The Old Fisherman’s Grotto

I had always thought of Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf as a rustic kind of a place. Its rough boards look as though they were beaten by ocean storms and winds for at least two generations. Silly pictures of fish, whales, and pirates adorn many of the souvenir shops. I did not realize when we made reservations for supper tonight at the Old Fisherman‘s Grotto on the wharf that it would be one of the most memorable dining experiences I can recall.

Despite the wharf’s external appearance as a county fair, The Old Fisherman’s Grotto is definitely an upscale restaurant. It is beautiful with nautical themes running throughout its mahogany walls, its glass and brass ornaments, its cavernous wine cabinet and its windows facing the sun setting over Monterey Bay. One party near our table consisted of people who were speaking Russian with two other tables near us occupied totally by Chinese businessmen. One man asked for a menu written in Chinese. The waiter complied as though this happens every day. In this cosmopolitan city, it probably does.

When our waiter took us to our table, Glenda happened to mention that we had been married 54 years ago in Monterey. He assumed that tonight was our anniversary, and as it turns out, we were in for more treats than we realized. First, they brought us a complementary dish of calamari and roasted artichokes in celebration of our anniversary.

Then came the main course. We started out with a bowl of their award-winning clam chowder, followed by a plate of grilled lobster, shrimp, scallops, and salmon, with a burre blanc sauce. On the side, we had assorted organic vegetables and toasted Israeli couscous.

It was a good thing that we split the main dish because afterwards they brought us the dessert listing. There were more delicious delicacies than I can name, but the one that really got my attention was a new one for me, an Ollalieberry pie with vanilla ice cream.

I did not know what an Ollalieberry was, so I whipped out my iPhone and went to Google search. It turns out that it is a hybrid berry, made with about 2/3 blackberry and 1/3 raspberry. It tastes like a gentle blackberry. With a bite of ice cream it is magnificent.

What we were not expecting was another anniversary treat – a huge piece of cheesecake in addition to the pie. Glenda had not expected to eat dessert, but now we had two. We chiseled away at them for half an hour and got most of them down.

As we finished our meal, they brought Glenda a long-stemmed red rose, which she carried proudly out of the restaurant. We walked back to our hotel with full tummies, ready for another day of adventures tomorrow.Read more