It's Not Overeating, It's Saving for Later

Between the gymnastic maneuvers I've seen Bonkers perform along the top rungs of his cage, and his hamster-ball steering, I know hamsters can be heroic. And I hadn't even seen sign of this sort of caloric storage.

There's an epicurean lesson stuffed in there with the carrots and seeds. I'm not sure just what it is, but it's in there.

Profile in Staying Power: Carmel's L'Escargot

For me, one the spots that jumped off the page when looking over the Monterey Bay Restaurant Week roster was L’Escargot (620-1942).

The divine snail's been sliming around my mind for some time because two worldly Weekly food writers, Jeanne Howard and Tony Seton, have both emerged from experiences there thoroughly impressed. For years previous, my predecessor in the food columnist chair, the indomitable Ray Napolitano (last seen plotting a Chardonnay Summit), regularly raved about chef-owner Kerry Loutas warmth and way with the kitchen. And it seems the perfect kind of special spot to hit during restaurant week because Loutas will assemble some great trademark tastes that highlight what he does best for a fixed price.

Seton stopped by the other day. His thoughts follow, paired with pictures from Nic Coury:

The restaurant business is a tough one. It may be that 90 percent of new such ventures don’t make it through the first year. Good restaurants, where you invest your time savoring your meal, are suffering during this economic downturn. Ironically, if understandably, fast food emporiums are doing very well; nutrition be hanged, you can stop your stomach from grumbling for a buck.

But back to dining...for a restaurant to survive, it needs to develop a following among the locals. That means quality and consistency. Few establishments in the country have done as well in these terms as L’Escargot in Carmel. The proof is in the fact that they have been pleasing patrons for more than half-a-century.

L’Escargot was founded in 1958 by Yvan Nopert and his family. Today it is in the talented hands of chef-owner Kericos Loutas. The fact that a considerable number of Peninsula culinary cognoscenti are regulars is testimony to the wonderful country French ambience, the fine service, the smile-watering preparation and the delicious cuisine.

In all too many restaurants, the food is prepared by assistants according to recipes. At L’Escargot, some of the dishes like the salads are left to capable assistants but the primary elements of every meal – from the appetizers to the deserts—are managed personally by Chef Loutas himself. This is an important distinction because measuring spoons and timers can get a tyro cook close to the mark, but it is only the master, using his all of his senses, who can deliver perfection.

The L’Escargot menu offers Small Plates and Appetizers, including veal sweetbreads with forest mushrooms in a Madeira sauce and frogs’ legs sautéed in garlic butter and lemon for $12; escargots in garlic-parsley butter ($10); fresh Maine mussels with shallots and cream, or the Paté du Jour for $9. Also there are several different salads, French onion soup gratinée, and a soup du jour. Plus there are several specials.

There are seven entreés plus several specials that the chef decided upon based on what was fresh in the market that morning. Among the regular dishes are panko-breaded sand dabs served with an exceptional risotto ($19), several lamb dishes including a whole rack with Dijon mustard crust and garlic lamb jus ($34), Yvan Nopert’s chicken with black truffle-Madeira cream ($32), sautéed prawns scampi ($29) and medallions of veal with wild mushrooms and dry white wine ($29). There is also a grilled New York steak with black truffle-shallot butter ($32). The steak comes with their renowned pommes frites and if they aren’t part of your meal, order a side ($5) to share.

For those who would like a little guidance, L’Escargot has a three-course prix fixe dinner for only $36. There is a salad, soup, or paté to start, then a choice of entreés including a fish of the day—that night it was a marvelous petrale sole in beurre blanc—coq au vin, and the New York steak. Two of us went ala carte and two chose the prix fixe. We all cleaned our plates, except Denise who had to take some of her grilled leg of lamb home in a box.

We all also had dessert, guiltily I might add after the rich treats of the meal, but we quickly dispelled our resistance. The prix fixe dinner includes five selections, among them apple tart and a chocolate brownie that brought new meaning to the word. And a speciality of the house...a poached bosc pear with vanilla ice cream and Merlot syrup. The desserts rang $7.50.

