Monterey Bay Aquarium’s 10th Annual Cooking for Solutions event kicks off Friday, May 20, with the Cooking for Solutions Gala featuring gourmet dishes by celebrity chefs and 70 outstanding restaurants, organic wines from 60 premium West Coast wineries, a sushi lounge, a silent auction, and book-signings by Rick Moonen, Cindy Pawlcyn and P. Allen Smith.
A host of activities over “three delicious days” are planned around the theme of discovering how our choices protect the health of the soil water and ocean wildlife:
Celebrity Chef Cooking Demonstrations • May 21 – 8-11:30 am
Featuring sustainable seafood by Michael Cimarusti (Providence, Los Angeles), William Dissen (The Market Place, Asheville) and Virginia Willis (author & TV personality). Includes a continental breakfast and take-home recipes by all the chefs.
Coastal Living Pavilion Presentations • May 21 – 9:30 am-4: 30 pm, May 22 -10 am-3 pm
Laugh while learning about protecting the planet during two days of special presentations and cooking demonstrations from the Food Network’s Alton Brown and Robert Irvine, author and TV host P. Allen Smith, and Nathan Lyon, host of PBS’ Growing A Greener World.
Food & Wine Adventures • May 21 – 9:30 am-3:30 pm
Take part in one of six group events led by our celebrity chefs-each exploring sustainable foods in the kitchen and on the farm. Depending on the adventure, you’ll join John Ash and Peter Pahk; Seth Caswell, Eric Warnstedt and Ed Kenney; Cindy Pawlcyn; Bun Lai; Rick Moonen or Charles Phan.
Saturday and Sunday Salon Series • May 21 and May 22
Intimate events with leaders in the sustainable and organic food movement. Programs range from compelling conversations to cooking demonstrations – all in a small-group setting.
Sustainable Foods Celebration • May 21 – 10 am-6 pm
With Sam Choy, Mark Dommen and Lee Richardson. Learn more about sustainable seafood, organic agriculture and sustainable winemaking at information booths as you visit the aquarium galleries. Attend cooking demonstrations by celebrated chefs and sample sustainable seafood. Mingle with local growers and producers and graze on local produce and artisan foods while the kids enjoy making crafts, photos and trying healthy snacks in the Kids’ Zone.
Savor the Gulf Coast Champagne Breakfast • May 22 – 8-10 am
A Korbel champagne/mimosa reception plus live music with a Cajun flair, followed by a seasonal, sustainable breakfast buffet – Southern-style. With Virginia Willis, Lee Richardson and Regina Charboneau, who’ll share their love for the Gulf region and its cuisine.
P.S. Need a fabulous place to stay by the Bay? Pamper yourself in this spiffy ocean view Monterey Penthouse – or check out our inventory at Monterey Rentals.com
Monterey Vacation Rental reservationists Ashley Magallanes and Rhonda Navarro turned me on to Sushi Heaven in Carmel. “The combinations really are heavenly,” Rhonda said.
A person would be foolish not to follow up on a recommendation like that, right?
Sometimes “hole in the wall” is a good thing, like this super cozy sushi bar tucked away on Dolores Street, two blocks east of Ocean Avenue.
Whoever wrote the menu really had some fun, and the chefs back up all the writer’s promises. Try their nigiri/sashimi/roll combos: the “Fantasia,” the “Love Boat” – or, for big eaters – the “Titanic.”
I couldn’t help ordering the “Mama’s Boy” roll – crab, green onions and nuts – because it reminded me ofa boss I once had, but the sushi roll combinations go onfor pages: from “Crunch” (a California Roll topped with shrimp tempura) to the alarming “911” and the intriguing “007.” Golfers might enjoy the “Whole Nine Yards” or the “Grand Slam” – while honeymooners will probably lean toward “Sensual Pleasure”… or go straight for the “Climax.”
Speaking of cozy, why stay in a hotel when you can rent a two bedroom cottage just a few blocks away? Reminiscent of times gone by, Las Ardillas is lovingly furnished in old-style Carmel with antiques and knickknacks.
Snuggle next to the stone fireplace, or share the outdoor patio with an ardilla (squirrel) or two, under Carmel’s legendary bluebell skies.
We’re holding a fundraiser for Jay Killen, a long time friend and client of Monterey Bay Property Management. Jay was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease ten years ago and has recently undergone deep brain surgery – his resources are exhausted and he needs our help with medical bills, treatment and medications.
We’re having a drawing on Labor Day, September 5th: first prize winner will receive 50% of total ticket sales (with the other half going to the Jay Killen Fund), second prize is a 7-day/6-night stay at Lei Aloha in Princeville, Kauai (valued at over $3,000), and third prize is a set of Hawaiian earrings, necklace, and bracelet handmade by Jay’s wife Vance.
