Oct. 21, 2025—The sun smiled down on a big day for a local restaurant family, streaming in through big windows at Caffé by Rosine’s and setting off the soothing color scheme and stylish tile.
And that was far from the only smiling going on.
Some of the biggest grins belonged to staffers and owner-operators Susan and Jim Culcasi Jr.—and their son/general manager John—who were visibly and audibly happy to be open, enjoying the new expression of their downtown Monterey institution, and loving the appearance of regulars showing up in Sand City.
“It’s a different vibe,” Jim Jr. said. “Brighter and lighter and faster and fun.”
Another major reason for happiness: The Culcasis have essentially brought Rosine’s greatest hits over, and streamlined them to boot.
The famous minestrone and lasagna are available in ready-to-go packages to be reheated at home, at modest price points for a family dinner ($20/quart and $15, respectively).
The storied (and soaring) cakes—from yellow fudge to banana walnut to peanut butter—are now available for a walk in and walk out, no pre-order needed like the restaurant.
“We’ll be going with what’s the freshest, and with what guests like, and feel it out as we go,” Susan Culcasi told me when Edible reported on the new addition in July. “Cakes will be easier to grab and go—’You want a strawberry cake at the last minute? You got it.’”
Other takeaway items include Chinese chicken salads and California chicken club sandwiches, the latter which sold out fast. (That just meant John had to return to the mothership for reinforcements, and added urgency for the family to rev up their refrigerated Sprinter van plans.)
There are plenty of sit-down options at work too.
Morning bites ($10-$12 until 11:59am) spool through avocado toast, breakfast sandwiches, veggie wraps, breakfast burritos, “stacked” morning biscuit and chili-egg puff roll ups.
Entrées ($10-$16, 11am on) tab the “downtown signatures,” lasagna and hearty beef minestrone, and also paninis ($11-$14), flatbreads ($10-$12), and hot and cold specialty sandwiches ($11-$15) like the turkey cranberry crunch, Philly cheesesteak and California chicken sandwich.
Other causes inspired happy faces too. Namely, upscale coffee drinks.
John Culcasi has assembled a top-shelf coffee-tea-specialty drink lineup featuring organic coffee and espresso drinks of all shapes, sizes and flavors—including real decaf espresso—plus Italian sodas and house raspberry, strawberry and mango lemonade made with a slick reserve osmosis Crysalli sparkling water dispenser.
Some of the items that leap from his lineup include orange cream Italian sodas, cookie butter lattes, spiced pumpkin chais and “Strawberry Fields” matcha.
All specialty drinks are available with “finishing touches” like French vanilla, coconut, strawberry or other dashes, so the DIY adventure is real.
I turned to longtime Rosine’s fans to test out the to-go offerings.
Sarah Elizabeth Thornton and Stuart Thornton report the double serving of spaghetti and meatballs, while simple, are a solid bargain at $15.
They also happen to be entrée salad connoisseurs—Chinese chicken salad in particular—so I was intrigued to hear their thoughts on that.
“Bad chicken can sabotage an otherwise good salad but this was great on both [fronts],” Sarah reports. “The chicken was moist and well-seasoned. No crunchies but they were very generous with the mandarin slices, whereas some places skimp. The dressing was simple and tangy, just right.”
Also smiling: Jim Sr., who founded the original restaurant with his late wife Rosine, who was among the many who stopped by for opening day.
And, full disclosure: I was smiling too, and not because it’s the Thorntons’ anniversary today.
It’s because I’d never been inside that building, so it was a revelation to see how pretty the dunes against the blue sky were from the inside.
The clean design, meanwhile, complements the layer cake architecture and (somehow) the old-school rib-sticking stuff too.
Hearing locals call out Jim Jr. from across the parking lot also makes it hard not to smile, especially when his response is deeper version of his perma-twinkle.
It all works as a great reminder, on a feel-good Monday, that lasagna, cakes and caffeine can be contagious, albeit not as much as the smiles they help conjure.
Introductory hours run 7am-8pm, which allowed for a cake rush at 7:45pm Monday, though those may shift, as might the menu. This is new territory, but the most important fundamentals are in place.
Caffé by Rosine’s | 2160 California St. Suite A, Sand City. More at Rosine’s Restaurant and Caffé by Rosine’s Instagram pages.
About the author
Mark C. Anderson, EMB's managing editor and "Found Treasures" columnist, welcomes responsible and irresponsible feedback. Correspond via mark@ediblemontereybay.com.
