Edible Monterey Bay

14/08/2024

Pacific Grove, where it was illegal to sell alcohol until 1969, has its first brewery.

Pacific Grove, where it was illegal to sell alcohol until 1969, has its first brewery. Hops & Fog Brewing Co. debuted softly this weekend on Lighthouse Avenue, and as of today has swung its doors open to the public, just in time for a high-traffic Car Week. If early returns are any indication, it fe...

07/08/2024

Five years after the prestigious MICHELIN Guide decided to include the Monterey Bay area in its annual California Guide, we finally have our first 2-Michelin-starred restaurant. A teary Justin Cogley, executive chef and culinary director of Aubergine in Carmel, received the honor Monday night. EMB's Mark C. Anderson went to the star reveal ceremony at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Half Moon Bay and reports how it all came down.

August 6, 2024 – On a night overstuffed like the Michelin Man’s suit—with anticipation and exuberance, with luminaries like Dominique Crenn, Thomas Keller and Curtis Stone, with sardine tartlets and Petrossian caviar and “solid sangria” made from compressed Asian pears—a few things stood...

07/08/2024

Formerly limited to hotel guests, the chef's garden and flower gardens at Bernardus Lodge are part of a new free summer tour that is open to the public. Chef Christian Ojeda and garden whisperer Mark Marino guide the Saturday tours, showing off herbs, vegetables and flowers. EMB's Laura Ness went along last weekend and reports the gardens are at the peak of summer color.

August 6, 2024 – The breeze, fresh off the ocean made a pinwheel riot of the fennel plot, waving dark gold and ochre-colored umbels, as if attempting to dislodge the pollen in their dancing heads. I always wondered what the term was for the multipronged head of individual blossoms was on wild carr...

31/07/2024

An upscale new seafood restaurant called Pete's Fish House is debuting with a series of pop-ups in Capitola Village. Pete's is located on Stockton Bridge in the space that used to be Sotola. Owner Sarah Orr is also proprietor of Margaritaville next door and Stokes Adobe in Monterey. EMB's Laura Ness reports Pete's next pop-up preview takes place on Monday, August 5, in honor of National Oyster Day.

July 30, 2024 – Prolific restauranteur Sarah Orr—owner of Margaritaville in Capitola and Stokes Adobe in Monterey—has recently taken on that magnificent property on the bridge over the Soquel River that used to be Sotola. Before that, it was known as Stockton Bridge Grill. Pete’s Fish House...

10/07/2024

Spanish-inspired restaurant Barceloneta in Santa Cruz has closed suddenly and is gone for good. But owners Brett and Elan Emerson are not going anywhere. They are rebranding as Ibiza and will reopen the Pacific Avenue eatery later this summer as a gourmet, fast-casual restaurant serving breakfast and lunch. EMB's Mark C. Anderson has a sneak peek at the new menus.

July 9, 2024 – When Barceloneta shuttered suddenly after dinner service June 29, locals were concerned. Co-owner/operator Elan Emerson provides comfort: The paella will live on. And the space’s rebirth as a breakfast-lunch outpost called Ibiza will fuel Pacific Avenue with renewed food and drink...

03/07/2024

Located in the former Palapas in Aptos, the new Dos Pescados restaurant is opening to the public just in time for the busy 4th of July weekend. But owners warn it is still in soft opening mode, with limited menu items and limited staffing. EMB's Mark C. Anderson reports there are some good looking cocktails and Mexican-style seafood dishes on the menu, with a special emphasis on ceviche.

July 2, 2024 – The fireworks will start early this year. Dos Pescados opens quietly Wednesday, July 3, with a partial menu that represents an explosion of flavorful plates—snapper ceviche with aji amarillo, leche de tigre kampachi and smoked beef enchiladas among them. Tacos—of Mexican heritag...

24/06/2024

The Summer Live Music Series returns to Carmel Plaza this FRIDAY, JUNE 26th. Enjoy FREE music and dancing from 5-7PM. Food and drink packages are available for $25 and $5 of every package purchased will be donated to the evening's featured non-profit. The series is kicking off with music by The Money Band, wine by Scheid Vineyards, food and beer by Alvarado Street Brewery and Bistro the featured non-profit for the kick off event is Animal Friends Rescue Project and Max's Helping Paws Foundation. It is going to be a great series so get your dancing shoes ready and we will see you on the dance floor starting this Friday, June 26th at 5PM. For the series complete line-up visit: https://bit.ly/4aPcfqq

20/06/2024

A French cheesemaker has fixed up beloved country store just outside Carmel Valley Village and is getting ready to open an artisanal creamery where Rosie's Cracker Barrel once was. Sophie Hauville trained with local cheesemaking legend Charlie Cascio and worked in the cheese program at Carmel Valley Ranch, but now has her own Carmel Valley Creamery. EMB's Michelle Magdalena visited for a private tasting and previews what's in store.

