36 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY january 5-11, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com One of the great things about beer is that it goes well with almost anything. A tasty IPA and a slice of wood-fired pizza? Absolutely. Buffalo chicken wings and an ice-cold pale ale? Yes, please. A platter of birria tacos and tall cerveza? Claro. Or how about a delicious platter of smoked brisket to go with a nice frothy lager? Don’t mind if I do. Some things just go well together, and the folks at Alvarado Street Brewery and Taproom in Salinas are executing it to perfection. The popular local brewery, with restaurant locations in Oldtown Salinas, Monterey and Carmel, offers its Dayton Street warehouse parking lot to food vendors to fill the cravings of thirsty taphouse patrons. “We have been supporting local food vendors at our taproom location off and on for years now,” says Brooks Crumley, beer curator at ASB. “But when we reopened after the pandemic we really made it a priority to schedule as many vendors as possible.” And schedule they did. Since the pandemic, the team at ASB has partnered with dozens of local food vendors over the past several years and currently has a fixed rotation of different food vendors almost every night of the week. The food parade begins on Wednesday with the arrival of Wings Uncommon. Managed by Micah Wilson and Emilia Rodriguez, Wings Uncommon offers high-quality, freerange, bone-in or boneless chicken wings cooked with, well, uncommon, recipes. One of the favorites, according to Rodriguez, is the chile verde chicken wing option, which offers a spicy twist on the classic recipe along with a slight dash of cilantro. “I love that particular item because the recipe comes from my mom,” says Rodriquez. “Our concept is all about family, celebrating, watching games, and of course, cooking.” But the options don’t stop there. Wings Uncommon offers other unique flavors like garlic alfredo (think pasta without the noodles), the BB (Blueberry) King, diablito, teriyaki fusion, and California gold. All of which are made with handcrafted recipes, rubs and sauces, and overseen by the chicken wing maestro Wilson. Now, if wings aren’t your thing, stop by the Brewery on Thursday and say “hi” to Francisco and Helen Ledesma, owners of Pancho’s Craft Pizza, and stalwarts of the Thursday night slot in the Dayton Street lot. “Coming (to ASB) has been a great opportunity for us,” says Francisco (known as Pancho) of his wood-fired pizza business. “My wife and I started this business with the goal of making high-quality craft pizzas just for fun. But the public was so receptive to our product, we purchased a larger oven and started doing larger catering events along with our regular gig at Alvarado Street.” Pancho’s features an array of handcrafted pizzas including the meat lovers, spicy island (jalapeños, pepperoni and pineapple), margherita and more. “We take a lot of pride in our dough,” Francisco says. “We use topnotch flour and a longer fermentation process that makes it both delicious and easy to digest.” Friday night belongs to the headliner, award-winning Showoff California Craft BBQ (recently profiled by the Weekly). Owner Hondo Hernandez has set the standard for food vendors at the brewery, and also helped pave the way for others. “Hondo has been a tremendous help to me, personally,” says Danny Zavala, whose Double Dz Birrieria will soon occupy the Saturday evening time slot. “He recommended me to Alvarado Street, and he’s done the same for others. It’s part of the reason I love this community.” Armed with a brand-new food truck, Double Dz is another family run pop-up, with Zavala and his wife Dani serving up birria-style tacos and quesadillas with unique flavor profiles. “Our birria is made with love,” Zavala says. “We slow cook it for 12 hours and use a unique blend of seasoning that our customers clearly appreciate. That’s why my wife and I decided to make this our full-time career.” So now the only question is: What night will you be there? Alvarado Street Brewery and Taproom is located at 1315 Dayton St., Salinas. Open Tuesday through Sunday with food vendors most evenings. First course Wings Uncommon, the Wednesday evening food truck at Alvarado Street Brewery’s Dayton Street taproom, specializes in wings with, well, uncommon flavors. Hello Sunrise…There’s a new breakfast spot on Lighthouse and it’s quickly becoming a fan favorite. Sunrise Cafe is open daily from 8am to 2pm and serves all the breakfast and lunch staples like breakfast burritos, homestyle pancakes and eggs, prepared in a plethora of different ways. Dig in. 204 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey. 372-1170, instagram.com/sunrise_cafe_monterey. Forage For Yourself…It’s rainy out there, which means it’s mushroom season. If you have been wanting to learn how to safely forage for mushrooms, Julia’s Vegetarian Restaurant is offering a series of classes. Every Sunday during the month of January they offer a three-hour foraging class where participants will learn which mushrooms to avoid and which are safe to consume. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased at bit.ly/JuliasForagingClass. Or, simply stop by the restaurant to enjoy some delicious mushroom dishes. 1180 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove. 656-9533, juliasveg.com. Forage From Home…Speaking of mushroom season, Big Sur Foragers Festival—a benefit for the Big Sur Health Center—has partnered with hospitality company Acquire to put on a virtual event this year. While you may think you need to be in person to fully enjoy this kind of experience, think again. Acquire has prepared a selection of forager kits to be enjoyed at home while you participate. Select from the wine kit, virtual tasting kit, or full foragers kit. The event will take place on Jan. 21, but kit sales end Jan. 8. Place your order at bit.ly/ ForagerFest2023. Park(let) It…The city of Pacific Grove has decided, after much deliberation and with an outpouring of feedback from the community, to allow restaurant parklets to stay. Restaurant owners—and outdoor diners—rejoice. For more details on what’s next, visit mcweekly.com/ news. New By The Slough… Woodward Marine Market recently opened in Moss Landing, serving fresh seafood, coffee, dessert and incredible views right on the water. Enjoy an order of fish tacos or calamari on the picturesque dining deck, complete with a fire pit. The market is open Monday through Saturday from 11:30am-6pm, and Sundays from 11:30am-4pm. 10932 Clam Way, Moss Landing Harbor. 6320857, woodwardmarinemarket.com. By Jacqueline Weixel morsels Send a bite to eatanddrink@mcweekly.com Some things just go well together. Eat + DrinK Daniel Dreifuss Trucked In The parking lot at Alvarado Street Brewery’s Salinas Taproom hosts a veritable parade of delicious food. By Jeff Mendelsohn
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