Raúl Nava

A pale yellow cocktail garnished with three white daisies and served in a round martini glass. Photographed in a warmly lit dining room on a square white paper napkin on a translucent orange bar counter with glassware blurred in the background.

A light orange cocktail on ice garnished with a thin strip of green cucumber, two slices of orange, a sprig of green mint and a black paper straw and served in a wine glass. Photographed in a warmly lit dining room on a square white paper napkin on a translucent orange bar counter with a silver metal refrigerator and assorted barware blurred in the background.

Feels like spring 🌞

Sundial • chamomile-infused gin, lemon, agave, peach, orange bitters, Champagne
Pimm’s Cup • Pimm’s, lemon, ginger beer, cucumber, orange, orange bitters

📍 Lalla Grill, Monterey, CA

A slice of golden brown toasted topped with several pieces of red lobster meat, green chives and yellow butter served on an oval-shaped white plate with a dark green trim. Photographed in a warmly lit dining room on a gray concrete bar top with orange flowers and a silver metal chiller in the background.

A salad with green avocado, shredded orange carrots and green sprouts served on a round white plate. Photographed in a warmly lit dining room on a gray concrete bar top with a white bowl and silver metal chiller in the background.

Two square bread buns filled with white cream cheese in an X pattern, topped with chopped green chives and served in a round white ramekin. Photographed in a warmly lit dining room on a gray concrete bar top.

Four baked oysters in gray shells topped with golden brown bread crumbs and served on white rock salt in an oval-shaped bowl with a black exterior and white interior. Photographed in a warmly lit dining room on a gray concrete bar top with plates of food blurred in the background and a green placemat in the foreground.

Lobster French toast • beurre blanc, mirepoix, peas, pain au lait
Hippie hand grenade • avocado, mushroom, pepper, carrot, cucumber, radish, sprouts, carrot-ginger dressing
Old Bay hot cross buns • herb cream cheese
Baked oysters • fun butter, herbs, breadcrumbs

📍 Oystertown, Monterey, CA

Twelve raw oysters in white shells arranged in a circle and served on a round white metal plate of ice with red mignonette and a wedge of yellow lemon in the center. Photographed in a warmly lit dining room on a gray concrete bar top with orange flowers, a wine bottle and a silver metal chiller in the background.

A crudo of creamy white scallop, orangish-red salmon and pink hamachi in yellow olive oil and green basil oil served on an oval-shaped white plate with a dark green trim. Photographed in a warmly lit dining room on a gray concrete bar top with oysters, a green placemat and a white paper menu in the background.

A dark green bottle of wine with a white label with a red octopus illustration and the name Carboniste Modern Sparkling Wine. Photographed in a warmly lit dining room on a gray concrete bar top with a glass of wine, oysters, orange flowers and an empty white plate in the background.

Is it brunch? Is it lunch? No, it’s Sunday munch 🍴

Oysters on the half shell • Shigoku, Kusshi, mignonette, lemon
The Swan crudo • hamachi, salmon, scallop
Carboniste • sparkling Albariño

📍 Oystertown, Monterey, CA

A bright red cocktail garnished with a pink cornflower and chartreuse served on a large ice cube in a short square glass on a bright green felt coaster. Photographed indoors in a warmly lit bar on a dark wood tabletop with a silver metal refrigerator, a silver metal espresso machine and assorted glassware blurred in the background.

A light orange cocktail served with a dark red cherry in a Nick and Nora glass on a bright chartreuse green felt coaster with a small shot glass of sparkling wine. Photographed indoors in a warmly lit bar on a dark wood tabletop with a silver metal refrigerator, a silver metal espresso machine, assorted glassware and liquor bottles blurred in the background.

New spring cocktail menu from @joshperrybar.bsky.social is rolling out 🌈

Gypsy Heartthrob • apple brandy, strawberry, grapefruit, Meyer lemon
NSFW • clarified p*rn star martini • white rum, passion fruit, vanilla, ruby port, lemon, sparkling rosé

📍 Cella Restaurant + Bar, Monterey, CA

Three bright yellow French macaron sandwich cookies with white buttercream filling stacked on top of each other in the corner of a brown takeout container. Photographed indoors under warm lighting.