June 18, 2024 – Out on a lesser-known country road at the far end of Carmel Valley Village there is whisper of a new artisanal cheesemaker in town, lucky for us, she’s French! Sophie Hauville pulls out containers of freshly made chèvre, local honey, herbed cheese and gruyère. It is melt in you...

10/05/2024

The long-awaited Aptos branch of Whale City Bakery Bar & Grill is getting ready to turn on the griddles. They held a community open house this afternoon and have set the Grand Opening for next Tuesday, May 14. Owner Jimmy Armas—who purchased the building where Burger used to be at 7941 Soquel Drive over a year ago—says the structure needed a lot of work, starting with the subfloor and new flooring in the kitchen and dining room.

May 7, 2024 – The long-awaited Aptos branch of Whale City Bakery Bar & Grill is getting ready to turn on the griddles. They held a community open house this afternoon and have set the Grand Opening for next Tuesday, May 14. Owner Jimmy Armas—who purchased the building where Burger used to be at ...

10/05/2024

Sustainability-minded McIntyre Family Wines has purchased Boekenoogen wine inventory and tasting room in Carmel Valley. While the Boekenoogen vineyards are not part of the sale, EMB's Laura Ness reports McIntyre wine will be making a new Pinot Noir from one of them and holding a Grand Opening of the Carmel Valley tasting room at the end of the month.

May 7, 2024 – There’s a family thing going on in the Santa Lucia Highlands involving the Boekenoogen’s and the McIntyre’s. It’s all good. McIntyre has purchased the Carmel Valley tasting room, owned and operated by the Boekenoogen family for nearly 20 years, along with the wine inventory. ...

27/04/2024

The tri-county tri-tip capital has a capital of its own. For those not baptized in barbecue sauce, the Monterey Bay area’s tri-tip capital is Hollister. And the tried-and-true tri-tip capital of the capital is Dunneville Market & Kitchen.

April 26, 2023 – The tri-county tri-tip capital has a capital of its own. For those not baptized in barbecue sauce, the Monterey Bay area’s tri-tip capital is Hollister.  And the tried-and-true tri-tip capital of the capital is Dunneville Market & Kitchen. This is not a recent development. DMK ...

24/04/2024

Edible Monterey Bay is proud to be a sponsor of the first ever Santa Cruz Mountain Mushroom Festival taking place on May 4-5 at Roaring Camp in Felton. The festival, put on by Far West Fungi, aims to increase our knowledge and appreciation for the fantastic mushrooms that grow here along the West Coast. EMB's Laurel Miller reports festival goers will also be encouraged to eat them and drink them.

April 23, 2024 – If you live in the Monterey Bay area, you’re likely aware there is fungus among us. From the mushroom farms of Half Moon Bay to the array of wild species that can be found in the Santa Cruz Mountains and Big Sur from fall through spring, we’re a region that celebrates ... Read...

24/04/2024

The former chef of the legendary Big Sur Bakery and the much-missed Poppy Hall is getting ready to open a new eatery. Phil Wojtowicz and Monica Schweiger are preparing to open Oystertown on Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey, specializing in (you guessed it) oysters. EMB's Mark C. Anderson reports the partners have been testing their concept with an ongoing series of pop-ups.

April 23, 2024 – A pearl of an oyster operation is preparing to shine.  Oystertown—from the same chef behind popular Poppy Hall in Pacific Grove—is taking over the former Lilify space on Lighthouse Avenue in New Monterey.  Chef-partner Phillip Wojtowicz and partner-hospitality director Moni...

12/04/2024

What did we love? What did we learn at Pebble Beach Food & Wine?

April 12, 2024 – Free association: I say Pebble Beach Food & Wine. You say: _______.  Bold guess: Subtle isn’t the first word that springs to mind. That’s relevant here because part of reporting on something as ambitious as PBFW 2.0 Year 1 is to observe details both dramatic and discreet. ...

