August 18, 2021 – Santa Cruz County will have its first ever restaurant listings in the upcoming Michelin Guide to California to be released at the end of September. The publisher today announced eight new Central Coast restaurants to be added to the Michelin Guide, although they did not say in what capacity the new listings will appear.
The two local restaurants are Alderwood in Santa Cruz helmed by chef Jeffrey Wall and Mentone in Aptos, the upscale Mediterranean pizza experience by chef David Kinch, already the recipient of three Michelin stars for his restaurant Manresa in Los Gatos.
This is what the inspectors said:
Alderwood
The menu stars responsibly-sourced oysters and choice cuts of aged beef. Get going with a crispy crab sandwich offered with cool tartar sauce and piping-hot fries. Then, tuck into wood-roasted shrimp with leeks and pancetta, before calling it a night with the raspberry dream sundae.
Mentone
Soft hues, dark green-framed doors, and a barn-like a structure foster a communal sense. The carte is unusual, unveiling fried sardines with Meyer lemon aioli or white bean soup with chickpeas in a prosciutto broth. Pizzas take the cake, such as the “Pesto” shimmering with fromage blanc, Crescenza and caciocavallo, or “Sardenaira” with tomato sauce, anchovies and olives.
Surprisingly, no new restaurant additions from Monterey County were announced.
The six other restaurant additions announced today include:
Bibi Ji – Santa Barbara
This trendy Indian dining room makes quite a splash. Harnessing the best of land and sea, these dishes are born for sharing. Behold such inventive bites as crispy cauliflower tossed with chili-garlic sauce and finished with sesame. Barra kebab highlights intensely spiced tandoor lamb chops with mint chutney.
Caruso’s – Montecito
The Rosewood Miramar Beach is its home and contemporary Californian food with Italian leanings is the team’s dictum. The seasonal prix-fixe takes center stage. A chilled minted pea soup with pickled fennel makes for a rich kickoff and may be tailed by gnocchetti Sardi mingled with dulse, uni and caviar for zest and decadence.
Loquita – Santa Barbara
Servers know the menu by heart, so follow their lead and start with tapas like crusty pan con tomate, before digging into hearty chorizo y pollo paella. An homage to the El Bullí olive is a contemporary signature, while carpaccio garnished with pickled mustard seeds and aged sherry vinegar is forever popular.
Ox + Anchor – San Luis Obispo
Chef Ryan Fancher’s modern steakhouse is set on the grounds of Hotel San Luis Obispo. Charred steaks and sides including creamed spinach with onion rings are the main event, but also make room for room for such elevated comfort fare as savory goat cheese croquettes with sweet lavender honey.
Six Test Kitchen – Paso Robles
A multi-course tasting inspired by the seasons of the Central Coast is on the books. Fridays and Saturdays feature an expanded menu with dishes that highlight the chef’s unique style. Imagine chicken liver mousse with shallot-onion jam; tailed by crispy duck with jus and pickled beets.
The Restaurant at Justin – Paso Robles
Happily set in the Justin Winery, this Californian-centric haven is a celebration of the seasons and abundant local ingredients. Lunch is dialed back, but the menu truly shines at night, when the kitchen team flexes their creative skills to churn out deliciously complementary items.
Michelin is teasing its new additions region-by-region in the lead up to the release of its 2021 California Guide. No guide was published last year due to the pandemic, but the first edition released in 2019 awarded one star to Aubergine Restaurant in Carmel and a Bib Gourmand, indicating outstanding value, to Yafa in Carmel. Read Mark C. Anderson’s story here…
It will not be known until the guide comes out, whether restaurants listed in that edition will change status or what kind of rating the new additions will get. Read the full Michelin news release here.
Deborah Luhrman is publisher and editor of Edible Monterey Bay. A lifelong journalist, she has reported from around the globe, but now prefers covering our flourishing local food scene and growing her own vegetables in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
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