We understand that time is the most valuable thing for everyone — especially you! And after time, its food. Life is too short for a bad bowl of soup. We firmly believe that each meal is an opportunity for bliss, hence we have done the hard work for you in selecting the best “fill in the blank” dining options. We work with local food editors up and down the coast, to compiles our “Best of” roundups.
Who’s we? Please meet our California Clean Plate Club, specifically those in the Monterey Peninsula region.
And if we missed our favorite, please email us connect@localgetaways.com.
Mark C. Anderson
A writer, photographer, editor and explorer based in both Bay Areas. He brakes his bicycle for fresh seafood tacos at places like Pescadero (local abalone tacos!) in Carmel, Sea Harvest in Moss Landing (local rockfish tacos!) and the vegan tacos at Flaco’s in Berkeley (the spicy house salsa is legit AF). His work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Best American Food Writing and Edible Monterey Bay, where he’s lead columnist and contributing editor. He also appears weekly on KRML Radio.
Jeanne Cooper
After many years of reporting on trends in the state and visiting friends, my husband Ian Hersey and I have moved to the Big Island, a.k.a. Hawaii Island. If you check my Instagram account, you’ll see cute puppies (I foster) and tasty treats. Getting a photo of me with the meals was not as easy. Luckily, Ian often has a camera in hand during Happy Hour.
Jessica Gliddon
From writing food reviews in Dubai to sampling Michelin-caliber restaurants in Cape Town, I’ve been fortunate enough to develop an international palette through my work, but there’s nothing like home when it comes to food. I’m lucky enough to live in North Beach and enjoy some of the best Italian food the country has to offer, but I’ll never pass up an opportunity for some fresh dim sum first thing in the morning, a bowl of pho from a hole-in-the-wall place in the Tenderloin or a matcha drink in Japantown. Living in Santa Cruz, I loved sampling the fresh seafood and creative offerings of this seaside college community, and especially love visiting some of the more historic eateries there like Shadowbrook or the Crow’s Nest. Besides exploring San Francisco’s best eats and beyond, I love to cook at home, especially Asian food, whether it’s honing my skills with Indian spices or trying to perfect a Thai curry.
Helena Grant
My favorite food? Well…pretty much anything you can get at a bakery. I grew up with a mom who is not only an extraordinary cook (and worked at Sunset Magazine) but who is an amazing baker. She taught me everything when it comes to baking cakes in particular. Coming from the South Bay, I now live in San Francisco and am the resident baker of my friend group and the office. I bake everything from cakes to croissants to sourdough to focaccia to… well just about everything. Before I travel, I always do tons of research to find the best bakeries to try in the area. Another thing I love? Cocktails, but that’s a whole other story involving my dad and his love for tiki drinks (one pictured to the [right/left]).
Spud Hilton
After 20 years as a full-time travel writer for the San Francisco Chronicle, I realize there are two things I love about food. First, eating something new or foreign is a great way to get out of your comfort zone, which is the point of traveling and experiencing other places. And second, local food is the easiest way to explore another culture — not everyone loves art or music, but everybody has to eat. It doesn’t matter if it’s halfway around the world or down the street, there are always great dishes to try, and I love sharing those places when I find them.
Christina Mueller
I was raised on the East Coast by two immigrant parents who knew a thing or two about eating well while pinching pennies. Subsequent explorations around the world led to a cabinet full of spices and a fridge packed with homemade everything in my Marin kitchen, and an insatiable desire to find flavor at restaurants and pop-ups, food trucks and backyard barbecues in the Bay Area and far, far beyond. From where to eat near California’s missions to the Bay Area’s under the radar food towns and Mendocino’s burgeoning food scene, I have witnessed (and eaten) it all. I’ve proudly turned my kids into food nerds, too. When I am not eating or writing about eating, you can find me next to a ballfield, hiking the trails or flying back east or to Switzerland and Germany to visit family.
