Is there a more apropos name than Passionfish?

Passionfish
701 Lighthouse Ave
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
http://www.passionfish.net

One of the things I dread is when I hear everyone rave about a restaurant. It's so hyped up that you're ultimately going to be disappointed. For us, Passionfish in Pacific Grove was the place that was being hyped like no one's business. Located on the main drag in Pacific Grove, the place had a line out the door before we even got there at 7pm. I was a little worried going in, since we had a table reserved for 7pm. When we got inside we sat right down. Nice.

The dining room is divided into two separate rooms. It actually doesn't appear that big from the outside but it's got quite a few tables. We sat in the row of tables in the north side of the restaurant. It was actually kind of a cool because I could see directly at the kitchen from my seat.

We kicked off the night with the Bacon wrapped and gorgonzola stuffer mission figs. What can I say other than that this was absolutely delicious. Great start.

I can't help but to think that the close proximity to Monterey Bay Aquarium explains why none of the fish on the menu was a red light on the MBA list. I had the ‘Quinault’ Sablefish crusted with pepper, wasabi slaw, ginger vinaigrette. Mrs. Dine O Mite had the Hand lined Mahi with black pepper-rum sauce,cucumber salad, green onion rice. Very simple preparation. These were perfectly cooked with a small simple side of vegetables.

Dessert came out right after we ordered it. She had the Espresso Mint Mud Pie, I had the Torte. Again, just like Montrio Bistro the portions weren't massive. I like that. Who wants to walk out of a restaurant feeling packed to the gills?

My overall impression was that this place was top notch. The food was interesting but not too far out there. The prices were extremely reasonable. We had a starter, 2 entrees, 2 desserts, and a cup of coffee for $71 (w/o tip)! Considering the location, Passionfish is a really good value.

The subtlety of the preparation, the respect for our fisheries, and a devoted following shows that the staff at Passionfish truly have a passion for fish.

Montrio Bistro

Montrio Bistro
414 Calle Principal
Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 648-8880
http://www.montrio.com

This isn't going to be a long gushing review about the absolutely, unbelievably, crazy ass wonderful restaurant that I ate at last night kind of review. Rather, it'll be more like the atmosphere was good, prices were good, and the food was good.

Montrio Bistro was the first of our California dinners. Set in the heart of dwntown Monterey, this lively bar/restaurant serves a combination of small plates (Mrs. Dine O Mite's fav) & entrees. From the conversations we had with our neighboring diners plus those we overheard, we caught quickly that this is a spot popular with the locals.

Mrs. Dine O Mite, still somewhat full from her Darby Dan's lunch, opted for carrot ginger soup a heirloom tomato basil/mozzerella salad. I chose the braised special of the day, which was the short ribs.

Desserts were Blueberry Financier with lemon cream and Banana Muffin with ice cream.

My overall impression was this: the desserts were the highlights. So many times I go into dessert and I feel like I have literally tamp the dessert down my throat because I'm so full. These desserts weren't like that, they were a smaller size with a smaller price. I like that. How many times have you seen a fairly expensive dessert, and when it arrives you say, "That's it?". These were a good size, yet they were proportionately priced. Nice.

If you're looking for looking for a moderately priced, good overall restaurant this is a good place to start.