34 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY FEBRUARY 20-26, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Before phrases like “local and seasonal” or “farm to table” became a laurel hung on upscale restaurants, there was John Steinbeck. The famed novelist favored foods from the land or sea around him—common for the characters of his novels, who had little choice. In his writing Steinbeck had a way of imbuing even the simplest meals with an essential quality, from a short-order cook smashing burgers on the grill in The Grapes of Wrath to Liza rolling out pie dough in East of Eden. “Beans,” he wrote in Tortilla Flat, “are a warm cloak against economic cold.” While food and drink help set scenes throughout Steinbeck’s work, there is a caveat. “He wasn’t a very adventurous eater,” observes Joe Valencia, food and beverage manager at C Restaurant + Bar in Monterey, who notes that steak and potatoes was one of his go-tos. “If you read his version of posole, it’s not something you want to eat.” Indeed. A can of chili poured over a can of hominy—even Steinbeck referred to the creation as “pissole.” So in settling on a menu for the restaurant’s upcoming Steinbeckinspired wine dinner, the kitchen team had to take a little artistic license. Yes, steak is the centerpiece of the fivecourse spread. But it is a prized Wagyu cut with sauce bordelaise. The idea is a natural. The restaurant sits on Cannery Row and Doc’s Lab is a neighbor. “It’s something we’ve talked about for quite awhile,” says Chef Matt Bolton. But that doesn’t mean the process was easy. For Steinbeck’s struggling characters, food was often basic and communal—plates of fried chicken, pots of boiling potatoes. The purpose was not to recreate dishes and drinks from the novels. After all, in Cannery Row, Eddie pours the remains of different liquors into a jug for Mack and the boys to share. “We’re not going back to high school,” Valencia says with a laugh. Instead, Bolton and Michelle Lee, the pastry chef, took inspiration from Steinbeck’s life and writing then turned it up a notch. “It was a learning experience for me,” Bolton admits. When he came across a mention of abalone, his mind raced. “A lot went into the abalone dish,” he adds—sunchoke that is roasted as well as pureed with Meyer lemon for starters. “We had a lot of fun with it.” The courses start with a calamari hors d’oeuvre followed by a baby gem salad, highlighting the produce of Salinas Valley and the farmworkers Steinbeck described with such power. Bolton’s process began with a wine tasting, the bottles being a selection from Wrath winery, naturally. As he begins to pick out the flavor profile of a wine, food pairings come to mind. C Restaurant generally plans one event each quarter. But this wine dinner menu came with an added level of difficulty. Not only did the chefs have to match each course to a particular wine—a 2023 Rosé for the salad, for example—they also had to reference Steinbeck’s world. “Matt wanted to do a sardine souffle,” Valencia says. An obvious nod to Cannery Row and the pioneering work of Ed Ricketts, the fish are burdened by association with the oil-soaked filets from tins. “I said no.” But there were a couple of matters Valencia and his team could not avoid. The Jack Rose was Steinbeck’s favorite cocktail, and that gets the evening started. And then there’s the more fanciful concoction. Per Cannery Row: “‘I’ll bet some day you’ll go in and order a beer milkshake.’ It was a simple piece of foolery but it had bothered Doc ever since. He wondered what a beer milkshake would taste like.” Lee wasn’t thrown by the suggestion of a beer milkshake. “I have a really good chocolate-Guinness ice cream recipe,” she points out. So you know where this is going. The dinner will end with an actual beer milkshake. Just keep in mind Doc’s conundrum. “If a man ordered a beer milkshake, he thought, he’d better do it in a town where he wasn’t known.” Then again, why not on Cannery Row—and on Steinbeck’s birthday, no less. Steinbeck Dinner 5:30-9pm Thursday, Feb. 27. C Restaurant + Bar, 750 Cannery Row, Monterey. Includes tour of Doc’s Lab. $140. 642-2013, thecrestaurant-monterey.com. FIRST COURSE “It makes sense,” says Chef Matt Bolton of the upcoming Steinbeck dinner at Cannery Row’s C Restaurant. The event takes place on the author’s birthday. KIDS MEAL…Do you have little sous chefs in the house? The Monterey Recreation Department is holding a Kids In The Kitchen series led by talented local chef Yana Todorova for kiddos 8-12 years old. The series takes place Thursdays from 5-6pm starting Feb. 20. $108-$120. 777 Pearl St., Monterey. 646-3866, monterey.gov/rec. SUN SHINE…Mirth Kitchen is hosting its first official pop-up of the year on Friday, Feb. 21 from 2:30-6pm. Stop by for sensational dishes made with seasonal produce and inspired by the sun. 13762 Center St., Carmel Valley. 2010419, mirthcv.com. SEASONS PAIRINGS…Holman Ranch is hosting a special seasonal pairing event on Thursday, Feb. 27 from 5:30-7pm. Taste a series of four seasonal small bites from Chef Hollie Jackson, each perfectly paired with one of Holman’s sensational wines at the tasting room. $50 with access to wine deals. 18 W. Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. 659-2640, holmanranch.com. TEA IT UP…What happens when a steakhouse throws a tea party? The answer can be found on Saturdays at Seventh & Dolores. The team promises flavors that are bold, indulgent and “slightly mischievous”—yes, you can booze up your cup. The plates are going upscale, with an emphasis on creativity. As to the pot of tea itself, they keep it classic. The party is $75 with seatings at 2pm and 3pm. Seventh and Dolores, Carmel. 293-7600, 7dsteakhouse.com. WING IT…Get over that hump day hunger with the help of Alvarado Street Brewery’s Wing Wednesday deal. Their wings are half off, all day, at all three locations. Each location has a different style of wing. Get oak smoked wings with ranch in Monterey, unique Mai Tai wings in Carmel and Buffalo Peri wings in Salinas. asb.beer. SCALE BACK…Stop by the bar at Wild Fish Restaurant from 5-6pm daily for great happy hour deals. Dig in to seafood-centric small bites and deals on drinks like $10 for select cocktails and 25-percent off beer and wine. 545 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. 3738523, wild-fish.com. PLAN AHEAD…Tickets for The Great Taste of PG are $85 now through the end of February, and $100 starting March 1. The event takes place March 30 at Inn at Spanish Bay. supportpgpride.com. By Jacqueline Weixel MORSELS eatanddrink@montereycountynow.com “I’ll bet some day you’ll go in and order a beer milkshake.” EAT + DRINK DANIEL DREIFUSS Sweet Thursday C Restaurant hosts a Steinbeck-inspired dinner. By Dave Faries
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