Kasia Pawlowska
A Californian by way of Poland, I’ve spent the past 13 years living and eating in the birthplace of snobby ice cream flavors and (potentially) the martini — San Francisco. Whether it’s wood-fired Neapolitan pizza from a no-reservations-hour-long-wait spot, seasonal ankimo at 10-seat sushi bar, $2 take-out har gow, or a new chip at the bodega, selecting food is one of the most thrilling and important decisions of my day. Hence when I’ve traveled for work or pleasure, I study up on where I will spend my two precious resources, time and money. I believe that we can all eat really well regardless of budget and that an expensive meal isn’t always a good one. I love uncovering hidden gems tucked away in strip malls, and am a bit of a heat seeker, so you can catch me slapping on the wasabi and splashing on the Crystal house sauce on just about anything.
Matthew Poole
Matthew has authored more than two dozen travel guides to California, Hawaii, and abroad. Before becoming a full-time travel writer and photographer, he worked as an English tutor in Prague, a ski instructor in the Swiss Alps, and a scuba instructor in Maui and Thailand. His writing and photography clients include Frommer’s, HarperCollins Publishers, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan Publishing, Penguin Books, and Berlitz Publishing Co. Matthew’s expertise is on California travel, and he’s the author of four Frommer’s travel guides to San Francisco, Los Angeles, and California.
Dana Rebmann
Lucky enough to call Sonoma County wine country home, I’m incredibly spoiled when it comes to eating (and drinking) well. I get just as excited as the next person by a beautiful table topped with fine linens and Michelin rated meals, but there’s nothing better than discovering a new hole-in-the-wall, mom-and-pop eatery serving up delicious dishes like Huevos Rancheros, wood-fired pizza, (especially when it’s topped with salad greens) and anything with chocolate. Meals don’t have to be expensive to be delicious and memorable. Her work has appeared in a variety of publications including Garden & Gun, Hemispheres, Shondaland, The (London) Telegraph, AARP, Diablo magazine, Sonoma magazine, and others.
Grace Towle
Mealtime has always been my favorite time and with Mimi as my mother, being picky was out of the question. My diverse palate loves almost all food under the sun, but my favorite is no question anything Asian, and if raw fish is involved, even better. In the last year I have taken a lazy pescatarian approach to my diet, and I love me some good veggies. That said, dim sum makes my heart skip a beat and no matter what’s inside I will have to indulge. Mornings are best with coffee and a treat or smoothie and sometimes a breakfast burrito. My sweet tooth persists and if presented with a yummy dessert I will always find room for at least a few bites. Going out to grab a bite to eat with friends and family is my favorite activity and I can’t wait to keep.
Mimi Towle
I love visiting all the areas of Monterey, California, my great great grandparents lived in this area, and the old photos of men in suits and women in long dresses, eating clam chowder, prove this region has been a family favorite for generations. Some of the delicacies include; abalone (when it’s allowed), Monterey Bay Calamari, Clam Chowder in a sourdough bread bowl (mostly a tourist thing, but so good!) oysters, artichokes from Castroville (artichoke capital of the world) , Sardines (for those who partake, Cannery row was once the major industry in the region, Dungeness crab, sand dabs, cioppino and then there’s the wine. I’m not picky, but what I eat and aim when ordering is local, sustainable, organic, a.k.a. ‘regenerative’ is the word du jour! Cheers to all of our local restaurateurs who work so hard to keep us coming back for more! (That’s me after the Hoe Wa’a outrigger canoe race, enjoying a celebratory cocktail with my boyfriend, Bryan at Hula’s Island Grill on Lighthouse Ave.)
Sabrina Tuton-Filson
There are few things that get me like the crunch of freshly baked sourdough pizza, the sizzle of onions in oil, or a well-balanced hearty salad. I’m known for adding a pinch of fleur de sel to just about everything — open-faced toasts to smoothies to ice cream — and have a proclivity for fitting nearly every meal into a mason jar. In true SF-native form, I spend generous amounts of time ogling farmer’s market stands and talking about new veggie varietals I just learned how to cook. When I’m not perusing the aisles for cooking inspiration, I’m on the lookout for the best vegetarian, dairy-free and seafood dishes that restaurants offer — because yes, cheese-less pizzas (*gasp*) and dairy-free ice cream can be delicious. As a former dairy fiend, I’m here to spread the word.
