. They work with venues like the Monterey Conference Center, Point Pinos Grill, Gardener Ranch and many others with a focus on seasonal fare and a small carbon footprint to help make any event worthy of a #TBT memory.

Best Food Trend of 2018

Avocado Toast

Go on, Baby Boomers. Blame avocado toast as the reason your grandkids can’t afford to buy homes of their own. Whatever gets you through that selfish night. And sure, some of the trendy spots around the Bay Area charge an exorbitant amount for what is really a very simple and pretty healthy food. But all you need to execute the perfect plate of avo-toast is this: a piece of toast and a ripe avocado. Customize to your delight – around the Weekly, we like it on whole wheat or whole grain, a healthy smear of fresh avo and a sprinkling of lemon juice, pepper and spicy salt. The fat is healthy, the taste delicious. Tell Gramps to stick his economic opinion where the avocado don’t shine.