85945 Wed Jul 14 20:20:13 -0700 2004 9 3 California 0 474949 I was in Monterey for a few weeks and had a chance to sample the culinary offerings. Here is my report. I ranked each item on a scale of 1-5: 1 - bad 2 - poor 3 - OK 4 - good 4.5 - exceptional 5 - a near life-ending experience Montrio. They have a version of tapas in a "small bites" form factor, which are freakishly small: they look like props for a Saturday Night Live parody. 414 Calle Principal, Monterey (831) 648-8880 http://www.montrio.com/ - "small bite" filet with Yorkshire pudding: 4 - "small bite" pancetta wrapped prawns: 4.5. (how could it not be great?) - "small bite" salmon with potato salad: 1 - brioche bread pudding: 5 - molten chocolate cake: 4 Stokes Adobe 500 Hartnell St, Monterey 831 373-1110 Mon-Sat: 11:30-5:30, 5:30-10, Sun: 5-9 http://www.stokesrestaurant.com - crispy polenta and mushrooms: 4 - duck confit: 4 Zocalo 162 Fountain Ave, Pacific Grove (831) 373-7911 - Tamales: 1. Tasted like day-old tamales that were warmed up. Parker-Lusseau 731 Munras Ave, Monterey (831) 643-0300 - croissant: 4.5 The true test of a pastry shop is the simple plain croissant. And they do it very well. - chanelle (sp?): 4. A gourmet donut hole. - almond croissant: 2 - nectarine tart: 4 - ham and cheese quiche: 4 - lemon bar: 4 - apricot puff: 3 - gateau au chocolate: 4 Passionfish. Their brochure from the visitor's center has a coupon for a free appetizer. Normally, I don't care about how good the service is, but here it was astoundingly bad. 701 Lighthouse Ave, Pacific Grove (831) 655-3311 Closed Tuesdays, Sun-Thurs 5-9, Fri-Sat 5-10 http://www.passionfish.net/ - squid appetizer: 3 - tilapia: 1. The fish and the risoto had no flavor. I obviously ordered the wrong thing. Pavel's Bakerei Across from Grove Market 219 Forest Avenue, Pacific Grove 236-8392 7am-6pm Mon.-Fri.; 7:30am-4pm Sat.; closed Sun. - raspberry puff: 3 - raisin bun: 3 - croissant: 3 - raspberry/cream puff: 4 - chocolate croissant: 2 The White House 649 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove (831) 375-9626 Closed Monday. Tue-Sun 5:30- - lobster ravioli: 4 - tomato/mozzarella salad: 3 - London broil: 5. One half had béarnaise sauce, the other half Madeira. Robert is a genius. And only $27 for the prix-fixe. - apple tart tatin: 2. It was not caramelized enough Max's Grill. This place is supposed to be the "hot new restaurant" in town. 209 Forest Ave, Pacific Grove 831 375-7997 - porcini ravioli: 4 - lamb loin: 3 Patisserie Bechler 1225 Forest Avenue, Pacific Grove (831) 375-0846 - French style almond croissant: 4.5. It has an interesting cinnamon crust. - regular croissant: 3 Flying fish. On the credit card receipt, they provide calculations for 15%, 18%, and 20% tip amounts "for your convenience," which are all based on the after-tax price. Carmel Plaza, Carmel 831.625.1962 Closed Tuesday - Yin-Yang Salmon: 4 Bouchee Mission St, Carmel 831.626.7880 Tue-Sun 5:30-9:30 - chocolate bread pudding: 4 Fourtier Bakery. The bonus here is that if you show up when they open, everything is hot out of the oven. The Crossroads, Carmel - plain croissant: 4.5. Their plain croissant, when hot out of the oven, is as good as the plain croissant at Parker-Lusseau. Imagine how good a hot-out-of-the-oven croissant would be from Parker-Lusseau. - apricot danish: 4 - bearclaw: 4 Rio Grill Hwy 1 & Rio Rd, Carmel 831.625.5436 Lunch: Mon-Thur 11:30-5, Sun 11:30-4 Dinner: Sun-Thur 5-10, Fri-Sat 5-11 http://www.riogrill.com/ - smoked half chicken: 4 - bread pudding: 2 Useful resources: See "bests" at http://www.coastweekly.com Web: search for Monterey site:chowhound.com Groups: search for Monterey group:ba.food So in summary, there were two 5s: The brioche bread pudding at Montrio, and the London broil at The White House. I suspect there are a few more 5s at the White House, and for $27 prix-fixe, I'll be investigating further. Wed Jul 14 20:20:13 -0700 2004 0 Scott F 1 474954 You did some good eating on your trip--hit many good places. I also had a very good meal at the White House last year. One of Robert Kincaid's specialties are his excellent sauces and there are so many good ones to choose from on the prix fixe menu. I recommend you try the appetizer Onion Tart, very custardy and good, with a nice beurre blanc. His signature dishes from his first restaurant, Fresh Cream, are also very good, but a little extra $: Rack of Lamb Dijonnaise, Duck Confit w/ black currant sauce. Sounds like you liked Max's pretty well? I haven't been there yet, but plan to soon. Do you recommend it? Thanks for the good report! Wed Jul 14 23:40:58 -0700 2004 474949 0 Lauren J. 2 474964 I just had a wonderful meal at the White House. I started with the escargot which were tender and buttery, but got to taste the onion tart (outstanding). I have liked the ravioli appetizer in the past. I sampled the caesar for the second course and it was well balanced, with whole inner romaine leaves, great homemade croutins, and a nice anchovy