Monterey/Pacific Grove Trip report and tips
 

Just back from 3 full days in Pacific Grove/Monterey. We took a discounted room at the Best Western in Pacific Grove. It was nothing fancy but in Pacific Grove which we far prefer to Monterey or Carmel. It poured buckets on NYs Day but we managed to have dinner at Fandango. It was good not great but we did have a screaming bottle of Merry Edwards Pinot Noir 2000. We did walk around Point Lobos which was its usual stunning self! We made it to Pacific Edge at the Highlands Inn for sunset. We walked the shorepath from Pacific Grove to Monterey and spied all sorts of wildlilfe. We tried dinner at the much touted WhiteHouse in Pacifc Grove which I would say is great in some ways and ok in others. The meals are prix fixe so you take your chances. The outstanding place we found to eat was PassionFish in Pacific Grove. It should not be missed. Toasties in Pacifc Grove is a great breakfast spot. I know someone recently wrote about stopping at Phil's Fish House in Moss Landing on their way down to Monterey. It's a great "joint" very informal and worth a stop. We had the sweetest dungeness crab and great local beer.
The rooms throughout the area seem to be quite discounted right now. The usual crowds are not in place and the scenery is just as beautiful as ever. I'd say, if you can, grab your sweetie and have a go of it.
PS:also heard the Doubletree in Monterey has rooms for as low as $80/noc right now. The local economy seems to have taken a hit. Other places we checked out all had very low rates(70-100/noc). Also...the monarchs are in full force in their habitat in Pacific Grove right now. Anyone going down to the area would do well to check out the Osio Cinemas in downtown Monterey. We had our pick of great films to see.

Did you dine at the Pacific's Edge at the Highland's Inn? What did you order at the White House and what was your outstanding entree at the PassionFish? Glad you had a great time!! ***kim***

Hi Pam,
Glad to hear you had a good trip. When I heard there was rain there this week-end, I actually thought of you and wondered how you were faring there.

Figured the BW Monarch Resort would be about as you described, but you could do worse. I'm not a fan of most of those places out there near the lighthouse. Gotta love that PG walking path and Pt. Lobos though, they NEVER disappoint! Isn't Highlands Inn at sunset beautiful?

I knew that Passionfish would be a hit with you, due to it's large and extremely well-chosen wine list. What did you have, food and wine? We enjoyed a good meal there too, but there are mixed reviews of it. You should read today's review of it on chowhound--the poster was absolutely livid!

Which brings me to The White House. I'm glad you tried it--I really didn't think you would, as I know you love casual places and this one looks a bit more "formal", though it really isn't. You say it was great in some ways and not in others? Can you be more specific? Could it have anything to do with the small wine list? :-) "Take your chances with the prix fixe menu?" There are so many choices and they are all so well-prepared, I think I could close my eyes and pick one and I'm sure I wouldn't be disappointed. What did you have? My tastebuds are quivering!
Enjoyed your report!

Well, to answer some questions: Dinner at The White House 1 smoked salmon rose(great) 1 onion tart(great but way too awash in buerre blanc) 1 seared ahi (great) 1 pork loin which was sliced thin enough to be a school cafeteria dish piled on top of sauteed spinach(seemingly the featured way to "enlarge" an entree)and the only flavor easily detected was salt and way too much of it. We had the arugula salad and the mixd field greens both overdressed for our tastes. The mixed field greens had a blue cheese that tasted near rancid. To their credit when asked how our dinners were and then addressing the pork issue, we were brought another entree sized plate of the seared ahi unsolicited. Yes, the wine list is limited but our server(who was very good) suggested a local pinot for $23/bottle that opened up quite nicely. It's true I prefer more reaxed places(like the Cafe at Chez Panisse kind of relaxed) but I prefer "relaxed" well done. When the pretense is palpable, I prefer to forgo the "glitz". It is true we had a lovely prix fixe lunch at Chez Panisse on NY Eve for less than the dinner at the White House and there was no comparison.
We did not have dinner at Pacific Edge but went for the sunset and sat in "The Sunset Lounge". The choices are splendid one of us had Oben Scotch and one had a glass of Vueve Cliquot. Not bad at all, following a divine walk around Granite Point in Point Lobos.

