November 3, 2015 – A new build-it-yourself salad bar, a new juice bar, new hand-made outdoor seating and a bigger beer and wine bar with sports TV are just some of the changes underway at the Wharf Marketplace in Monterey. While shoppers will still be able to stop by for farm fresh Tanimura & Antle produce, top quality fish and unusual gift items, the new focus is on custom-made meals to go or to eat right there.
The just-opened salad bar is staffed by two full time chefs, who make sure vegetables are freshly cut and attractively displayed. Customers point to the ingredients they want in their salad and the chef assembles it on the spot. A salad with five toppings is $7.99 and customers can select from a wide array, including tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, roasted corn, roasted beets, couscous, quinoa, and roasted vegetable medley-with squash, asparagus and cauliflower. A selection of ten different housemade dressings is included. For a couple of dollars more, a protein like smoked salmon, tri-tip or BBQ chicken can be added.
Sales and marketing manager Nathan Long says many customers stop by on their way to work and pick up a salad for lunch. Others prefer to sit outdoors on new custom-made picnic tables or at the new 18-seat community table carved from a giant piece of walnut that came from a tree taken from TA property in Spreckles.
Next to the salad bar is the new juice bar, with a selection of fresh-squeezed juices, fruit smoothies and a green machine for detox drinks. Soft serve frozen yogurt is going in soon.
In addition, the old bar area has been expanded with a new 17-foot granite bar and soon-to-be-installed TV screens, for watching sporting events. Three local draft beers will be served on tap, including Mad Otter Ales, along with a good selection of Monterey County wines. Long says that Wharf Marketplace’s Taste It Thursday promotion is gathering a strong following of local wine lovers. It takes place from 4:30-6:30 every Thursday and features a different local winery each week. Tasting is complimentary and bottles of wine the featured wines are available for purchase with a 10% discount or 15% discount for 6 bottles or more.
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At Edible Monterey Bay, our mission is to celebrate the local food culture of Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey Counties, season by season. We believe in sustainability, and we believe everyone has a right to healthful, clean and affordable food. We think knowing where our food comes from is powerful, and we hope our magazine, website and newsletters inspire readers to get to know and support our local growers, fishers, chefs, vintners and food artisans.
