Most of us would agree that one of the greatest pleasures of traveling is discovering new and terrific places to eat. I often research a few possibilities in advance of a trip but while visiting Monterey recently had not done so. Traveling with buddies Neil and Wayne, we ended up asking the friendly gal at the hotel reception desk where she'd recommend we go for dinner (generally my question is, "where do you like to eat"). Without hesitating, she guided us to the Monterey Fish House, and a wonderful recommendation it turned out to be.
The Fish House is not in the most heavily touristed areas of Monterey, being several miles north of Cannery Row and maybe a mile or so north of Old Fisherman's Wharf. It's a charming older building and was PACKED with locals, a reliably good omen I've found. We had to wait about a half hour for a table which gave us time to study the broad and interesting menu and decide what we wanted to order. Fish and meat are prominently featured, but some vegetarian dishes are available. Everything we tried was excellent.
I started with the BBQ grilled baby octopus appetizer which was superb (I developed a fondness for baby octopus while visiting Australia's Kangaroo island, but that's a story for another day)....
One of my friends had oysters on the half shell, giggly masses of flesh on enormous shell platters which he loved (sorry but I can't stand the texture)...
For our main courses we had entries as varied as California Rack of Lamb....
Cioppino -- shellfish and seafood stew served in a tomato based clam broth....
And grilled calamari steak...
We sampled each others' dishes and everything was amazingly good. Service was excellent -- very professional.
By the time we were finished, night had settled. Spring nights in Monterey are chilly and often misty. But we left with bellies full of great food and the sense of gemÜtlichkeit that being with your long time friends adds to a meal.
So when in Monterey, check out the Fish House.
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