PassionFish does have an amazing wine list and the overhead is minimal. We opted to have the wait person suggest something in the whites and eneded up with a very low priced($18) sauvignon blanc from Australia..very grassy and very good. We split the crab cake in a lime salsa which was excellent. I had lobster(spiny) with capers, white wine, golden raisins and potato gnocchi while SO had the Maine Dayboat Scallops with sweet potato dumplings. The scallops were better than the lobster but the dishes were creative and interesting. The lobster was a daily special while the scallops seemingly are offered frequently. I always have to remember, once one has had lobster in Maine, nothing can compare.
We cannot wait to get back to Pacific Grove and now are in pursuit of the perfect "motel" although the Inn at 213 17 Mile Drive looked very nice! I am still reviewing the glimpse of the Blue Heron in the lavender light of late afternoon resting among the lounging sea lions then lifting off in flight. It was much like seeing the full moon rise over the Grand Canal!
Now...back to work..ugh!

So glad you liked Phil's, Pam. Not sure if you picked it up from my recommendation or not, but stopping there is a must when we head down that way.

Thanks, Betsy!!

Gee, Pam, I am stunned with the description of your dinner at White House. We thoroughly enjoyed every bite of our meal there and felt it was a true bargain.

There are several excellent, very expensive restaurants in the area, and on the other end, plenty of mediocre ones, too. So when a local PG friend raved about this place, I was very happy to know about it and wanted to share it with others.

You describe this place as "much touted" and on another board you say you "fell for the hype". I originally wrote about it in my Trip Report last October and also recommended it to two people who were looking for a nice dinner in PG. From that thread, several other people read about it and specifically asked me for more info, which I was happy to share with them, as there is no website and no way for people to know what's on the menu. Those people tried it and loved it and began telling of their good experiences. I'm sorry if you see this as hype.

When you talk about pretense and glitz, I hope you're not referring to the White House--I thought the staff was as friendly as any I've seen for a while. It is in an historic Victorian mansion, but surely you don't hold that against it, unless you also dislike Victorian architecture.

But, to each his own. Btw, we've eaten at the Cafe at Chez Panisse too and thought it was good, but were a little underwhelmed.

I do agree with you on Passionfish though. We had a nice dinner there and the winelist is exceptional and cheap! The decor and service were not great, but I'll tolerate that for the food & wine.

Hi Pam and Winerycat! I loved the White House and it met all of my expectations. Was the Pinot you had from the Blackstone Winery? www.blackstone-winery.com I just ordered a couple of bottles of that for my hubby for Christmas since he liked it so much at the WH. It sells for $11/bottle off their website.

I'll have to try the PassionFish next time we are in the area, but not for a special occasion. You should try the Pacific's Edge tasting menu next time you are in the area. Pricey but excellent!

The only place in PG we have been disappointed with is the Tinnery. We had an E-Book coupon but will never go back there. Denny's-type atmosphere and food was less than mediocre. The Old Bath House has also been a favorite and our two teens even enjoyed the place. ***kim***

Hi Pam!
Sorry to hear your dinner at Fandango
was dissapointing-but I KNOW the wine was GREAT!
Maybe it was the New Years 'curse'-we went to one of our local favorites
expecting great service & food-and it was borderline lousy! Timing on bringing dishes out was horrible for our table of 7-felt like we were eating in shifts-pastry on the mushroon torte was mushy-flavors off on the fish- Very unusual!
Yes-the BW Monarch isn't fancy, but I prefer it to the noise of Munras in Monterey! Let's resolve to find that "perfect motel"
Happy New Year to the P's!
R5

WineryCat~It seems I might have offended you without intention of doing so on this thread and on another site. Let me hopefully clear some things up. When I say we fell for the hype some of what I am referring to is my own inclination to get caught up in something simply because I keep reading or hearing about it. I must tell you I heard of the WhiteHouse from a variety of places including on line after much work. I did archives research on the Monterey Herald's "Best Of..." surveys. I might have read of your post from October but I can assure you my references were not specifically to that. Many folks have made comment on the WhiteHouse including simply hearing it had opened. (on Chowhound, friend's parents who live in Carmel Valley etc). It could be we were expecting alot and consequently were disappointed. My reference to pretense and glitz was a general response to someone's(it might have been you) statement that I preferred casual places based on what they had read here and in my previous postings. I've eaten in all sorts of places including the French Laundry (which I adored and which lots of folks find dripping in the pretense I protest!!). It's when I feel the pretense is palpable that I sometimes take cover. I was trying to clarify my tastes. My reference to glitz was not about the WhiteHouse or victorian architecture. I live in a designated historic neighborhood across the street from an enormous Julia Morgan home. My house was built in 1912 at the latest and is filled with late Victorian features. I have lovingly restored many of them. I think it just came down to we weren't as impressed as many folks have been by The Whitehouse and, as you stated, you were underwhelmed by Chez Panisse which I have remained a fan of since the mid 70's. I've sent folks to places I thought were wonderful and they hated..so it goes! I still contend my entree was pretty bad but hope any feeling of slight has been softened if not extinguished. For Kim~the pinot was Crosspoint(e) 2000 (Monterey).

