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If it’s been a spell since you’ve dined at Edgar’s at Quail Lodge, now is an opportune time to check it out: the indoor and outdoor fireplaces feel especially festive during the winter season. Not only was Edgar’s was voted “Best Family Restaurant” by Carmel Pine Cone readers in 2019, as well as “Best Dining at a Golf Course” by Monterey County Weekly readers, there’s also a new chef in town.  

Executive chef Brian Parks knew from the moment the Edgar’s opportunity presented itself that this would be his next move. Having spent ten years in Santa Barbara and four in San Luis Obispo, he and his family relocated to Pacific Grove and couldn’t be happier. Parks is delighted to be surrounded by a particularly prodigious pool of culinary talent … Read More

All rise. OK—this is not a religious ceremony. But if things go right for the ambitious and fun-loving folks behind Rise + Roam, their new restaurant will answer pizza lovers’ prayers with a tasty style of pie not seen around these parts. And a flock of fans will be converted.

The key ingredients, from a practical perspective, include: 1) a well-established parent company that also runs Folktale Winery, Seventh & Dolores and Pacific Bowls & Rolls; 2) a gifted and experienced pizza maestro in executive chef Aaron Rayor, whose past stops include award-winning Cantinetta Luca in Carmel, celebrated Bestia in Los Angeles and farm-driven hit Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York; and 3) a 3,500-square foot, strategic and freshly reinvented location on the outside corner of Carmel … Read More

Santa Cruz is finally adding some much-needed culinary gravitas as it ups its gastronomic game. Alderwood is the latest foodie hotspot, anchored by a well-priced happy hour with select oysters at $1.25 apiece. Miller High Life and a burger for $10? Wow. But this is no burger joint. With gratitude for the warm embrace of the Santa Cruz community and support from loyal patrons during its inaugural year, Alderwood Santa Cruz invites you come in and celebrate with them as they begin another chapter in their culinary adventure.

What a difference a year makes, especially if it’s your first year in business as a fine dining-meets-neighborhood restaurant. For Alderwood, it is an especially poignant moment in the downtown … Read More

Since opening this past April, Mezzaluna Pasteria & Mozzarella Bar has become the new favorite restaurant for many Pacific Grove residents as well as diners all over the Monterey Peninsula and beyond. Now, in keeping with chef Soerke Peters’ philosophy of eating with the seasons, the Mezzaluna menus have been updated to reflect the winter bounty of the Central Coast.

But that isn’t the only change at the restaurant. Mezzaluna has also added a special Sunday brunch menu that’s creative and playful, paired with bubbly Italian spritz cocktails, and a new to-go menu offering housemade pasta, sauces and gelato, as well as wine to take home.

Peters was already an energetic force in the Carmel restaurant community, first as … Read More

Pacific Bowls & Rolls began life as The Poke Lab, but entrepreneur Greg Ahn (Folktale, 7^th & Dolores, ABV and soon-to-open Rise & Roam) thought it was just the kind of business he wanted to have in downtown Monterey, so he bought the place in February of 2019. It reopened in June of this year as Pacific Bowls & Rolls with much of the staff remaining, including GM Katie Martinez, whose smile is almost as big as her heart. 

Martinez describes the place as a fast, casual concept that emphasizes values like ethically and sustainably raised protein sources, pointing out that all poultry is sourced from Mary’s Chicken and all meat from Niman Ranch. “Poke Lab established great sources for sustainable seafood, partnering with Monterey Seafood Watch right from … Read More