Tickets are $5 each, or five tickets for $20. Look for the Monterey Bay Property Management booth at the Good Old Days Festival in Pacific Grove this weekend, April 9-10, or buy tickets at our Pacific Grove office, 650 Lighthouse Ave., Suite 105.
The hills are alive… April is peak wildflower season in Monterey County-and the 50th Annual Wildflower Show April 15-17 in Pacific Grove is a rare opportunity to view over 600 varieties at one of largest such shows in the world.
This Golden Anniversary event, held at the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, will feature the wildflowers of the California central coast as well as basket weaving demonstrations, sketching classes, lectures, and arts-and-crafts for kids.
WILDFLOWER WALKS AT POINT LOBOS
Meanwhile, everything’s coming up Eschscholzia californica (California poppies) at Point Lobos, where the Monterey Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society will lead an easy four-mile “Peak of Wildflower Season” walk on April 20. For more info, or to make a reservation call (831) 375-7777.
NEED A PLACE TO STAY IN PACIFIC GROVE (WHILE PERUSING POSIES)?
Sea otters, seals, tidepools, pocket beaches and a mile-long coastal trail…
If you love the beach, look no further than this 4 bedroom/3 bath beauty just one block from the white sand dunes of Asilomar State Beach.
You may have heard about the catastrophic road failure on Highway One south of Carmel (photo) but due to a rockslide further south near Limekiln State Park on March 24, about forty miles of Highway One on the Big Surcoast were closed briefly to all traffic.
However, as of March 26, Caltrans announced a plan to open one lane of Highway 1 at the site of the southern slide for an hour at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., and then continuously overnight beginning at 6 p.m. The highway isstill closed at Rocky Creek in the north, and may be impassable for another month.
Due to the highway closure, the May 1stBig Sur International Marathonwill take place on an alternate “out and back” course. This newly created course will begin just before the Carmel River Bridge and head south on Highway One to a turnaround point in the vicinity of Rocky Creek Bridge, and will detour through Point Lobos State Park on the return trip.
Marathon organizers are encouraging participants who had planned to stay in Big Sur to secure alternate accommodations in Monterey, Pacific Grove, Seaside or Carmel. Meanwhile, we are extremely happy to report that it looks like some sunny weather is coming our way this week! For up to date highway info, call Caltrans toll-free hotline at 888.836.0866.
The next morning, Pamela Burns (now there’s a good Irish lass), owner of Monterey’s Wild Plum Café and Bakery (731 Munras Ave in Monterey) will serve St. Patrick’s Day Scones (currant with lemon curd – yum!), Irish Soda Bread, and of course, Corned Beef with Cabbage.
That evening, Great Big Sea (“two parts Irish Rovers crossed with AC/DC”) will deliver a tsunami of music when they take the stage at the beautiful Sunset Center at Ninth and San Carlos in Carmel-By-the-Sea:
Meanwhile, Fandango Restaurantat 223 17th Street in Pacific Grove will offer a wee bit of Irish tradition: Irish Stew or Corned Beef and Cabbage for $17.95, and two special $5 “green” drinks: Midori Cosmopolitan or Midori Sours. St. Paddy’s Day diners will also be invited to enter a drawing for a “mini-pot of gold:” a $50 gift certificate.
And for a real local pub experience, well, you can’t beat the Mucky Duck, 479 Alvarado, Monterey. Voted Best Singles Bar for fourteen years in a row, the Mucky Duck has indoor and outdoor fireplaces, a full bar, flat screens, dartboards, dancing, and Happy Hour everyday from 4-7pm ($3 draft beers, $3 well drinks, and 50% off appetizers).
Monterey Bay Aquarium’s 10th Annual Cooking for Solutions event kicks off Friday, May 20, with the Cooking for Solutions Gala featuring gourmet dishes by celebrity chefs and 70 outstanding restaurants, organic wines from 60 premium West Coast wineries, a sushi lounge, a silent auction, and book-signings by Rick Moonen, Cindy Pawlcyn and P. Allen Smith.
Monterey Vacation Rental reservationists Ashley Magallanes and Rhonda Navarro turned me on to Sushi Heaven in Carmel. “The combinations really are heavenly,” Rhonda said.
Speaking of cozy, why stay in a hotel when you can rent a two bedroom cottage just a few blocks away? Reminiscent of times gone by, 
Six nights in a luxury 4 bedroom home on Kauai?
50th ANNUAL WILDFLOWER SHOW
NEED A PLACE TO STAY IN PACIFIC GROVE (WHILE PERUSING POSIES)?
You may have heard about the catastrophic road failure on Highway One south of Carmel (photo) but due to a rockslide further south near Limekiln State Park on March 24, about forty miles of Highway One on the Big Sur coast were closed briefly to all traffic.