And for R5..I join you in the "perfect motel" search and you are right...the wine at Fandango was wonderful! Thank you for your NY's greeting..right back at you and Mr. R5. I recently heard more good things about Souzee..have you eaten at a placed called Zasu (?) in Guernville? It's supposed to be good and run by a couple of chef transplants from Seattle? (Palace Kitchen folks)

Hi Pam I think you are referring to Zazu in Santa Rosa. The restaurant is located at 3535 Guerneville Rd. Website address is www.zazurestaurant.com It looks very good. We will be in Santa Rosa in March and may check it out!! Zagat 2004 gives it "the best restaurant in Santa Rosa" review. Bon Appetit!! ***kim***

I've been checking in on this thread because we are heading to the Monterey area in 2 weeks (anything new to report on the Best Western Bay View in Carmel--or on the Hotel Pacific in Monterey?).

We stayed at the Vinter's Inn in Santa Rosa this past summer and ate at Zazu. We had a great meal there. The restaurant was small, a little funky, and with zero snobbery. I may have kept a menu from there if anyone wants me to check.

Pam, I appreciate the clarification--now I know what you meant. Like R5 says, restaurants aren't at their best during busy holidays, so maybe that was a factor in your culinary disappointments. New Years Day we ate at The Montage Hotel in Laguna and it was chaotic and not quite up to par.

I couldn't find any hype on The White House in the Herald's archives and just 3 raves on Chef Moz's site, but heavy-duty hyped places like Chez Panisse, French Laundry, Manka's, etc. do have a lot to live up to. We really enjoyed our dinner at Chez Panisse years ago. Don't remember exactly what we ate, but it was good and seemed like such a special occasion, at the time. The Cafe at Chez Panisse, though good, had a harder time meeting our elevated expectations, but I'm pretty sure I'd go there, if it was in my backyard.

If you're going to be spending time in PG, you might consider trying the White House again. After all, your SO's dinner sounded pretty good--we had such a good dinner there. How come all your entrees were not as good as your SO's? B-) At least you got to watch the sunset at Highlands, while sipping the Veuve--not a bad deal at all. Happy travels.

Marci,
I don't have any further info for you, but it appears that Pam was a little disappointed with the BW Monarch Resort. Perhaps she will give you the details.

Since you are booked at the BW Carmel Bay View for about $80, you might want to keep your expectations in check. Then, if it turns out to be better than you expected, you'll be really happy. Or book at another place.

Pam-Zazu lives up to it's hype. It remains a funky, fun small roadhouse run by Duskie & John Estes. It is west of Santa Rosa proper on Guerneville Rd.
Mr R5 and I like to venture there after a trip to Martini & Pratti and Joseph Swan or after a tasting of the award winners at the Sonoma Harvest festival
in Oct. Any excuse will do! It's truly creative!
R5

Marci~I say it depends on what you want. Both the Hotel Pacifc and The BW Carmel will give you much closer access to things than The BW Monarch. The BW Carmel is on a side street just a few (maybe 1 0r 2) off Ocean. It looks ok. I'd say if you're hoping for a view the top most floors would probably give some long range view. Carmel is a bit much for my tastes but lots of people love it. There are very many galleries there. We visted the Weston as I mentioned. If you like photography at all you should go. I think the Hotel Pacific looks like a more upscale property by far than the BW Carmel. You will be in walking distance to downtown Monterey and Fishermen's Wharf. If you want Carmel I'd say go with the BW but if Monterey is more your thing..I think the Hotel Pacific would be my choice. We actually really like Pacific Grove because it has a lovely small town feel. The BW Monarch Resort was out near the lighthouse in Pacifc Grove and was nothing fancy. The price was $110(I had thought 100/noc) and we were upgraded because of newborn twins next door to our room to a king deluxe. The furniture is faux (and very bad faux french provincial)..the coffee is bad, bad, bad. The bed was firm(good), the bathtub big and hot water plentiful. We could easily drive to town in 5 minutes or less for most of our meals. Somewhere in my best fantasy lives the perfect motel..My search continues. Yoou will love this area..and it is stunning right now!