03/04/2024

Single lane convoys that have allowed stranded tourists to get out and supplies to get in to Big Sur will be stopped on Thursday and Friday due to another round of bad weather that's headed our way. And no one is saying how long it will take to repair a slipout that occurred half a mile north of Bixby Bridge on Saturday. Big Sur businesses are used to dealing with natural disasters, but EMB's Mark C. Anderson reports restaurants that rely on tourism are already hurting and hoping the road can be repaired soon.

April 2, 2024 – Arguably the most famous restaurant between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Nepenthe in Big Sur, is all set to host its 75th anniversary celebration later this month (April 24). That comes will all the elemental thrusters—fire dancing, book signings, birthday singalong, cupcakes. ...

03/04/2024

Just in time for the Pebble Beach Food & Wine festival later this week, the Pebble Beach Company has re-imagined one of its signature spaces. The Terrace Lounge now occupies what was once the vast Gatsby-esque lobby and veranda at The Lodge. Fresh furnishings, a gleaming new bar, shared plates, craft cocktails and and live music, have converted the once-stuffy space into a buzzy venue.

April 2, 2024 – Just in time for the Pebble Beach Food & Wine festival later this week, the Pebble Beach Company has reimagined one of its signature spaces. Walking into the elegant sunken lobby of the Pebble Beach Lodge had always reminded me of aristocratic ladies drinking dainty cups of tea. Be...

22/03/2024

We’re just two weeks away from the start of Pebble Beach Food & Wine. It’s so exciting to see the legendary local festival return after four long years. Have you got your tickets yet?

Enjoy a star-studded lineup of James Beard award winning chefs on opening night—with big names like California icons Jeremiah Tower and Nancy Silverton.

Indulge in the world’s best wines at a series of seminars, tastings and wine pairing meals.

Or join the fun at the weekend Tasting Pavilions (formerly Grand Tastings) with dozens of top local chefs. Use the code LOCALS for 25% off the Sunday Tasting Pavilion! Read our preview on the website. Get tickets now: https://tinyurl.com/222vatwd

17/03/2024

We can't wait to taste all the hand-crafted cheese California Artisan Cheese Festival on March 22-24.
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More than 100 cheese, food and wine purveyors are taking part, including Monterey companies Big Sur Salt and Carmel Berry Company
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Tickets on the California Artisan Cheese Festival website: https://artisancheesefestival.com

02/03/2024

When Cha-ya owner Mitsuko Gammon decided to call it quits at the end of last year, Monterey residents thought they had lost one of Oldtown's best loved shops. But the Japanese tea shop has been offered a second life, thanks to new proprietor Ariel Wolansky, a self-described tea fanatic. EMB's newest reporter Jessica Thibault has all the details.

February 26, 2024 – Cha-ya Japanese Tea & Things is now Cha-Ya Boutique and Tea House under new proprietor Ariel Wolansky, who also owns The Xocolatl Garden in Carmel. Previous owner Mitsuko Gammon closed the shop at the end of 2023 to spend more time with family, after sharing her tea expertise w...

01/03/2024

Watsonville has a new community gathering place and watering hole. The Watsonville Public House debuted over the weekend, with craft beer, Watsonville cider and local wine. The non-profit brewery is a project from pastor-brewer Robbie Olson and his wife Jenni Veitch-Olson. EMB's Mark C. Anderson stopped by for a taste and reports opening weekend was wild.

February 26, 2024 – Watsonville’s official elevation is not changing. It remains at 29 feet.  That said, downtown Apple City is experiencing some welcome gain in altitude courtesy of Watsonville Public House, which soft opened last week.  You might even say the brews and vibes alike are headin...

21/02/2024

The beer is back at a prime corner spot that used to be Cannery Row Brewing Comany, but now beer is just one of the attractions at the new Tipsy Putt—a combo sports bar and indoor mini golf course. Local brews, cocktails and tacos are on the menu, along with the 9-hole course. EMB's Mark C. Anderson reports it might just be a perfect fit for the golf-obsessed Monterey Peninsula.

February 20, 2024 – One of the biggest  properties on Cannery Row—and one with supreme potential—has a brand new identity, after several years dark. Tipsy Putt soft opened this morning in the former Cannery Row Brewing Company (and former Willie’s Smokehouse and All American Grill, and for...

15/02/2024

Have you ever been to a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea dinner?? Our intrepid reporter Mark C. Anderson traveled to Las Vegas for the experience, which is part of the Lost Spirits Distillery. The fantasy entertainment and cocktail venue is the fever dream of Salinas natives Bryan Davis and Joanne Haruta who started Lost Spirits right here in the Monterey Bay area and have morphed it into something out of this world.