It would be fair to say that L’Escargot is at the very opposite end of the dining spectrum from fast food. We spent 3½ four hours at our table. We didn’t have to wait for our food; it was served in a timely fashion. Nor did we ever feel rushed or ignored. This is an establishment that understands the noble purpose of enjoying a grand meal.

None of us are major tipplers and it was over this sumptuous evening that we gently consumed two bottles of wine. I mention this because L’Escargot has a very nice wine list to meet a broad range of tastes and budgets. A special treat for you oenophiles—Wino Wednesdays...on Wednesdays, all of their wines are available at half-price.

L’Escargot is a success because of the talents of Chef Loutas in maintaining the quality of this landmark restaurant—he will start his twelfth year in December—and his innovative approach that complements the popular dishes with fresh ideas designed to spark new awareness in the cultured palates of those who regularly enjoy his work.

Another reason the restaurant succeeds is that they don’t exceed their capacity to assure quality. They are normally serving only fifty to seventy-five dinners each evening, though it should be noted that on Bastille Day they rose to the challenge of a reservations-only sell-out and fed 100 happy patrons.
Of course the regulars know how to find L’Escargot, but for people unfamiliar with Carmel, you really have to know where you are going to find their entrance; it’s at the back of a small courtyard. There’s a sign at the sidewalk—don’t you love the quaint signage rules in Carmel?—but when you get within a block, you can likely follow the compelling olfactory invitation.

L’Escargot
West side of Mission between Fifth and Fourth in Carmel • Open seven nights a week at 5:30 but call for reservations because they may be booked for private parties. • 620-1942.

Monterey Bay Restaurant Week Returns

Last year's virgin adventure (promoted in the above vid) succeeded in giving locals a chance to test out restaurants they've always wanted to in accessible ways—by way of set menus designed to highlight what they do best at affordable price points ($25/$35/$45)

This year's dates—Nov. 11-17—were just announced. They are going to have to throw this thing together quickly.

Fortunately they've already scored some nice spots like Basil, L'Escargot, Montrio, Jacks at Portola, Cafe Rustica, Andre's Bouchee, Lalla Grill, Rio Grill, Fresh Cream, TusCA, the Chart House and The C Restaurant.

The list of restaurants is growing at MBRW's website.

Buen provecho, mi gente.

Halloween Appropriate Food Fun

Think pumpkin carving, only more imminently edible.

You may never look at cauliflower or that roll in the bread basket the same again.

Only in California: Alvarado's Sakana Sushi

Some folks might balk at the sight of Jordanian prepping their sushi.

Those folks would likely miss out on having the superior Sakana Sushi experience, where owner-chef Fadi Nimri often steps in for his main chef, as he did the night some friends and I came in to celebrate a birth-to-be in the family.

The new spot in opened in the high-ceiling space right next to the Golden State Theatre, a space last seen used as a satellite gallery for Alternative Cafe's stirring art exhibits. It's a perfect size for a handful of tables, including a couple of window two-tops.

We sat at the cute little five-seat sushi bar so we could talk with Nimri and see the rolls come together with jewel-like pieces of yellowtail and salmon from Monterey Fish Company.

As Nimri schooled us on how fish is treated on the boat—he says sashimi grade is bled on deck so a purer cut results—we happily grazed on the results.

Like most California sushi dens, specialty rolls, or maki, proliferate here. Like the appropriately prodigious Godzilla ($15.95), with tempura shrimp, avocado, salmon and cucumber, which is all fried, sauced and crowed with tiny slices of green onion.

Or the Elissa ($13.95, left), with blended krab, roe and cucumber, topped by barbecued eel and tare sauce, and the exotic and surprisingly cohesive Rio Roll ($11.95), with eel, avocado, mango, macadamia nuts with a touch of tare sauce. (Of note: each special roll comes with miso soup or a simple salad.)

The Falling Stars ($9.95) starts off with a plate full of spherical fish cakes packed into the best balls on the boulevard, deep-fried and dressed with a sweet reduction and chives...but they disappear quickly.

