104 BEST OF MONTEREY COUNTY® 2024 montereycountynow.com/bestof Specialty Foods restaurant features a bountiful salad bar delivering the freshest and most diverse salad ingredients, directly from the Salad Bowl of the World. In addition to the veggies, fill up with delicious soups, breads, muffins and even soft-serve ice cream. Best Deli Sandwich Compagno’s 2000 Prescott Ave., Monterey (831) 375-5987, compagnos.com The combinations are nearly endless. Will you go with the smoked turkey on a sourdough roll with pepper jack cheese? Or how about a salami on ciabatta with mozzarella and some jalapeños thrown in for good measure? Half-sandwich or whole? Those who eat gluten-free are welcome here, too. The choice is yours at Compagno’s. You also might discover the next great food pairing. Best Burrito El Charrito 122 W. Market St., Salinas (831) 424-9446 483 Calle Principal, Monterey (831) 884-5143, elcharrito.com There was a time not that long ago, that what we know as the American West today was part of Mexico. And the burrito has long been a culinary icon of the region, with origins in Mexico and now ubiquitous throughout California and Monterey County. The story of El Charrito starts with Teresa and Jose Moncada, who immigrated from Mexico to Salinas in the 1960s with their idea of the American Dream—and some serious know-how when it comes to making a buttery, stretchy flour tortilla. It’s not the secret sauce that makes these burritos the best (although we like the salsas too!), but the base: Start with a tortilla good enough to devour alone, and you have the perfect portable meal for a long ride on horseback. Best Pickled Food Happy Girl Kitchen 173 Central Ave., Pacific Grove (831) 373-4475, happygirlkitchen.com Any good grocer had a pickle barrel. In fact, any decent saloon offered a variety of pickled goods, from eggs to herring to pig’s ears. But this beloved cafe and specialty grocery shop is the local epicenter for all things pickled, so long as they are vegetarian. The team behind the pickling madness offers a wide rotation of goods including classic dills, spicy carrots and green beans that are as crunchy as they day they were harvested off the vine. Happy Best Food On A Stick | Monterey County Fair
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