My husband, Gerald and I just returned from a two-night stay in Monterey to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. Before heading down there, I did some research to see if I would be able to eat anything other than salad. Nothing against salad, I love salad, but variety is the spice of life, as they say. And for vegans, there is a lot of variety available, even though some carnivores are mystified by the concept. I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple of tasty vegan/ vegetarian restaurants, and another restaurant had an additional vegetarian menu with vegan options as well.
We arrived on Wednesday in time for lunch and decided to check out El Cantaro Vegan Mexican Restaurant. Gerald is a carnivore, but food is food, so he was willing to venture inside. The restaurant was super clean (I am a germaphobe), the guys working there were very friendly and helpful, and the food was to die for. It was very filling, but did not leave us feeling groggy and greasy like typical American Mexican restaurants can do.
We were given a small bowl of delicious, warm tortilla chips and a creamy red salsa that was allegedly 'mild.' The salsa was fantastic, but I would have labeled it more toward 'medium.' We chowed it down, nonetheless, because it was outrageously good. I ordered the Grilled Pineapple Veggie Burrito on a spinach tortilla, and I was blown away. I thought the pineapple might dominate the flavor, but it was more like an amazing spice ingredient. I had the choice of some four or five different tortillas, and the spinach tortilla was the recommended choice for my burrito. My carnivore was blown away by his entree, the Caesar Salad with Grilled Chick'n. We each enjoyed a bottle of Virgil's Microbrewed Root Beer, which happens to be my favorite root beer on planet Earth. They do not serve alcohol at El Cantaro, which I believe is part of their mission to serve healthy vegan food.
That night for dinner, we headed over to Hula's Island Grill. They have food for all--carnivores and vegans and vegetarians. Included in their menu is a separate menu for vegetarians/ vegans. The atmosphere was fun and alive, and every staff member we had any contact with was friendly, fun, and very happy. If you like to drink alcohol (I do not) there is plenty to choose from at Hula's. We both ordered the iced tea, which tasted like it was brewed moments before we were served and had a light fruitiness to it. Deliciousness galore!
I ordered a vegan bowl, the Kingston Curry Tofu. Let me just say.. OH. MY. GOD. It was amazing! White sticky rice, cabbage and other vegetables perfectly smothered in an outrageously good yellow curry sauce, topped with fried tofu sticks and plantains. I ate too much of it. I could not bare to see such deliciousness wasted, but alas I still could not even come close to finishing the entire bowl.
Gerald also ordered a bowl, but his had seared ahi tuna. His was the Ahi Wasabi Bowl, and he, too, was blown away. Just letting you know in case if like me you are in love with a carnivore. In any case, we were both beyond happy. We were offered a free dessert after Gerald mentioned that we were in town to celebrate our wedding anniversary, but we were way too full to take them up on their kind offer. If we had, I would have had to order the coconut sorbet as it was the only vegan dessert. But I am certain I would have enjoyed it immensely.
After an exciting outing of whale watching on Thursday, we went to the Cannery Row Brewing Company for a light lunch. I actually craved a salad, and so I suggested this restaurant for Gerald as there are many options for carnivores. I ordered the large CRBC House Salad, which was perfect for me. It had artisan lettuce, cherry tomatoes, shaved radish, diced cucumber, croutons, and a citrus vinaigrette. Gerald ordered the Albacore Tuna Melt and let me nibble on some of his garlic fries. Although there is also a Veggie Burrito on the menu, it is a highly carnivorous menu. But I was craving a lighter meal, and I wanted to give Gerald a chance to eat something he likes since we had reservations that night at a vegetarian restaurant.
We had our anniversary dinner at Julia's Vegetarian Restaurant in Pacific Grove, which of course, also offers vegan options. Julia's has a real relaxed, homey atmosphere. As their menu states, "We feed the creative minority," this place feels like a place great artists of all kind would hang out and write poetry, sketch some beautiful drawing, or compose a laid back song on a guitar. In fact, that night they had a musical duo (a guitarist and accordionist) playing live music in the small dining area. The waitress was lively and fun, and the chef came out and checked in with each patron to see if they enjoyed the food. It was a wonderful evening.
Their menu changes regularly, but that night Gerald had the Margherita Pizza, and I enjoyed the Raviolis in a broth with greens and mushrooms and asparagus. The raviolis were stuffed with eggplant and mushrooms, and were delightfully vegan. It is tough finding vegan raviolis in regular restaurants, so I jumped on those. Before our meals were served, a large flatbread cut like a pizza with various spices and a big dollop of what looked like reddish-orange hummus was served. We forgot to ask what the dollop was, but I can tell you, it was fabulous. We both cleaned our plates and ordered a slice of Vegan Chocolate Cake to go. We both totally overate, but the food was so good we could not bear to waste a bite!
Our bed and breakfast inn was a bit flummoxed by my request for a vegan breakfast. The owners of the last seven years recently sold the inn, but when we made our reservations six months ago, I noticed "vegan breakfast options available" noted on the website. We have stayed at The Jabberwock Inn a few other times, and it is a lovely place in a perfect location. Just know that vegans freak them out a little. I ate oatmeal and fresh fruit both mornings.
The first morning they put in too much effort by also serving me a couple slices of toast and a big plate of hash browns. Do not get me wrong, I completely appreciate the effort, but I could see that they were the kind of people vegans run into who say things like, "What do you eat?!" They must be so used to overly stuffing themselves (and their guests) with eggs, sausage, and cheese that the notion of a bowl of oatmeal could be quite satisfying mystified them. They did make a concerted effort as they also went out and bought rice milk especially for me (even though I did not ask for or use it), and I highly appreciated the kindness and effort.
Another restaurant we did not eat at but reviewed the menu on Cannery Row called Cooper's Pub does offer a vegetarian Black Bean Burger. So, there are plenty of options in Monterey and Pacific Grove for vegans and vegetarians to eat amongst the abundance of seafood restaurants. Our stay was short, so I can only give these few reviews. I hope they are helpful for those looking for plant based cuisine in the Monterey Bay area.
Peace for all.
