August 2, 2024 – Long before “Found Treasures” was a thing, well before Big Little Lies made freshly renamed Monterey Beach Hotel a recurring part of its smash HBO series, years before I started writing for rent money, this spot was my personal hidden gem.
We’re talking way back times when Bill Clinton assured us he “didn’t inhale,” “babygirl” referred to a young female and, in the parlance of the day, this Best Western was “skitz.” (Not now, auto correct.)
Yes, Monterey Beach Hotel, the only lodging between Cayucos and Santa Cruz right on the beach, most recently known as Monterey Tides, was a Best Western.
I loved its basicness, from the frill-free signage out front to the unspectacular decor inside, because it was all secondary to the unique views of Del Monte Beach and Monterey Bay.
Along the Central Coast—in my experience—only Carmel Beach comes anywhere close to the number of dolphin sightings I’ve had here.
The views arrive from triple threat positions, listed low to high here: from the courtyard just above the beach (now transforming into the Tidewater outdoor venue); from the lobby lounge and its nearly floor-to-ceiling glass windows (and complete with fireplace, bar, hightops and comfy couches); and from the semi-hidden fourth floor restaurant (now called The Lantern Room).
The new menus come with a lot to like, and prices that make me ache for the old days.
Down in the naturally lit lounge—aka the Lobby Bar—the offerings range from grilled shrimp tacos and a “stacked” burger to steak frites and crab-white cheddar mac ’n’ cheese ($22-$39).
Up top in The Lantern Room, highlights worth noting include vanilla bean French toast, Saltspring mussels in lobster coconut curry, duck confit with cranberry bean cassoulet, and Monterey Bay miso black cod ($20-$39).
Plus a Fogline Farm grilled half chicken with Castroville artichokes and stewed Basque peppers ($38) recommended by chef-consultant Paul Corsentino.
Corsentino serves as resident culinary advisor, which means he led the way redesigning menus, training staff, and connecting with local providers like Swank Farms, Sea Harvest Moss Landing, Captain + Stoker, Ad Astra Bread Co. and Lafayette Bakery, among others.
“For me the hotel has been that place you look at and wonder, ‘What’s going on there? What do they do?’ So I wanted to do it,” he says. “I want people to come here and say, ‘This should be our place every so often.’ The view is amazing. Let’s make the food amazing too.”
On the beverage side, Ian Brand authored the wine list, even when it was hotel management’s idea for it to be exclusively I Brand + Family Wines.
“That’s not how we do,” he says. “We want to curate some of the best things available locally.”
The outside decks by the fire pits, now titled Tide Water, will launch—with dishes like cioppino, fish tacos and grilled cheeses—in concert with the official opening of the redone hotel mid-month, complete with a new website and partnership with Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio, which pairs the behemoth’s connectivity—including loyalty program points—with independent hotel uniqueness.
All the updates are meaningful, and the sticker shock of, say, $31 for six oysters, is mediated by the 20% discount for locals.
My recommended play: Go for a cocktail like the Smoked Manhattan ($20 before local’s price break, sadly without the promised smoke on my visit) to pair with the crispy Monterey Bay grenadier ($17).
The drink and the view represent a rare treasure on their own. The grenadier, meanwhile, gets at the best part of the property’s epicurean evolution.
It lands on the menu because Corsentino and Brand made a priority out of connecting with local do-gooders like Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust. I’m a contributor there, where Emily Hess is communications chief and, not coincidentally, we’ve had dog-friendly meetings in the Lobby Bar. (She also did the art for MBH’s rooms, which is available in the gift shop.)
The Trust advocates grenadier because it’s plentiful locally and mighty tasty. My companion on my most recent visit was surprised I ordered it, then even more shocked how much he loved it.
Grenadier works as a suitable analogy for the Lobby Bar: It’s been sitting right in front of us the whole time, under-appreciated and overly rewarding, when done right.
I miss Monterey Beach Hotel’s old school ghetto fabulousness.
But it remains skitz.
More at montereybeach.com
About the author
Mark C. Anderson, Edible Monterey Bay's managing editor, appears on "Friday Found Treasures" via KRML 94.7 every week, a little after 12pm noon. Reach him via mark@ediblemontereybay.com.