Given the dearth of Seafood Watch friendly sushi spots around here—coincidentally, October is National Seafood Month (scroll down for the list of local restaurants who honor the Watch)—it's nice to see many maki options that go vegetarian. There's the big "Arti-san Roll" ($9.95, above), for instance, which brings artichoke hearts, goat cheese and sesame seeds to the taste equation. Turns out goat beats cream in pulling things together. Nice idea.

While he whisked together more maki, we suggested that a lot of conscious eaters would flock to the first sustainable sushi spot anywhere near here.

The house blended, unfiltered saki flows happily at $2.95 a tall shot. So does the draft Sapporo or Kirin, albeit less happily given the steep price ($6.50) for a pint—though Nimri says he is open to price adjustments.

A little family history helps put the welcoming ambiance in perspective. Nimri's brothers are involved in two of the genuinely friendliest restaurants between Point Reyes and Pismo, International Cuisine (formerly Chili Great Chili) in Pacific Grove and Dametra Cafe in Carmel.

"Out family just likes to take care of customers," says older brother Faris Nimri, who pulls off his own cross-cultural wonders at International Cuisine. "To be honest, not like we're faking it, it comes naturally, we like people, like the industry and there are a lot of nice people we have as customers."

Seafood Watch Local Partners
Café Fina, Monterey
Courtside Café at The Chamisal Country Club, Salinas
The C Restaurant and Bar at The Clement Hotel, Monterey
Domenico's on the Wharf, Monterey
The Duck Club Grill at the Monterey Plaza Hotel, Monterey
Esteban Restaurant at the Casa Munras Hotel, Monterey
Favaloro's Big Night Bistro, Pacific Grove
The Fish Hopper, Monterey
Hula's Island Grill and Tiki Room, Monterey
Jacks Restaurant at the Portola Hotel And Spa, Monterey
Montrio Bistro, Monterey
Old Fisherman's Grotto, Monterey
Otter Bay Restaurant at California State University Monterey Bay, Seaside
Pacifica Café and Bar at the Embassy Suites, Seaside
Passionfish, Pacific Grove
Peter B's Brewpub at the Portola Hotel And Spa, Monterey
Portola Café and Restaurant at The Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey
The Restaurant Ventana Inn And Spa, Big Sur
Sardine Factory, Monterey
Schooners Bistro at the Monterey Plaza Hotel, Monterey
TusCA Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency, Monterey

Running the Game: Notes From the Wild Game Barbecue

As field scouts go, it's tough to top this dynamic duo, Weekly enviro reporter-Assistant Editor Kera Abraham and photographer-chef Hanif Panni. They've got more than an expansive appetite for good grub going on—they know how to document the deliciousness for the rest of us with aplomb. For the Wild Game Barbecue yesterday, they jotted notes and took pictures, respectively:

A gentle rain didn't intimidate the hardy fishermen, hunters and other supporters of the Carmel River Steelhead Association, who turned out in force for the Wild Game Barbecue on Sunday, Oct. 24, at the Carmel Valley Trail & Saddle Club. The crowd of 200 packed the family-style picnic tables in the dining hall and spilled onto tarp-sheltered tables outside, where the air smelled fresh and earthy in the drizzle.

Among our personal best in show: 1. "Cowboy-style" sea bass, cooked tender and smothered in a smoky, peppery barbecue sauce, by chef Horace Mercurio of Coffee Mia Brew Bar in Marina. Just as good was Mercurio's white sea bass with pesto sauce, lemony and basily in just the right proportions.

2. Wild boar bourgignon, by Bruce Brown of Otter Bay Restaurant & Catering. I'm guessing that it took hours of slow-cooking to tenderized the swine that in some other dishes was gristly and tough.

3. Hungarian Hunter's venison stew, by Roberta Campbell Brown of Two Chefs Catering. The deer was in its natural habitat in a thick brown sauce evocative of the valley floor in autumn: multi-layered and rich.

