You will learn what our readers believe to be the county’s best, as well as a few thoughts of ours. We hope it serves as a fun, imaginative and informative guide.

It is said that by the time John Steinbeck finished the manuscript that would become East of Eden, he had worn more than 300 pencils down to the nub.

THE BEST OF MONTEREY COUNTY® covers 264 categories, not including the final section of Editors’ Picks. Yet it’s not the number that staggers, …

The ’80s were just the start of a righteous 30 years covering Monterey County’s best. So when you, the readers, once again went to the polls to select your local favorites in many categories, it was evident a throwback theme was the way to go…

Life is better with sauce. And life is best with secret sauce. The winners of the annual Best of Monterey County® Readers’ Poll identify the special ingredient(s) that make them our favorites.