38 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY AUGUST 7-13, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com “The original idea was this,” says Jeffrey Birkemeier, gesturing toward a counter, behind which a menu is fixed to the wall. Amapola Kitchen & Wine Merchant in Salinas began life as a full-service restaurant. When preparing lunch and dinner almost daily strained the small staff, it was downsized to a lunch spot. Then Birkemeier shut down the kitchen for a rethink (while keeping the wine shop open). “We were in Europe and saw the cafe culture there,” he says. “That inspired us.” Amapola recently reopened as a fast-casual, counter service restaurant. While some of the menu items will be familiar to former regulars, its centerpiece leaves some guests scratching their heads. “People say they had to Google what it meant,” Birkemeier says with a little chuckle. The blue plate special was a fixture at American diners from the start of the automobile age before waning in the 1950s. Often it was an entree item with sides with few or no substitutions. Always the special was quick, affordable and presented on a single plate. In the blue plate heyday, diners generally swapped the offerings on a regular basis. At Amapola that means kalua pork on rice with a macaroni salad on the side for Monday, teriyaki chicken and vegetables on Tuesdays, then turkey meatloaf with potatoes and peas and so on. All but the Thursday offering of clam chowder with housemade focaccia come on an actual blue plate, as diner lore suggests is proper. “The blue plate special is our top-selling item,” Birkemeier observes. “My personal favorite is the kalua pork. The turkey meatloaf is a staple at the house.” The clam chowder is substantial— rich, but more notable for the presence of clams and celery. The kitchen team, headed by Crystal Birkemeier, does not skimp on either. Mineralic, slightly sweet and a little briny, the clams find a foil in the crunchy pops of fresh celery with its pleasant grassy savor. Steeped in butter with a crackling veneer, the focaccia echoes the lavish broth. And, as with any blue plate special, it makes for a complete meal. Blue plate specials faded from the scene with the growing prosperity of post-war America. By the 1960s, the idea had become the point of jokes or wry social commentary. Graham Greene recalls the no substitutions policy in his 1958 novel Our Man in Havana: “They shove the whole meal at you under your nose, already dished up on your plate…You eat what you’re given. That’s democracy, man.” At Amapola the blue plate idea is treated with both a sense of homey nostalgia—meatloaf, for example—and a modern, scaled-up mentality. The Friday special is currently blackened shrimp on a bed of creamy polenta. And they source local and organic ingredients, as much as possible. There is more to the menu than the special, of course. Appetizers include a signature dish from the restaurant’s previous iteration, goat cheese wrapped in phyllo and drizzled with honey. The result is warm and earthy, cool and nutty with a luxuriant tartness in one bite. Quiche and croque monsieur make a return, and there are pasta dishes, salads and other items. “Basque cheesecake is our most popular dessert,” Birkemeier says. “Before, it was the Meyer lemon tart.” Why the shift? Birkemeier believes the old table service model was behind demand for the tart. The dessert is a personal favorite and as he waited on tables, he tended to make suggestions. Only one obstacle had prevented him from adopting a fast casual counter service model when the restaurant and wine shop first opened in 2021. A wall of wood and metal separated the counter from the dining room. “I was afraid to cut through this,” Birkemeier admits. He finally did, making a new doorway to the kitchen. On Fridays, the restaurant remains open through 8pm for dinner. When they opened originally, Friday had been their busiest evening. But dinner remains a work in progress, as counter service is more suited to midday meals. Still, Birkemeier is happy with the response to the kitchen’s reopening. “We get a lot of people who say, ‘I’ve missed you so much,’” he observes. Amapola Kitchen & Wine Merchant, 32 W. Gabilan St., Salinas. 262-0075, amapolakitchenandwine.com. FIRST COURSE Jeffrey Birkemeier prepares to enjoy the blue plate special at Amapola, on this occasion chicken teriyaki—served appropriately on a blue plate. FEEL GOOD FOOD…Nora’s Carmel is now open and serving up classic comfort food in Carmel. They are open daily from 11am-9pm serving lunch and dinner with menus featuring soups, dishes such as meatloaf and chicken pot pie. Nora’s fills the space vacated by Basil. San Carlos between Ocean and 7th, Carmel. 250-7447, norascarmel.com. SAME, DIFFERENT…The Italian hub Cibo in downtown Monterey is under new ownership. Dudley Ashley—also of Carmel restaurants Pangaea Grill and Sur—plans to keep favorite classics, but add a lineup of Italian fusion dishes. The new team also expects to ease off on the nightlife. (Read more at montereycountynow.com.) 301 Alvarado St., Monterey. 649-8151, cibo.com. TO GO…Gabe Georis, owner of one of Carmel’s few late-night bars, Barmel, has filed suit against landlord Johanna C. White, alleging breach of contract and intentional interference with the lease agreement. White issued a 60-day lease termination notice in June. Meanwhile, the city’s original dive bar, Sade’s, has no new agreement on a lease that expires in January. If it survives the dispute, Sade’s will turn 100 in 2026. CAR CLUB…The Whisky Club is extending its hours during Car Week so car enthusiasts and locals alike can have more time to sip and celebrate. From Friday, Aug. 8-Saturday, Aug. 16 they open daily starting at noon, except Tuesday, Aug. 12 when they open at 5pm after a private event. Last call is between 10pm and midnight. 425 Alvarado St., Monterey. 241-6713, twc11.com. MORNING PICK ME UP…English Ales now serves breakfast Saturday and Sunday mornings from 7am-noon. They have something for everyone, with offerings like a full English breakfast (of course), avocado toast and more. Besides brews, they are also pouring coffee, mimosas, tea and juice. 223 Reindollar Ave., Marina. 883-3000, englishalesbrewery.com. ROLLING DOWN THE WHARF… Celebrate Car Week on Fisherman’s Wharf at the Cars, Cocktails, and Calamari event. Wharf restaurants will serve special calamari dishes. Old Fisherman’s Grotto will be serving a line of themed cocktails like the Rolls Royce Phantom Martini and the Red Ferrari Spritz. Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey. montereywharf.com By Jacqueline Weixel MORSELS eatanddrink@montereycountynow.com “People had to Google what it meant.” EAT + DRINK DANIEL DREIFUSS Blue State Amapola’s kitchen is back, with a new service model and an old American diner favorite. By Dave Faries
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