Food Follies

Over the holiday weekend, we took a drive out to Pacific Grove, CA with the idea of watching the pacific ocean crash on the rocks for a while and getting a bite to eat. We arrived at our favorite spot at Pacific Grove (away from touristy crowds and the inner Monterey Bay area with its too calm water) where the waves were huge and blue-green and crashed against the rocks with much dramatic effect – ahhhhh!

After we’d rejuvinated our souls with the sound of surf and seagull cries, we hopped back in the car and drove down the main drag looking for a place to eat. Unfortunately, it was Monday, and most every restaurant we spotted had a ‘closed’ sign in the window, although we did find two that seemed open. One had a large neon ‘OPEN’ sign, but we soon realized it was the same restaurant that we ALWAYS eat in when we come out this way. Not that there’s anything WRONG with that, but we were in the mood for something new and uncharted. The only other place we saw was an unassuming building on the corner with the sign “Passionfish” outside – we guessed it was a restaurant because there were people sitting in there at tables, and the word ‘fish’ in the sign, but it wasn’t incredibly obvious.

It looked a little more swanky than what we’d planned, but it seemed like a good bet, so we stepped inside. First thing we noticed were all the wine racks and linen tablecloths – yup, definitely more swanky! The decoration was simple elegance and seemed to fit the place. After we were seated, we glanced at the menu and saw at the top that they only used fish caught through sustainable fishing techniques! We hadn’t been consciously looking for a ‘green’ restaurant, but it looks like we found one – yay for synchronicity!

And as I implied, the food was expensive but fantastic. The sourdough bread was very tasty and came with super-whipped and chilled butter. (I know olive oil is ‘cool’, but I still prefer butter.) I had pulled lamb and handmade noodles in a reduced oregano sauce with olives and baby spinach leaves. John ordered the Alaskan Halibut topped with a sweet red chili sauce, over Sicilian vegetables in a sweet and sour sauce. We both had water (someday we should go back just for the wines!) until we heard the server telling the people seated near us that they didn’t have fountain drinks like Coke, but instead served soft drink made with cane syrup instead of high fructose corn syrup, so we had to split a bottle, sort of as a dessert. Turned out to be Boylan’s Sugar Cane Cola which was VERY tasty – like a cream cola almost.

When our server (a friendly, down-to-earth, but professional woman) brought the bill she didn’t include mints as restaurants often do, but a small pocket guide about what kinds of seafood were fished responsibly, which were known to have mercury contaminants, etc. It was done in such a simple and unassuming way though that it wasn’t annoying at all, although usually I hate people trying to “educate” me with information they want to impart when I didn’t specifically request it.

So if you’re ever in the Monterey or Pacific Grove area of the Central Coast of California, check out the Passionfish Restaurant – at least for the amazing food, but also for their conscientious approach to cooking… and maybe also for their EXTENSIVE wine list!
[Tags: fish, food, restaurant, california, pacific ocean]

Last time we went to Baskin Robbins (which was the first time in like ten years) the portions seemed so small that we decided it wasn’t worth the bother to go back. Turns out that their pints weren’t measuring up either.
[Tags: ice cream, Baskin Robbins]

Tonight we decided to visit Maverick BBQ, a local restaurant that’s gotten rave reviews from my boss and a couple of other acquaintances around town. We don’t have a rating system on this site, but if we did I would’ve given about two out of five stars. The experience wasn’t all bad, but we certainly won’t be going back.

I ordered the BBQ Chicken with potato salad and beans on the side and Kristen ordered the Ranch Burger and Fries. My boss had praised Maverick’s for having the best burgers in Hollister, but Kristen wasn’t impressed. She said that it didn’t compare to the Colossal Burgers at Jerry’s Restaurant. For one thing they used shredded lettuce on the burger which fell everywhere, and the bun fell apart just as she started biting into it. She also realized that the fries had seasoning salt on them. She asked the waiter for a replacement order after having only eaten two. He said to her “as a side?” and she said “yes” assuming he meant that she didn’t want to send the cheeseburger back. Instead, they actually charged us for the extra fries as a side dish!

The chicken I had was excellent. The meat was tender and the skin was crispy and tasty. The potato salad was delicious, except for the portion size. Both sides came in little 3oz cups that were gone in about four forkfuls. Considering this was a 15.00 meal I was more than a little put off by the tiny portions.

The restaurant itself was smaller than we expected, with perhaps one too many tables packed in. Even though it was half full, we felt crowded, and the servers frequently bumped against the back of my chair as they passed. The chairs themselves were also not very comfortable, and the waiter was so efficient in clearing the plates that we felt like were being rushed to get out of there. The noise level was also louder than it should have been for such a small place. Since we weren’t comfortable, we paid the bill as soon as it came and left to get dessert in the local Foster’s Freeze.

We didn’t realize that they had charged us for the fries until after we had left, otherwise we would have spoken to the manager and challenged it. But in all the places we’ve ever been to over the years, whenever something was sent back without being eaten it was always replaced for free. The fact that they charged an extra 2.95 seemed really tacky.

[Tags: BBQ, restaurant, cheeseburger, chicken, food]