My day always is a little bit brighter with a passion fruit macaron—or 3 🌞

📍 Parker-Lusseau, Monterey, CA

A story dry with golden noodles, green cabbage, green broccoli, brown mushrooms, chopped green beans, shaved orange carrots and white bean sprouts garnished with bright red pickled ginger and served on a round white plate. Photographed indoors in a warmly lit restaurant dining room on a marbled purple tabletop with a black square plate of white rice onigiri and green pickles in the top left corner of the frame.

Eat your veggies 🌱

Yasai yakisoba • shiitakes, menma, cabbage, broccoli, green beans, bean sprouts, carrots

📍 Ocean Sushi Deli, Monterey, CA

A pale yellow cocktail served in a short glass with a single large ice cube and garnished with a dark red cherry in a bamboo skewer. Photographed on top of a white paper napkin on a white marble bar countertop with silver barware, a stack of white paper napkins, glassware and shelves of liquor bottles blurred in the background.

I’m hearing rumors @mezcalitomanny.bsky.social will bring back some of his signature drinks before his departure this weekend 👀

In the meantime, here’s his parting gift for the spring cocktail menu at Stokes 🍸

Bond Was Wrong • gin, dry vermouth, coconut milk punch

📍Stokes Adobe, Monterey, CA

A pale pink nonalcoholic cocktail served in a tall glass with ice and garnished with a slice of pink grapefruit and a white compostable straw. Photographed on top of a white paper napkin on a white marble bar countertop with a bartender wearing a black cap, black eyeglasses, a white shirt, a black tie and a gray apron blurred in the background.

Bummed to hear about a shakeup behind the bar at Stokes Adobe as @mezcalitomanny.bsky.social moves on to new adventures 🥲

Swing by before Saturday, April 26 to say your goodbyes 🥂

A light tan cocktail served over pellet ice in a short rocks glass and garnished with a wedge of green lime and brown compostable straw. Photographed on top of a white paper napkin on a white marble bar countertop with silver barware, glassware and shelves of liquor bottles blurred in the background.

But the real standout of the spring happy hour menu refresh is a Thai peanut curry in cocktail form from beverage director @mattyeggleston.bsky.social 🫨

Khruangbin • green chile vodka, peanut butter whiskey, tamarind, lime, cilantro

📍 Stokes Adobe, Monterey, CA

A wood-fired pizza with thin brown crust with charred blistered dough topped with thin slices of yellow and purple potatoes, melted yellow cheese and numerous thinly chopped green chives and served on a round brown-speckled ceramic plate. Photographed on a white marble bar countertop.

A light green cocktail served in a tall glass with ice and garnished with a white compostable straw and a bamboo skewer with a square of bright green Jell-O. Photographed on top of a white paper napkin on a white marble bar countertop with silver barware and assorted glassware in the background.

A wood-fired pizza with thick puffy brown crust with charred blistered dough topped with red pepper, thin slices of white cheese and numerous sprogs of green dill and served on a round brown-speckled ceramic plate. Photographed on a white marble bar countertop.

I spy new additions to the happy hour menu for spring 🌱🍹🍕 🌱

Fingerling potato pizza • cheddar cheese, bacon, truffle crema, chives
Shark Sandwich • tequila, lime, lime aperitif, melon
Merguez sausage pizza • eggplant purée, fontina, pecorino, Aleppo pepper, dill

📍 Stokes Adobe, Monterey, CA

Bay Area coffee roasters fear tariff price spike: ‘A smart time to stock up’ Bay Area coffee roasters and cafes fear Trump tariffs will raise already high prices.

Coffee commodity prices already faced headwinds and record highs. Now, Trump’s baseline 10% tariffs on imports may exacerbate the impact. Here's how consumers and roasters are being affected ☕️📈
www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaur...

Four brown chocolate candies painted with splashes of white, red and gold, served in textured gold paper wrappers inside a plastic box with a gray sticker that reads QOUIGN in yellow letters. Photographed indoors on a piece of crumpled gold tissue paper.

