Good Eats, Great Views, & The California Strawberry in Monterey, CA

I arrived to Monterey, CA today by invitation of the California Strawberry Commission. A total of 5 bloggers from different U.S. regions (Niri of Mommy Niri/Boston, MJ of Chicagonista/Chicago, Holly of June Cleaver Nirvana /Dallas, Sugar of Sugar in The Raw/Los Angeles, and myself) were exclusively invited to learn about the process of bringing California strawberries from the farm to table. Also joining us is David Grotto RN, LDN of David Grotto’s Nutritional Housecall. David is a registered dietitian and the nutritional spokesperson for the California Strawberry Commission. He is also the married father of three daughters, a comedian at heart, and an all around awesome guy to be with this group of loud and rambunctious women.

Tomorrow we will tour a strawberry farm and cooler, hear about the nutritional benefits of strawberries and learn tips on how to incorporate this beloved fruit into our family’s every day diet.

I had arrived to Monterey hungry, but excited.

The flight from New York to Phoenix was especially funny, with crazy passengers making me laugh the entire time. Passengers like the lady who requested a pre-packed sandwich from the flight, but then asked for the flight attendant to remove the mayo, the cheese, and the tomato. Or the passenger who asked for tea, but wanted Splenda, and when told they only had Sweet and Low, accused the flight attendant of “wanting to give her cancer”. Or the pilot who decided to give us a “tour” of the surrounding views of Phoenix over the speaker while we had to be glued to our seats as we waited for a gate opening so we could de-board (there’s really nothing to see, I promise). Honestly, there are quite a few funny stories I can tell from this flight…but I digress.

Monterey is chilly. With temperatures in the 50s. According to those who live here, the weather is always on the cooler side, thus making it the perfect place to grow strawberries.

Aside from being colder than I expected, it is far more beautiful than I imagined. I heard it was beautiful of course, but never like this. The town is small and quaint. The kind of place that takes your breath away and softens up the beaten soul a little.

We first stopped to eat at a place called Fish Hopper which is located right on a dock overlooking Monterey Bay. I was starving, but my mood was high. I mean, how could it not be when this is what I had to look at?

Fish Hopper is a seafood favorite here in Monterey. Serving seafood obtained by sustainable sources through method that do not harm the environment, it certainly makes for a guilt free indulgence.

I ordered the Crab Crusted Sea Bass which is grilled and served over whipped potato and sauteed spinach, topped with lemon caper sauce. A wonderfully light, yet incredibly flavorful dish, it was the perfect option for a late lunch. It was so fresh and well done, I slowly savored each bite.

Before coming in I got a small sample of their award-winning clam chowder, and other than Boston, I have not tasted anything better.

Our hosts Amy and Shannon then took our group sightseeing. We were on a schedule so we didn’t get to do hours and hours of walking or driving around. However, if you are in the area and can only do one thing than do the 17-mile drive along Pebble Beach. It costs close to $10.00 per car to enter the area, but it is worth it.

I wish I had the poetic words at the wee hours of the morning as I write this to describe the natural beauty that is this scenic drive. The drive runs through Pacific Grove to Pebble Beach along the ups and turns of the Pacific coastline providing visitors the most magical, awe-inspiring views. I truly believe we could have been there hours upon hours taking pictures. I would shoot and shoot, but my camera couldn’t capture it’s true beauty.

I wasn’t too sad when we left because my family and I plan on coming through this way again during our road trip adventure this Summer.

Later in the evening we met several representatives of the California Strawberry Commission who invited us to a dinner inspired by, what else? Strawberries.

Their restaurant of choice was Montrio Bistro. Chef Tony Baker refused the offer of an outsider’s menu to be served this evening and instead demonstrated his culinary ingenuity and craft by creating his own unique masterpieces.

In a four course dinner, we were presented with variations of strawberry usage in a dish. No one dish was too overwhelming with this fruit flavor, though the hint and sight of it was there. Sometimes it was immediately obvious, like in the Strawberry Mint Sorbet with Black Pepper Tuile, served as the Intermezzo, and other times it was perfectly hidden but still delightful, such as in my absolute favorite dish of the evening, the Pan Roasted Black Stripped Sea Bass over wood oven baked polenta, grilled local asparagus with 20 year old balsamic and strawberry-rhubard chutney. The combination of the sea bass with the chutney was like heaven to my taste buds. And if you come to Montrio Bistro and Chef Baker has any dish with polenta, order it. His is the most delicious polenta I have had to date. Perfection.

Montrio Bistro’s location has a fun history behind it, from firehouse to JC Penney warehouse to other businesses before what it is today. The staff is charming, the space sophisticated yet welcoming and comfortable.

I feel that between Fish Hopper and Montrio Bistro, I got a good taste of the area so far. The strawberries in the dishes we had were full of flavor and not at all tart.

I am excited to visit the farms and talk to the growers about the fruit and the process of growth and delivery. Looking forward to listening to David Grotto share his dietary tips and knowledge with us as well.

If you have any questions about California strawberries that you would like asked, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment here and I will share the answer on subsequent posts about my visit.

And if you are planning on visiting Monterey, make sure to stop at the above mentioned locations. I have been told to also visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which sadly I won’t be able to do on this visit, but expect to check out when I return this Summer!

Stay tuned for more to come on Monterey!

In the meantime, here are some pictures from our Flickr page:

Disclosure: The visit to Monterey, CA is an all-expense paid trip provided by the California Strawberry Commission. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Tags: food, travel, Vacations
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