March 11, 2022 – The hickory brisket and bacon burger is a half pound, not counting the pile of 12-hour-smoked brisket, provolone cheese, bacon, sautéed onions and sautéed mushrooms.
Eaters can tackle a half rack of ribs, bone free, drenched in the house barbecue sauce and topped with crispy onions strings—on a sandwich.
The funnel cake is of a popular Fruity Pebbles creation. The Oreos are deep-fried and fluffed with liberal amounts of whipped cream. The deep-fried Uncrustables are on the way.
Lighter items, even salads, are possible too—like, say, the surf-and-turf taco with smoked tri-tip and sautéed shrimp. (I’ll take three.)
The menu at Stonies Taphouse and Bistro goes hard core in so many directions that it doesn’t do the place justice to highlight one item—even if it’s a colossal dish like the bacon-and-brisket mac-n-cheese, or the mountainous signature carne asada fries.
That said, Salinas mayor Kimberly Craig endorses one element above the rest. She’s all about the house “Stonies sauce.”
She can’t identify exactly what’s in it, but she can sum up its effects.
“It’s ridiculous,” she says, “and it’s delicious.”
That describes relatively new Stonies 2.0 too.
Owner-operator Sergio Alejo opened The Original Stonies at the Northridge Shopping Center back in 2013, with the driving philosophy of “Get your crave on.”
But after another occupant made a higher bid on that space, he and his family-driven crew were left grasping at onion strings. (His wife Elvia Salgado owns the taphouse and runs the kitchen with her mom Martha Salgado, and their daughter Danielle helps manage the front of the house.)
Now an expansive outpost at the former Zeph’s One-Stop at the door step to Salinas means a whole new lease on life—and greater visibility—as Stonies Taphouse & Bistro.
The new digs include a sizable covered patio, an extensive craft beer selection, barbecue offerings and—as of the last few months—live entertainment in the airy space that formerly held Zeph’s wine market/bar.
“We were sad at the beginning, but things happen for a reason,” he says. “It’s been a crazy challenging two years, but for the most part it’s been a blessing to be at this spot.”
The beer offerings are prodigious, with a ton of taps—and accompanying flight options—and cans. A quick scan of the possibilities draws my eye to names like Eel River, Alvarado Street, Dust Bowl, Almanac, Mother Earth and more. They also present a couple dozen wines, with J. Lohr, Talbott Kali Hart, Joyce and Ryder Estate headlining.
With a selection of taps expanding from 24 to 30 soon, Stonies will offer 60 beers total, with kombuchas, sours and ciders in the mix.
“Our goal is to have the best beer selection in Monterey County,” Alejo says. “We want to have a diverse selection, and we try to stay up with all the new releases.”
When it comes to the Stonies sauce, its creator Elvia Salgado doesn’t give away the precise formula, but notes honey mustard, garlic and mayo are involved.
Alejo adds that customers are often collaborators on the ambitious menu items.
“We talk to a lot of our guests to try to find out what they like,” he says. “We experiment with the ingredients we have, some come out crazy, and they’re big hitters on the menu.”
On the entertainment front, acoustic music happens every Friday, live bands on Saturday, with comedy shows twice a month featuring artists from Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose.
A week from today (Friday, March 18), a Route 68 Comedy Show will feature a triple bill headlines by Jesus Sepulveda and hosted by Sebastian Cetina.
I learned all this after my longtime colleague at Monterey County Weekly, former CSU Monterey Bay Otter Realm editor-in-chief Carrie Musto-Kuhl, recommended we try the appropriately over-the-top Bavarian Loaded Pretzel.
Yes, it looked promising, but I’m a sucker for adult grilled cheeses like the pulled pork and bacon with melted jack and cheddar on toasted sourdough.
I’m glad I didn’t go that route, though, because the most aggressive pretzel in these parts packs a punch.
Layered with blankets of cheddar jack and mozzarella cheese, sliced jalapeños, a colony of maple bacon crumbles, and side saddled with house melted queso (ask for stone ground or spicy mustard too), the 2-inch-around pretzel was an appetite suppressor for two.
Some of my most loyal friends have beef with my food reporting.
They’re not into all the seafood and vegetarian fare I tend toward.
I get it. Not everybody loves a local fish dinner like we do at Edible, or is in sync with the benefits of a Blue Zones-style diet that lessens pressure on the planet and personal health.
To paraphrase, they ask, would it kill you to give us a little more meat and potatoes?
This one’s for them. Besides, if every diet deserves a cheat day, this is the place I’d nominate as the #1 destination for that situation.
Another longtime colleague, and my championship co-conspirator at Carmel Valley’s Great Bowls of Fire Chili Cook-Off, Daniel V. DeCamp, put it well in a story I assigned him when the OG Stonies was across town.
“Sometimes eating decadently sweet [and] good-tasting food feels like a sin,” he wrote. “Sin can be fun.”
Stonies Taphouse & Bistro is open 11am-9pm daily, and until 10pm Fridays and Saturdays. More at (831) 202-0632 or stoniestaphouse.com.
About the author
Mark C. Anderson, EMB's managing editor and "Found Treasures" columnist, welcomes responsible and irresponsible feedback. Correspond via mark@ediblemontereybay.com.