4. Oak-grilled Sicilian-style albacore, by Rose Di Girolamo of Carmel Valley Fish House. Not much needed to dress up this fresh-caught tuna: just a smoky, oaky essence wrapped protectively as a poncho around the flavorful white meat. Every half-hour the rubber-booted CRSA volunteers picked a lucky raffle winner, who got to select a prize from a table full of trinkets.

Meanwhile, Barry Brandt hawked the higher-stakes items in the silent auction, from a gorgeous pair of Big Sur jade earrings to a burly camp-kitchen set. And wine, lots of it, to keep the outdoorsfolk toasty.

Rival bidder Bob Perkins gracefully let us prevail on a set of vintage bottles from Roy Thomas' Monterey Peninsula Winery, dating back to 1974, 1975 and 1976.

A careful corking will reveal whether they're liquid gold or vinegar, but the local history—Thomas' own daughter tells us her 5-year-old feet were among the stompers back in those Carmel Valley flower-child days—makes them precious enough already.

All told, the event raised as much as $6,000 for CRSA's good work on behalf of the valley's most imperiled native fish: rescuing steelhead trapped in dried-up stretches of the river, building a new fish ladder and trap at Los Padres Dam, breeding captive steelhead to replenish the threatened gene pool, helping supplement the water in the Carmel River Lagoon and working to re-establish woody debris in the lower river. Now we'll just have to wait for Cal Am to comply with state orders to stop sucking the Carmel River dry.

Sports Bar Nirvana: The New Knuckles

I have seen the future of sportsbar. It arrived with the Knuckles (647-2039) makeover at the Hyatt Monterey, which is now complete.

And it has conveniently shown up in time for the S.F. Giants' first shot at breaking their half-century championship drought.

The fanciest bell/whistle of the future: the Table Tender, which will appear at one table and provide two taps for patrons to self-dispense; beer will be metered out by automated ounce. (Ironically, the Knuckles staff has always been pretty darn attentive. You don't have many servers with this much seniority, which tells you they are doing something right.) Hyatt's hype machine calls the Table Tender the first of its kind in the Golden State.

The place looks a lot slicker and sleeker and silvery—note the year 2075 bar—but might have lost a little of its local character with the exodus of the area memorabilia. The 24 flat-screen HD TVs will help people cope, including an 84-incher.

Among the important notes:

• Sierra Nevada will remain available in many flavors, more (10) than anywhere outside the S.N. brewery. So will the free popcorn and peanuts.

• There are a league of new menu items…

Anticipate appetizers like locally harvested clam steamers cooked with Gilroy garlic, lemon, white wine and butter and served with sourdough bread ($11); sea salt calamari with peppadew pepper aioli ($9); warm Castroville artichoke dip with toasted ciabatta bread ($7); Buffalo spiced cheese sticks and jack and blue cheese sticks with green onions and spicy ranch dipping sauce ($8); and wild boar ribs dry rubbed and slow roasted with honey chipotle barbecue sauce and pineapple slaw ($10). Yes, wild boar. That's good game.

The new signature sandwich ("The Knuckler") brings some gargantuan game of its own: shaved beef rib eye, slow roasted pork, a fried egg, avocado, fried onions, portobello mushroom, shredded lettuce and a three-cheese sauce luxuriously slapped on a sourdough bun and sided with Gilroy garlic fries ($16.50). They're also promising new salads, build-your-own burgers and pizzas.

Then there's a new carnitas quesadilla with roasted tomatoes, green onions, Monterey jack, smoked cheddar cheese and chipotle salsa ($11), and fish tacos with locally caught cod, cabbage slaw, pico de gallo and Oaxaqueño cheese ($11).

New closers include a Guinness and vanilla ice cream float ($8) and a Snickers pie with brownies, caramel, peanuts and a tart cream cheese filling ($6).

• A new pool table and a "kids gaming area" are coming soon. I hope that might means a little boxing ring, maybe a putt-putt arena and Ski-ball. But I think it means shotgun shooting range video games. That part's not quite done yet, though.

• The most daring food deal in town continues on Tuesdays. For Toss Up Tuesdays, a coin flip decides if you win your dinner (food only). Even a loss nets a $5 food certificate to use another time.

Yes, the future is fun. Game on.