OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: MONTRIO BISTRO, MONTEREY, CA.

 

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: MONTRIO BISTRO, MONTEREY, CA.

I would like to share our very pleasant dining experience at the Montrio Bistro during our recent stay at Monterey, Ca.  Although this restaurant was started in 1995, it is housed in an impressive old building at 414 Calle Principal- which was the city's first firehouse inaugurated in 1910. 

Having made our reservations well in advance, we got a nice table at one corner of the restaurant. Don't miss the bricked walls behind us, a prominent feature of the whole building. 

Having had our share of wine at the Old Monterey Inn where we were staying, we opted for mocktails this evening. It is indeed interesting how dishes and drinks are named ! I asked for  a Passionate Life ( made with passion fruit, lime, and mint) while my husband chose the Blood Orange Shrub ( made with blood orange sherbet, soda, and lime).  The mocktails were tall and cool! 

We fondly remembered the crab cake we enjoyed during our last trip to the US. So, for the appetizer, we ordered the Crispy Dungeness Crab Cake - which was truly delicious. It came cooked with lemongrass butter sauce and tarragon oil.

For the entree, we had the Pan Roasted Organic Mushroom Chicken made with garlic mashed potatoes, confit garlic, pea tendrils and sherry vinegar jus. 

We were pretty full at the end of the meal so we skipped the dessert and ended our dinner with a hot cup of Cappuccino.

I had the pleasure of meeting with the Executive Chef Sascha Lyon. You can read about him in this article from Edible Monterey Bay 

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience at the Montrio Bistro. We will definitely visit again. 

OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: ESTEBAN RESTAURANT

 OUR DINING EXPERIENCE: ESTEBAN RESTAURANT

The Estéban Restaurant, famous for its Mediterranean and Spanish cuisine, is located in the historic Casa Munras Garden Hotel and Spa in Monterey, Ca. Their address is: 700, Munras Ave. More details about this restaurant can be found in their website. 

We enjoyed our dinner there recently, seated in the heated outdoor patio. Actually, while making the reservation we had specifically asked for outdoor seating having found out that they had a heated patio. 

To start with we ordered the Red Sangria preferring this to the White Sangria. As the name suggests, this is a drink with a base of red wine with a taste of apples, orange and lemon. It tasted out of the world! 

The Local Fried Peppers sounded interesting so we had this. They came cooked in Manchego Cheese with Maldon Sea Salt and Garlic Aioli. The aioli, ( a kind of sauce/dip) traditionally made with garlic, is a must in much of Mediterranean cuisine. The peppers were spicy without being difficult to eat and we enjoyed them with the accompanying aioli. 

Next we opted for the Coca La Mancha Flatbread which had artichoke, piquillo peppers, manchego and olives. This is the authentic Spanish flatbread and the whole dish was very filling and tasted delicious.

We enjoyed our dinner thoroughly. I must say the service too was impeccable.  

I find it interesting to meet Chefs wherever we dine. They have challenging jobs and often have their signature dishes that have made them famous. It was a pleasure to meet with the Executive Chef, Mario Garcia, who has 14 years experience in this field. He has a warm and friendly personality. He mentioned his aim was to use as much of local produce as possible in his offerings. 

As we were leaving Chef suggested we have his dessert - Chocolate Pot de Creme! This came topped with fresh strawberries. It was a fitting end to a great dinner. 

HERBED BAKED EGGS

 HERBED BAKED EGGS

In my last post, I had written about our stay at the beautiful Old Monterey Inn in Monterey, Ca which is about a two hour drive away from where we are staying in San Francisco. 

One morning, for breakfast, we were served Herbed Baked Eggs which were simply delicious. Wendy the Innkeeper was kind enough to share her recipe with us. 

I am sure you will love this as much as we did! 

                                             Herbed Baked Eggs

Ingredients:-

• Eggs, 3
• Heavy Whipping Cream, 2 tbsp
• Butter, 2 tbsp
• Garlic Salt, 1/4 tsp
• Thyme, minced, 1/4 tsp,
• Rosemary, minced, 1/4 tsp
• Parsley, minced, 1/4 tsp
• Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated, 1 tbsp

Method:-

Take a dish suitable to be used in the oven, 

Apply heavy whipping cream to fully cover the bottom of the dish

To this add 2 tbsp of butter

Carefully crack 3 eggs into this dish without breaking the yolks

Sprinkle garlic salt, thyme, rosemary, parsley and Parmesan cheese on top

Set the oven at 450 degrees

Bake until light golden brown and starting to bubble around the edges

Takes about 10-12 minutes to cook

Turn oven to warm to hold for service

Serve hot with a freshly baked croissant 

I would like to thank Wendy for kindly sharing her recipe with us. She was the perfect hostess in every way.

It was a pleasure meeting her at the Old Monterey Inn which she manages so efficiently.

                                  Herbed Baked Eggs

THE OLD MONTEREY INN

 THE OLD MONTEREY INN

If you are looking for a change after the hustle and bustle of city life at San Francisco,  I would recommend  the picturesque Old Monterey Inn at Monterey, California. This is a quiet retreat with all amenities, in a beautiful location, in the coastal resort town of Monterey, about 120 miles from San Francisco. 

Last week, we had the pleasure of spending a few days there. It is a Bed and Breakfast place and naturally  you have to make you own arrangement for lunch and dinner. Actually, this is a good idea as you get the push to try out the restaurants that Monterey has in abundance.

The main building of the Inn was built in  1929 and retains an old world charm. There are ten rooms of different types in the Inn. We stayed at the beautifully appointed, "The Cottage". The Inn is situated in large grounds with lovely gardens and is the perfect place to relax. 

Every morning, we had our choice of beverage delivered in an attractive basket at our doorstep. Breakfast was an elaborate affair. The dishes made each day were delicious. You could opt for room service if you wished, but we chose to eat at the lovely old dining room. 

Wendy, who looks after the Old Monterey Inn is a very friendly, attentive and competent hostess. She made us feel very much at home. She also gave us her suggestions on different places where we could have lunch or dinner. 

When we were speaking of my interests in food and about my blog, she was happy to share her recipe for her scrumptious Herbed Baked Eggs, which I shall publish as a separate post one of these days. 

On another day, we simply loved the Cheese Blintzes, surrounded with fresh seasonal berries, peaches and bananas, dusted with powdered sugar and served with raspberry syrup! 

Every afternoon from 4.00 pm. to 6.00 pm  a choice of wines and Hors d'oeuvres/ wine and cheese are served to the guests. 

That reminds me, The Old Monterey Bay Inn is famous as a location for weddings, honeymoons, anniversaries and the like. One evening, we met a young couple who were married four days ago and on another day we were happy to meet Klaus and Linna holidaying there to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary !!

The Old Monterey Inn is located within walking distance to many old historic buildings. It is close to the Old Fisherman's Wharf which has its share of restaurants and eating joints. It is a 10 minute drive to Cannery Row and the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium there.  

We loved the Old Monterey Inn and I am sure you will enjoy a visit there too!