A glass jar of green pistachio spread with a translucent plastic lid, gold ribbon bow and a gray sticker that reads QOUIGN in yellow letters. Underneath the jar is a thick rectangular brown chocolate bar painted with splashes of gold and green inside a plastic wrapper with a gray sticker that reads QOUIGN in yellow letters. Photographed indoors on a piece of crumpled gold tissue paper.

Four chocolate candies painted turquoise blue with splashes of red, purple, and yellow, served in textured gold paper wrappers inside a plastic box with a gray sticker that reads QOUIGN in yellow letters. Photographed indoors on a piece of crumpled gold tissue paper.

Yass, Qouign! 👑

Sweet savant Santana Rodriguez has a stellar lineup of spring treats available at local farmers markets—in Carmel on Thursdays and in Monterey on Fridays 🍫

Chai caramel
Dubai pistachio spread + Dubai chocolate bar
Passion fruit & vanilla marshmallow

📍 Qouign, Monterey County, CA

Ten pieces of brightly colored raw nigiri sushi served on a square dark gray ceramic plate. Photographed indoors at twilight on a light wood tabletop with plates, glassware, a menu, a window and a green bush blurred in the background.

A variety of sushi served on a square gray ceramic plate with a textured lip. At the left are cream-colored pieces of raw scallop nigiri with yellow lemon zest, at the top is a salmon skin roll wrapped in white rice cut into six pieces, and at the bottom is a negihama roll wrapped in black seaweed cut into six pieces. Photographed indoors at twilight on a light wood tabletop with a plate of sushi, a dish of soy sauce and a pair of chopsticks blurred in the background.

寿司盛り合わせ • Chef’s choice 10-piece nigiri
Hokkaido hotate (scallop) nigiri
鮭皮巻 • Salmon skin roll
ネギハマ巻 • Negihama roll • yellowtail, green onion

📍 Akaoni, Carmel, CA

Cream-colored soft tofu set in a beige ceramic bowl and served with a wooden ladle on top of a round white plate and a small green-and-gray ceramic bowl of brown soy sauce, white sesame seeds and a silver spoon. Photographed indoors at twilight on a light wood tabletop with other plates of food in the background.

Thick spoonfuls of soft cream-colored tofu in a brown soy sauce and white sesame seeds served with a silver metal spoon in a green-and-gray ceramic bowl. Photographed indoors at twilight on a light wood tabletop with a large beige ceramic bowl of tofu and a brown wooden ladle in the background.

Half an eggplant, scored into squares, roasted brown, drizzled with dark brown miso paste, sprinkled with white sesame seeds and served in a white oval-shaped porcelain bowl with a textured lip. Photographed indoors at twilight on a light wood tabletop with other plates blurred in the background.

Eight pieces of golden fried chicken served on a square sheet of white paper in a black plastic basket and garnished with two slices of yellow lemon. Photographed indoors at twilight on a light wood tabletop with a plate and chopsticks blurred in the background.

自家製豆腐 • Housemade tofu • before + after
米なすの田楽 • Baked eggplant with hacho miso
鶏の唐揚げ • Fried chicken

📍 Akaoni, Carmel, CA

Six raw oysters on the half shell garnished with brown soy sauce, red chile and green onion served over a bed of crushed ice in a pearly white clamshell bowl. Photographed indoors at twilight on a light wood tabletop.

Three pale beige cylindrical steamed shrimp dumplings served on a rectangular blue-and-white porcelain dish with a large dollop of yellow hot mustard. Photographed indoors at twilight on a light wood tabletop with plates and water glasses blurred in the background.

A green glass bottle of sake with a black label and Japanese writing and a small conical glass of sake. Photographed indoors at twilight on a light wood tabletop with a busy dining room blurred in the background.

As always, a simply sublime dinner 🙏

Kumamoto oysters
海老シウマイ • Steamed shrimp dumplings
Special sake • Nagurayama Gekkyu “Crescent moon” junmai

📍 Akaoni, Carmel, CA

A wood-fired pizza with thin brown crust topped with round slices of green eggplant, wilted green basil, melted white cheese and red tomato sauce. Photographed indoors in a takeout box under a warm light with the white outside lip of the box blurred in the foreground and brown cardboard blurred in the background.

