Breakfast is on deck first. We ate at one restaurant for breakfast in Monterey every morning, and I enjoyed each dish I had. The restaurant is called First Awakenings, located inside a little mall. Very casual place, and lots of different food to choose from.
The first morning I decided to be “healthy” and try the Cornacopia. From the menu: “EggBeaters or egg whites and fresh vegetables scrambled together. Served with fresh fruit or sliced tomatoes and an English muffin” I chose the options of egg whites and fresh fruit. Very good meal. I would definitely order that again as a healthy option.
But we don't always want to ear healthy on vacation right? We deserve to splurge a little. I felt OK about splurging since we did a ton of walking on this trip. Well not a ton, but it was difficult walking. So the second morning, I had the Raisin Bread French Toast. I would highly recommend this French toast to anyone. Their French toast (raisin bread and Texas toast) are “cooked in a batter made with vanilla, imported cinnamon, brown sugar, cream and eggs. Topped with creamy butter and cinnamon sugar.” (menu) The husband liked the Thick Sliced Texas Toast so much, he had it on two of the three mornings we ate there.
The third and final morning we ate at First Awakenings I chose the simple Two Egg Breakfast. This was just two eggs any way you want them (scrambled for me), their home-fried potatoes, bacon, and an English muffin. It was a hearty and filling breakfast.
Lunches were excellent also. When we first got into town, before my parents arrived, the husband and I ate a cute little place called the Black Bear Diner (website seems to be down). Very casual place, and again they had a ton of options to choose from. I should have taken a picture of their menu, because it was the most creative menu I've seen. It was in the style of an old newspaper. We actually thought the waitress forgot to give us menus, because we weren't expecting that. We thought the “newspaper” was some sort of flier or newsletter. Turned out to be the menu. We did get a picture of the place mat though, which was also very unique.
I had the tuna salad sandwich with fries. The tuna salad sandwich had avocado on it, which I'm not used to. I'm not a huge fan of avocado, but it was really good in the sandwich. Unfortunately, I was too full for desert. They had several very tasty-looking cream pies that I saw right when we walked in. Oh well, just one more reason to go back up to Monterey.
On the day we drove the 17 mile drive, we had lunch at Pebble Beach. We ate at the Tap Room. Very nice place to eat. Nice, but still casual. I didn't feel strange about wearing my Five Fingers there. I had the Giant Cheese Quesadilla with Chicken. Three of us actually had the same thing. Yes, the quesadilla was giant. Very large, and had a lot of cheese. I didn't finish mine. Came close, but not quite. The chicken had a nice spicy kick to it that I liked also.
Our third lunch was eaten at Louie Linguini's. You had your choice of pasta, pizza or seafood. I had the fried shrimp and fries. I ate the fried shrimp so fast because they were the “poppable” kind. Just pop them in your mouth and you're good to go. We ate outside and were entertained by a seagull and a few crows. They were waiting for people to leave their tables before going after the leftovers.
For the final lunch meal of the trip we ate at the Fish Hopper. We didn't eat very much, because we had just gotten coffee from Starbucks. I got a bowl of their Clam Chowder, and I would most definitely get another bowl if I go back. We again ate outside, and it was a bit windy and cool. But we were sitting under a heat lamp and when the wind wasn't blowing, it was very nice. And the clam chowder made you warm on the inside.
Finally, dinner. We ate dinner in Monterey three times. And all three were outstanding. Our first dinner was at the Fish Hopper. Yes, the same place we had our last lunch in town. I actually had to look at their online menu because I couldn't remember what I had that first night. I had the Cajun Mahi Mahi. The fish was served with seasonal veggies, tomato salsa, and rice. I love fish, and any chance I can order it, I do. It was cooked amazingly well, and I ate every bit of it. I also had a drink that night. I had their Berry Blast which is “Skyy Raspberry Vodka Shaken with Half a Lemon and Blackberries Topped with Sprite.” (drink menu) They actually had blackberries at the bottom of the glass, which I thought was cool. Oh, and I just remembered. I think this was where I had the strawberry shortcake for dessert. It was very “cakey”, but very good. I haven't had strawberry shortcake in a long time, and it was a good call.
The second place we ate dinner was at a lovely little place called the Whaling Station: Prime Steaks and Seafood. I decided to go against having fish because this was really a steak place in my opinion. The waiter brought over a tray with several different cuts of meat and explained them all. I decided to go with the 8 oz filet mignon. That's always been my favorite cut of meat, and the waiter said it “melts in your mouth”. That's how I like my steak. And it did melt in your mouth. I also had a rum and Coke to drink, but the waiter missed the rum part. He didn't hear me say it, so I ended up with a Pepsi, until I realized there wasn't any rum in it. Got that straightened out, and he more than made up for the misunderstanding. It was a strong one.
The final night, we ate a wonderful place called the Sardine Factory. I felt sort of under-dressed, but not too bad. I was wearing my tennis shoes when I probably should have worn a dressier pair. I didn't bring any dressy shoes for this trip, so sneakers it was. Started out with another rum and Coke (my go to drink), and ordered the Pan Roasted Halibut and Prawns. That dish was on the “special” menu of the night, so I don't have the full description. The halibut and prawns were accompanied by creamy mashed potatoes (can't remember if they were their garlic mashed potatoes or not), beets and carrots. Very nice meal to say the least. Again, the fish and shrimp were cooked perfectly. I did have desert that night. I had the chocolate mousse, which was so smooth and creamy. I haven't had mousse in years, and this hit the spot.
So that concludes the food portion of the trip. We also had stops here and there for coffee at Starbucks like I said. Mochas are a good treat. Surprisingly, or maybe not considering all the walking that took place, I did not gain weight. I stayed right where I was when we left. So, no guilty feelings about the indulgent food that I ate. Now I want more of that mousse.
The last part of this vacation recap will be about my walking ability, or performance, or whatever you want to call it. It was odd to say the least.
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