Spotted Duck Debuts in Pacific Grove

May 16, 2023 – Spotted dog is a slang term for Dalmatians. 

Spotted dick is the way the British describe a traditional steamed pudding made with dried fruit. 

Spotted Duck is the name of the new restaurant now dishing in the former Jeninni Kitchen + Wine Bar in downtown Pacific Grove.

Yes, as chef/co-owner Jerry Regester says, “It’s a crazy world.” 

And he’s not talking about linguistics. 

He’s speaking about life with a restaurant of his own to share with his partner and fellow industry pro Gayle Grammatico. 

He’s riffing on the ebbs and flows of realizing a dream—one that waded into less-than-utopian waters with record rains, power outages and storm damage this winter—after decades as a heralded chef.

And he’s loving the ride.

As Edible has reported, after stints at celebrated spots like Highlands Inn, Monterey Plaza Hotel and The Preserve Regester leapt into a new role at Rise + Roam—teaming with Grammatico—then suddenly left. 

With good reason: Longtime friend Thamin Saleh, who had built Jeninni into a smart and stylish Mediterranean-North African fixture on Lighthouse Avenue, was ready for a new chapter. And a deferred dream was ready to be realized.

Saleh stuck around to help the couple sync with systems, and then a gentle and gradual transition commenced. 

Now the Duck’s identity is in place, and ready for its closeup. 

So yes all over again: The website won’t go live until next week and the permanent sign won’t be up till it’s ready. 

But new ceilings, new large format Jo Mora paintings, new chairs and a temporary nameplate are in place and—most importantly—Regester and Grammatico have crafted the mood and food they’ve been thinking about for a long time.

The name isn’t so much a nod to English desserts or dog slang as it is to the crave-able type of food the pair gravitates toward: casual, hands on, messy, delicious. 

“We thought it would be a name people would remember,” Regester says. “Besides, Gayle and my favorite thing to do is whole roasted duck.”

He means eating it in San Jose or San Francisco’s Chinatown, but they’ve got you covered on that in P.G. too.

The best selling item to date is seared duck breast with a green tomato-ginger jam over white corn polenta.

The opening menu, which will change steadily according to harvest, drops other eye-catchers where that came from. 

The approachable three columns roll like this: 

• Starters, salads and soups like “drunken” grilled octopus with preserved black bean-honey sauce and Jerry’s everything seasoning; duck live pate that Regester finds most understandably confuse with foie gras; Chardonnay-steamed mussels, “modern” spit pea soup with smoked pork belly and sweet pea pesto; grilled Swank Farms asparagus with melted burrata; and a chopped romaine with farm egg, anchovy and seven-grain croutons.

• Entrees including chicken torchon; maitake-porcini-black truffle risotto; potato gnocchi with lamb shank confit; sautéed local petrel sole in a brown butter-caper sauce; New York steak frites; and a pork belly bistro burger with smoked cheddar on milk buns. 

• Sides ranging from fried Thai curry chickpeas to grilled Ad Astra bread. 

“We want to make it fun everyday, a place to visit a couple times a month, or every other month,” Regester says. “When we got here it seemed like more of a special occasion restaurant, and we want to ease it up, brasserie-bistro style.”

Even as the couple has understated the debut, Spotted Duck has gained momentum with special events in the restaurant and adjacent private space, Lauren’s Lounge. 

That’s something Grammatico likes to emphasize, calling it her “true passion” to help choreograph special dinners, restaurant buyouts and catering events. 

Something else has her energized as well.

“I grew up around the kitchens, as my dad was a chef, and through the years of working with Jerry for different owners, it’s a joy now to watch him create great food for the Spotted Duck,” she says.  

Cal Stamenov—who just embarked on his own fresh start a city away in Monterey—has collaborated with Regester, a Buffalo native, for decades. 

They worked together as exec chef and sous at spots ranging from Domaine Chandon in Napa to Highlands Carmel when Masters of Food and Wine was at its peak and drawing chefs from across the globe.

“He cooks very strong, good flavors, incredible sauces, and probably makes the best soups—and Buffalo wings—I’ve had,” Stamenov says. “He knows how to season. I don’t know what the word is, but his food is just very whole, honest. He’s not cooking to do any type of molecular gastronomy. The neighborhood’s lucky to have him.”

Part of that fortune, he adds, is Regester’s personality, which translates to a heightened vibe in the dining room. Then he cites a phrase colleagues often deploy about him: “He’s a chef’s chef.”

Which is as meaningful a bit of brevity to keep in mind as spotted dog, spotted dick or Spotted Duck.

Spotted Duck 542 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove, (831) 920-2662