Piper, yesss! 🪷

Really fun pizza special this month inspired by Korrutal “Goi” Yugaroen’s Thai Is Fun cooking classes 🇹🇭

Thai margherita pizza • Thai curry tomato sauce, basil, Parmesan, mozzarella, roasted Thai eggplant

📍 Tricycle Pizza, Seaside, CA

A round puck of white rice garnished with sprigs of green cilantro served on top of a pool of three mole sauces, including clockwise from the top, an orange mole estofado, a dark brown mole negro and a reddish-brown mole coloradito on a round white plate. Photographed in a warmly lit dining room.

Why settle for one mole? Collect them all!

Mexican cuisine includes a rainbow of rich mole sauces. The most familiar lean into chocolate and cinnamon, but others feature fruit or nuts.

Mole trio • mole estofado, mole negro, mole coloradito, white rice, tortillas

📍 Alejandro’s, Monterey, CA

As opposed to unofficially in my crudo era before 😝

Sushi, crudo, aguachile… I’m definitely down for some raw fish any time of year 🍣

Five strips of orange cured trout belly topped with a small dollop of dark-green caviar and a strip of green chive, served with round dollops of white crème fraiche and sprigs of green herbs on an oval-shaped white plate with a gold rim that reads MENTONE di Aptos Ca in gold font. Photographed indoors in a warmly lit dining room on top of a dinner menu on a light-wood tabletop.

Two cream-colored pieces of raw scallop nigiri with yellow lemon zest served next to two sushi rolls on a square gray ceramic plate. Photographed indoors in a warmly lit dining room on top of a light-wood tabletop with a second plate of nigiri sushi blurred in the background.

Raw red beef carpaccio topped with green arugula, finely shredded white cheese and shards of tan crackers served on a round white plate with a raised black lip. Photographed indoors on a warmly lit dining room on top of a mixed-wood bar countertop with barware blurred in the background.

Raw white scallops with green avocado mousse topped with yellow flower-shaped tortilla chips, sprigs of green cilantro and red chile powder and served in a beige ceramic bowl with a white glaze inside. Photographed in a warmly lit bar on a white marble countertop with a stack of white napkins, a black refrigerator and assorted barware blurred in the background.

Spring is here which means I’m officially in my crudo era 🌞

A few faves from last month…

Mentone • Gravlax-style trout belly
Akaoni • Hokkaido hotate (scallop) nigiri
Cavalletta • Beef carpaccio
Stokes Adobe • Scallop aguachile

Three pieces of cow bone, cut in half lengthwise, roasted brown, topped with yellow corn, white cheese and green herbs, served on a round brown pottery plate with a round gold metal ramekin of green salsa. Photographed indoors in a dark restaurant on a white-and-gray marble tabletop with a gold metal base of a lamp, an orange glass tumbler and an orange pottery plate with two round brown bean sopes in the background.

Bone marrow: 1
Sweater: 0

The perpetrator?

Esquite bone marrow • roasted bone marrow, street-style corn, handmade corn sopes

📍 Nicolás Cocina de Herencia, Carmel, CA

I’ve spilled many foods on me over the years, and I swear none stain as badly as bone marrow. But when @chefmichellelee.bsky.social wants bone marrow, you accept the risk 🫡

A wood-fired pizza with thin brown crust topped with round slices of red pepperoni, melted white cheese and green pesto sauce. Photographed indoors in a brown cardboard takeout box under a warm light with the white outside lip of the box blurred in the foreground.

We’re 2 sashays away from this being a pizza account now 🍕

Garlicky pepperoni pizza • tomato sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan, crispy pepperoni, minced garlic, pesto sauce drizzle

📍 Tricycle Pizza, Seaside, CA

A brown coffee latte topped with white milk foam and several purple lavender buds and served in a white paper cup. Photographed indoors on a gray stone gift shop counter with a yellow plastic dinosaur toy and a green plastic dinosaur toy with an orange collar blurred in the background.

