C RESTAURANT DELIVERS THE 3-COURSE EXPERIENCE

C Restaurant at the Intercontinental Hotel on Cannery Row (http://www.thecrestaurant-monterey.com/the-c-menus.php)  has a great 3-course menu to enjoy.  I thought  I'd try something new and what a surprise their new organic "Air dryed" chicken with Truffle au jus from Mary's in Santa Cruz Mtns.  A plump flavor with lots of juice and just the right consistency of crisp skin.  Served with the starter, Tuna Tonato which is one of my favorites (can't get enough) with kale and calamari lightly fried with fresh lemon slices to accent the flavoring and a spicy chipolte sauce for dipping.  I selected the "New World Flight" of sparkling wines that really bring up the flavor of all the dishes we tried, including the swordfish with seaweed salad and wasabi cream.  Dessert was a chocolate praline crunch bar that hit the spot and of course, their presentation from Jerry Register's kitchen staff and General Manager, Sonny Peterson was first class all the way.  This restaurant wins my best for a civilized and inviting menu to enjoy with the backdrop of the peaceful waves on the Monterey Bay.  Thanks for a great Monterey Bay Restaurant Week 3-course experience!  www.montereybayrestaurantweek.com

Old Fisherman's Grotto really has the 3-course menu down.  Their starters begin with their famous calamari with the lightest of coating and the tenderest of fish cooked to perfection.  The macadamian crusted Halibut with sweet potatoes coated in maple syrup was so balanced in flavors, you can't help but finish the dish.  Scallops were lightly seared with a beurre blanc with a light citrus flavor.  The desserts included pumpkin cheesecake and tapioca pudding with mango and strawberries and the wine was even 25% off.  The ambiance is QEII as you float along on the wharfside location with the finest of service and quality of food.  Chris Shake sure delivers the best of the best for MBRW.
www.oldfishermansgrotto.com

New York City's Food and Wine blog has some great pumpkin receipes for upcoming season.  Pumpkin mashed potatoes and pumpkin stuffing are my suggestions.

Check out their site;  http://blog.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/2011/10/06/best-pumpkin-cheesecake-recipes/

Another great menu for the MBRW from Lalla palooza on Alvarado Street in Monterey.   Their 3-course choices offer a good range of seafood, pasta, meats and chicken dishes.  Their $30 menu had a Brandon Steak (something they are famous in the area for dry-aged and bone-in) with a fresh tomatoe, onion, garlic sauce that is really rich with feta cheese!  Something rich and big in flavor thus the "Brando" designation. Delivery of these flavors really is an art at this rest and their wine list and cocktails are just as good.  Check out their Lalla Grill menu at Del Monte (across from the movie theater) as they serve really great salads and a whole different menu of great dining all day and night.  Both rests are worth the try during this promotion especially since their best dishes are being offered.

Some great dinners are being consumed I hear at the participating restaurants for the MONTEREY BAY RESTAURANT WEEK www.montereybayrestaurantweek.com.   Bookings are flying in at 1833 Restaurant, C Restaurant, Old Fisherman's Grotto, Carmel Food Company, Andre's Bouchee, L'Escargot, Lalla Grill and LaLa Palooza, The Mucky Duck, Jack's, Cannery Row Brewing Company Fandango. Haute Enchilada, The Fish Hopper, Edgar's At Quail Lodge, Alberto's, Flaherty's Seafood The Golden Tee, Poppy Hills and Terry's Restaurant at Cypress Inn and The Charthouse on Cannery Row.   It's a hard decision but there are great choices from each restaurant that you can virually have something different every night of the restaurant week. I know,   I am making my reservations for tonight and the upcoming week to be sure to get a seat.

Haute Enchilada's three-course $35 is a selection of some of the best dishes Kim Solano offers.  Here are the Pescado Cubano, served with their healthy Quinoa and beans with a tomatilla avocada salsa and their specialty plantains stuffed with cheese.   The prawns 'Ibiza' with fried eggplant topped with their specialty 'Huitlacoche', with a chipotle aoli and artichoke risotto was also a trio of tastes that left you wanting more.  The topping of "Huitlachoche' I found out is a fungus that grows on corn and is a delicacy for the Mexican culture!  Tasted like black beans to me but with a sharp after-taste.   Love the combination of art and food at this great local Moss Landing location.  Be sure and see their galleries.

Old Fisherman's Grotto's new 3-course menu for MBRW has a unique selection of their 'best' dishes offered by this 5-Star establishment on the Monterey Wharf.  Chris Shake is famous for his chowder but much much more !  His signature steaks and seafood combinations speak to his popularity and longevity as a world-class restaurant on the Monterey Bay.  Not only does it have the  best view of the coast and harbor, but the guy is one of the nicest restauranteurs in the area with a stellar reputation at 'community service' to the Monterey Bay community - and the food is truly great.

His three-course choices offer his wild Salmon to his Linguina Isabella with has succulent Scallops, Bay Shrimps and crab with a garlic cream sauce that I highly recommend as it is a local favorite.  The skirt steak is one of my favorites as is their Surf & Turf which gives you the best of both worlds - seafood and a beautifully grilled steak.  BTW - they're famous for their Tomahawk Steak!!  Be sure and make a reservation as they are popular!  www.oldfishermansgrotto.com

Monterey Bay Restaurant Week Starts Today!