flavor. But the short ribs for the main course were unbelievably good - flavorful, tender, and well sauced. One of the best things I've eaten in a long time. Last night the rack of lamb was on the $27 menu--nicely done, but only 4 small chops. One odd thing about the White House: our waitperson took the orders, but almost everything was brought to the table by others who didn't seem to have a consistently clear understanding of English. For example when I requested a fine grind from the fresh ground pepper grinder, the young gentleman looked at me with incomprehension and had to run over and discuss it with someone else and then never reappeared. Even though it was a little loud, the ambiance of the restaurant is still charming. And our waitperson was extremely professional. I have also been to Max's on this trip. My friends had been impressed in the past and we arrived in time (before 6) for the $13.95 early bird specials. I had a lamb pot pie, which was actually a lamb stew (long on lamb, short on veggies) topped with a square of puff pastry. It was good, but not wonderful. Steve had an excellent cajun tilapia fillet, tasty and well prepared. Helen had a chicken and mushroom pasta dish which she loved. Steve had the leftovers for lunch the next day and was very happy also. They had mixed green salads which looked OK, I opted for both the soup (a decent manhatten style clam chowder - though not called that) and an iceberg blue cheese salad that was fine, but not as creamy as promised. So my meal cost extra. The portions were very fine for such a reasonably priced meal. Our waitperson was outstanding - friendly, warm, human, but not intrusive. My major complaint were the barely steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Even I could do a more interesting vegetable option. ed Thu Jul 15 13:07:29 -0700 2004 474954 0 e.d. 3 474969 Do you (or anyone) have a website for the White House? I have googled endlessly and can't find one...tried calling them twice but seem to get the machine. Would like to take a look at their menus online... Thanks! Susan Thu Jul 15 15:32:31 -0700 2004 474964 0 susancinsf 4 474989 I don't see a website listed. The menu changes (a little) from day to day. Here is a summary from July 14 (I love paper menus that you can take with you.) I have left out some tasty details. First courses: Onion tart Smoked salmon rose with avocado & vinaigrette Gratin of mussels lobster ravioli Chicken Wellington Gratin of escargot Second: Tomato basil bisque Caesar salad Tomato, fresh mozzerella, polenta basil salad Baked onion soup Organic greens, with roasted beets, candied pecans, blue cheese and orange vinaigrette Greek salad with arugula and hazelnuts Main: Duck breast with black current sauce Herb and sesame encrusted Ahi filet Salmon filet with two sauces Chicken scallopini picatta Roast chipotle pork loin Rack of Lamb Short ribs veal sweetbreads Again--this is a summary; for most items the menu provides more detail. Portions for the first two courses are small, but adequate--for example just one huge ravioli stuffed with lobster and wonderfully sauced. You get one choice from each course for $27. ed Fri Jul 16 13:21:56 -0700 2004 474969 0 e.d. 4 475001 Try: www.robertswhitehouse.com Fri Jul 16 23:15:06 -0700 2004 474969 0 anli 4 475250 i just got through to the wht house and reserved without a problem. the # i dialed was: (831) 375-9626. i called abt 7 pm their time. hope that's helpful. Thu Jul 29 22:18:05 -0700 2004 474969 0 saucy 3 474977 Thanks, e.d., I'll give Max's a try, but my favorite is still the White House. I guess "runners" were bringing some of your courses. It's my understanding that they are hired only to run the food out to the tables quickly, and not to interact with the customers, so some might be non-english speaking. The White House is usually a full house, so I know they really need runners to keep the service going smoothly and on time. I, too, have been impressed with the excellent service. I hope to try the short ribs--they sound great! Thu Jul 15 20:39:47 -0700 2004 474964 0 Lauren J. 1 474962 Great review! I also like the White House. They do have a very good dessert called the chocolate sac, which is wonderful for chocolate lovers. The Flying Fish Grill has always been one of our favorites, tho we haven't been for awhile. Next time you're in the area, try Roy's in Pebble Beach and the California Market and Pacific's Edge at the Highland's Inn, I would be interested in your opinion on these places. Thanks for the report! ***kim*** Thu Jul 15 12:33:26 -0700 2004 474949 0 kim c 1 474963 Scott, I was underimpressed with our experience at Passionfish, I really wished we would have tried Fresh Cream instead. We won't be returning to this place. I very mediocre experience to say the least, not memorable at all. I actully enjoyed my breakfast at the Duck Club at the Plaza where we stayed more than this dinner out our last trip. ***kim*** Thu Jul 15 12:42:54 -0700 2004 474949 0 kim c