A brown coffee latte topped with fern-shaped white milk foam latte art and red crumbled dried strawberries and served in a white paper cup. Photographed outdoors on a sunny day above a piece of white-painted weathered wood.

A green matcha latte topped with white milk foam and red crumbled dried strawberries and served in a white paper cup. Photographed outdoors on a sunny day on a white-painted weathered wood shelf with weathered gray and blue-painted wood pallets and silver aluminum siding blurred in the background.

Spring menu refresh—collect ‘em all!

Equinox latte • lavender, strawberry, lavender buds
Berry brown sugar latte • brown sugar, strawberry syrup, dried strawberries
Strawberry matcha latte

📍The Power Plant Coffee + Store, Moss Landing, CA

Ok, I guess there was some sushi for supper 🫣

A selection of sushi served on a beige ceramic plate. On the top left are two pieces of orange sea urchin wrapped in black seaweed with strips of yellow pickled ginger. On the right are four pieces of yellow egg omelette wrapped in a thin strip of black seaweed. On the bottom left are two pieces of pink tuna. Photographed in a dimly lit dining room on a black wood tabletop.

Treat yo’self! 😏

Otoro (fatty bluefin tuna belly) and Hokkaido uni (sea urchin) 💸

But the real luxury these days? Tamago (Japanese egg omelet) 🍳

A yellow cocktail garnished with a slice of dried orange lemon and served in a martini glass with a sugar rim. Photographed indoors in a dimly lit dining room on a black wood table with two black chairs with beige seat cushions blurred in the background.

A brown roasted eggplant roasted with dark-brown miso sauce and shredded green onion served on a green lettuce leaf on a white plate with a silver metal spoon. Photographed indoors in a dimly lit dining room on a black wood tabletop with plates and a dish of red dipping sauce blurred in the background.

Several strips of golden-brown fried chicken with one yellow pepper and one green pepper served in a blue-and-white porcelain bowl. Photographed indoors in a dimly lit dining room on a black wood tabletop with a white plate, bottles of soy sauce, beige wood chopsticks and a plate of beige dumplings blurred in the background.

Not sushi for supper 🍸🍆🍗

Yuzu Drop • Haku vodka, sugar rim
Nasu miso • grilled eggplant, miso sauce
Karaage • fried chicken, shishito peppers

📍 Ichi Riki, Seaside, CA

A glass jar of clear sake with a label featuring a raccoon dog wearing a red blazer and brown straw hat standing in front of green mountains with a text label that reads Brewed in Japan HAKUSHIKA TANUKI SAKE. Photographed indoors on a speckled gray countertop with a black plastic tray of white rice sushi rolls on the left.

Sake can feel intimidating, but Ocean Sushi Deli has a great selection of easy-to-drink, approachable sakes. Grab a couple with dinner to learn which styles of sake you like 🍶

My favorites? Kurosawa junmai, Funaguchi nama genshu and Tanuki junmai are perennial picks

Three black plastic takeout trays with sushi rolls. At the top is a tray of shredded pink cooked salmon rolled in white rice and black seaweed with a yellow slice of lemon, yellow pickled ginger and a lump of green wasabi. At the bottom is a tray with 12 pieces of pink fish wrapped in white rice and black seaweed with yellow pickled ginger and a lump of green wasabi. At the left is a tray of seven pieces of red spicy tuna with green cucumber wrapped in white rice with black sesame seeds and two pieces of green avocado wrapped in white rice and black seaweed with yellow pickled ginger and a lump of green wasabi. Photographed indoors on a speckled gray countertop.

Sushi for supper 🍣

Salmon skin roll
Negihama maki • hamachi, green onion
Spicy tuna roll
Avocado maki

📍 Ocean Sushi Deli, Monterey, CA

I say this not to be shady, but to point out the echo chamber for local food media.

Yes, newspaper budgets are tighter, but increasingly limited budgets demand investing in diverse stories and diverse storytellers to help stand out from the pack to grab reader attention—and ad revenue

Being retired from the food news beat, always fun to see how long it takes our local food media to report on scoops I’ve been sitting on 👀

First heard today’s breaking news that the team behind the Butter House is eyeing the former Britannia Arms location back in January 🙊