Last minute changes to Fish Hopper and Old Fisherman's Grotto are posted and an expanded version of the Haute Enchilada that has three amazingly different choices of California-Mex-Baja styled entrees.   I'm partial to the healthiest dishes with more of the seafood based menus, but I am sure to try the 'bone-in dry aged New York Steak' at Lalla palooza on Alvarado  in downtown Monterey.  They are famous for their steaks and martini bar but their tuna appetizer served on salt block plating is quite amazing as well.  They are a popular place so I'd be sure and get a reservation this week before it's booked!

BTW - In case you're following my thread on 'What did J. Edgar Hoover Eat' article;  I was at the screening of Clint Eastwood's new biopic starring Leonardo 'you know who' last week here in Carmel and the electricity went out 3 mins before the ending, so .... but I can tell you 'J. Edgar'  was our demographic foodie (wasn't a drinker ? but had a big expense account) with expensive tastes, good suits and a keen eye for public servants apparently - men and women.  So if you 'Are what you Eat' - you can get out of your skin and be a gourmet this week with the amazing menus for $25 $35 $45.   A great experience at a great price.

One more day left on my diet in preparation for a complete week of tasting, smelling and savoring the extravaganza of flavors beginning tomorrow with restaurant week.   I've already picked my favorite menus and even some of best friends to come and join me on this culinary quest for the best on the Monterey Bay.   This year, I'm heading down to Haute Enchildada like a swallow to Capistrano Mission. This is one of my pics for this year's 'best of the best'.  Why?   Because Kim Solano has mastered the 'art of cuisine' with the pairing of fresh seafoods, succulent meats and dramatic flavorings of Baja Mexico infused it with an organic 'vege' healthly food twist.  The results are a magical mystery tour of taste.   Not to mention the artist's palate (palette) of color and decor that surrounds this Moss Landing establishment.  It is one of the hidden gems of restaurant week and of the Monterey Bay.   Check out their website for booking a table inside or outside overlooking the Elkhorn Slough.  www.hauteenchilada.com

So last minute sign ups go to HAUTE ENCHILADA and Poppy Hills PORTER'S BAR & GRILL, both new restaurants and extremely different look and feed for the MBRW.

Kim Solano's Moss Landing HAUTE ENCHILADA is one of my most favorite restaurants on the Monterey Bay and she is watching distance from the beach and the Elkhorn Slough.  Their menu is as distinct as their location and some of the healthiest meals I have ever eaten in the world!  The use of flavor with fresh ingredients and organic vegetables and grains are what make this a wonderful addition to this dining experience.  The combination of Baja and California Mex with the organic twist makes this one of the most popular watering spots on the Bay.  I just about run into everyone that is anyone there having what brings us all there in the first place. GREAT FOOD!  and the ambiance is the big surprise to those who don't know that Moss Landing is home to the antiques fair and an artist's getaway as well.  Be sure and make a reservation as this will be a sell out week for her with some of her best dishes on the 3- course menu.

The Last Supper?

What about the last supper for some of the greatest moments in our society.... the American Revolution....  dinner before the D Day invasion.... the burning of Rome!??   Strange with all the books in the food section of what-is-now my locally-deceased Borders, there is nothing on 'last meals' of famous events in our history or even any speculative works on what we eat prior to doing 'life-altering' feats?  or the affect our menus have on our lives and accomplishments.  Am I the only one who thinks there is a connection with food and feats?    I'm told that people who are diagnosed with fatal cancers have completely saved their own lives with only their diet and set their minds to being cured.   That makes me think that we are the result of our eating habits and diet to a great extent so I want to find out more about this and wonder if any scientists out there can help educate and enlighten me on this formula of food?

What did J. Edgar Hoover Eat????

They say "You are what you eat?"  What the #$@&&&*?? was Hoover eating during the dark days of Hollywood when some of the greatest writers, producers and directors where doing their best work and being questioned about their 'American loyalties'?  I wonder if he was eating the popular 'fried bologna sandwiches' I was forced to eat in the 50's or if his Mom overcooked his pot roast every night and his short-comings were the result of just plain old badly prepared food??  Makes you wonder huh?  Still, I'd like to know so I avoid these foods like the black plague.

Monterey Bay Restaurant Week "Ready to Eat the Peninsula"

Once again, I've had to diet for weeks to prepare myself with what is an annual event on it's third year now....  The Monterey Bay Restaurant Week begins Oct 20-27th and this year they are supporting the 3rd annual Carmel Art and Film Festival www.carmelartandfilm.com at all their films and events around the Carmel area.  Good thing I can still fit in my black dress for the screening of Clint's new film about Hoover !   And, what great timing to show a period of our history that is dark and very much in conflict with our values as a nation, and especially when Americans are finding their "collective voice" again, finally figuring out that we are deep into a revolution of consciousness in this country.  I say speak your mind and Eat Revolution this week by feasting on visions of film makers who have lots to say to all of us at the Art & Film Festival and next week.... Eat the Monterey Bay with some of the best cuisine in the world, home-grown, Mom & Pop, organic, ocean seasoned, animal friendly, sustainable, drinkable, slurpable and just plain delicious!!!   Plus, if you Facebook the website and review, comment or just plain talk about food and wine.... you can win a $75 dining certificate for FREE DINNER ON US!!!  OMG how economic-friendly is that!!!??
www.montereybayrestaurantweek.com