February 13, 2024 – Given the maze of tiki speakeasies, world-class aerial acts and a transportive dinner experience outside the door, you wouldn’t think I’d be spending so much time in the bathroom. Which sounds like a surprise, but it’s more of a reminder Lost Spirits thrives by being unsu...

14/02/2024

The new downtown Santa Cruz restaurant from Sugo partners Marco Paoletti and Andrea Loporcaro opened over the weekend in the space that used to be Café Mare. Oblò—which means porthole or window in Italian—offers a couple of pasta dishes to be sure, but the rest of the menu has more of an international flair than its predecessor. Lamb chops, salmon, scallops ribeye steaks and filet mignon can all be enjoyed, along with craft cocktails, at approachable prices.

February 13, 2024 – The new downtown Santa Cruz restaurant from Sugo partners Marco Paoletti and Andrea Loporcaro opened over the weekend in the space that used to be Café Mare. Oblò—which means porthole or window in Italian—offers a couple of pasta dishes to be sure, but the rest of the men...

07/02/2024

Have you heard the Valentine's Passport is back? Saturday and Sunday, February 17 and 18. Love is in the air… on the Monterey Wine Trail. Be there! Scan QR code for more info and get tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/valentines-passport-along-the-monterey-wine-trail-tickets-795577733417

26/12/2023

Santa Cruz farm-to-table chef Katherine Stern has announced her long-awaited restaurant, The Midway, will open on Thursday, December 28 at 1209 Soquel Avenue just two doors down from the Rio Theater.

December 22, 2023 – Santa Cruz farm-to-table chef Katherine Stern has announced her long-awaited restaurant, The Midway, will open on Thursday, December 28 at 1209 Soquel Avenue. “It’s a labor of love that I can’t wait to share,” Stern said in a news release. The popular chef trained in Tu...

20/12/2023

We countdown the best restaurant openings of the year. Have you tried all of them??

December 19, 2023 – As time goes on, it moves quicker and quicker. That’s more than a saying popular among elders. It’s a study in relative perceived reality.  Adrian Bejan points out as much on the TEDx stage, noting a year of life when you’re, say, 7 is a lot bigger chunk of your life ......

27/10/2023

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Packages can be banked in your wallet and must be used within 12 months of purchase!

20/10/2023

Enjoy the magic of harvest season with the Monterey Wine Trail Harvest Passport.🍷For only $45, you can indulge in four tasting experiences at your choice of picturesque vineyards. There are 8 to choose from and the passport is valid through November 30.
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Passport holders also receive 10% off bottle and case purchases! Soak in breathtaking vineyard views and the essence of the harvest season in Monterey Wine Country.
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Tickets here: https://montereywines.ticketsauce.com/e/monterey-wine-trail-harvest-passport
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For the months of October and November (from October 1, 2023 – November 30, 2023) each passport gives you access to the following:
🍷Four tasting experiences
🍷Use them all in one day or spread them out over multiple days.
🍷Share them with family and friends, or keep them all for yourself.
🍷Use them all at one winery or spread them out over multiple participating wineries listed below.
🍷10% off bottle and case sales at participating wineries during the passport promotion.
🍷PLUS! All passport purchasers will automatically be entered into a drawing for two VIP tickets to the Monterey County Vintners & Growers Association’s 2024 Winemakers Celebration in Carmel-by-the-Sea (tentatively scheduled for August 24, 2024).

Photo 1) Escolle Vineyard by Scott Caraccioli of Caraccioli Cellars; 2) Pelio Estate Wines by Chris Vita; 3) Corral Wine; 4) Holman Ranch by Chris Vita.
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11/10/2023

Veteran local brewers Nate Murphy and Leslie Buchanan are opening a brewery of their own beginning Saturday. Their new Balefire Brewing is located in the vast Santa Cruz space that was recently home to Greater Purpose Brewing and before that East Cliff Brewing. EMB's Mark C. Anderson reports they hope to reestablish the brewery as a neighborhood hangout.

October 10, 2023 – This Murphy’s Law lands a little differently than the Murphy’s Law most know.  And while Nate Murphy’s Law applies to beer brewing, it works as general life advice too.  “The more you mess with something, the more you’ll mess it up,” Murphy says. “The way I see...