passionfish

an absolute gem!. nice location, friendly and attentive waitstaff, spare yet inviting interior design. the winelistwas impressive and sensibly priced, and they even had a nice selection of beers. their menu is just the right size - enough options without being overwhelming. we had an appetizer of mussels, and those were really nicely done. both of the fish entrees were absolutely fantastic - the kind of creatively designed and perfectly cooked dishes i would expect to pay more than $18-25 for. we couldn't resist dessert.

in the tourist-trappy monterey area, restaurants offering a quality experience like this are few and far between. don't miss this.

a delicious evening of eco-friendly ingredients, prepared with farm-fresh ingredients and warm setting. the fried monterey bay squid with herb salad appetizer was amazing and worthy of being an entree. for entrees, we tried the 12 hour lamb was melt-in-your-mouth delicious and the rockfish was fresh and light. the winelistwas extensive and the staff were helpful with suggestions. located about two blocks off the coast, this neighborhood restaurant makes up for views with delicious food worth repeat visits. overall, an excellent evening.

service was excellent. by the glass winelistwas sparse. spoonable lamb was about the best thing i have ever had, as was the bee pollen gnocchi. the sturgeon was tough and dirty tasting, as that kind of fish will taste - my mistake in ordering it in the first place. overall great experience.

not as good as during previous visits, sorry to say!. noisy as all get out! did i say noisy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5 michael bauer bombs for this place. excellent cuisine but the service has deteriorated since our previous visits. the winelisthas also jumped in price so their ad about keeping the pricing well below standard restaurant retail is no longer true.


-----08 dec, 2014-----

service has deteriorated. noisy as all get out! did i say noisy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5 michael bauer bombs for this place. excellent cuisine but the service has deteriorated since our previous visits. the winelisthas also jumped in price so their ad about keeping the pricing well below standard restaurant retail is no longer true.

living up to the hype. we visited passionfish as the second stop of a 9-day trip to california. we were told passion fish was one of the best restaurants in pacific grove and we agree with that assessment. first of all it’s trendy, a bit pretentious and there were a lot of hipsters dining that evening. in addition it was a bit loud with conversation hard to hear across the table without a raised voice. think new york city style tables in a row with a bench on one side and chairs on the other.

with all that said we loved our meal and their winelistis both impressive, extensive and really tasty too. we chose a pinot noir off their “legendary locals” list, a 2009 caraccoli, santa lucia highlands. we paid $56 for the bottle which retails at $47...yeah they have a practice of not gouging you on any of their more than 250 selections.

for appetizers we chose two items, a pair of grilled sea scallops on a bed of julienne vegetables with a sauce. the scallops were cooked perfectly but the sauce was a bit much for my girlfriend. the second choice was a smoked salmon dish with the salmon and flavored cream cheese rolled up in two 3-4 inch pastry. the plate was garnished with several different colors of fish roe. we both loved it.

dinner was fantastic for both of us. i ordered the duck confit with honey reduction and served with a smoked chile-potato cake and broccolini. the skin on the duck was crispy but so moist inside it fell off the bone. the potato cake was a great pairing. she ordered rockfish with a black pepper rum sauce served with coconut rice and ponzu cucumbers. fish was cooked perfectly and the rum sauce gave it a really unique and quite yummy taste. we finished the meal with crème brulee which was perfect and a great way to finish a perfect meal.

ellissa was our server and did a great job of not only describing our wine to us, but she was extremely knowledgeable on every menu item including how it was prepared, ingredients and how it tasted. my props to the chef and manager for level of preparation for the front-of-house. love it when a restaurant delivers on the hype!

a sustainable seafood restaurant focused on saving our oceans, passionfish is also the first officially green restaurant in monterey county. owned and operated by chef ted walter and his wife cindy walter, the daily-changing menu features outstandingly prepared seafood, slow cooked meats, farm fresh organic greens and delectable house-made desserts. all are complimented with an award-winning winelistwhich is lovingly curated and well-priced. if you bring your own wine, half of the corkage fee goes to the tag-a-giant foundation whose mission is to support scientific research and conservation of bluefin tuna.

wonderful restaurant. i love passionfish for it's extensive winelistand for providing an above average dining experience. while the tables are close together and the noise level can be high, it is offset by the wonderful food. i can never leave without the panna cotta for desert. creamy, light and usually prepared with meyer lemons as garnish. just delightful. as for dinner i always wait to hear the specials before making a decision. i have never been disappointed with the food, service or wine. highly recommend reservations, otherwise you can have a long wait. this restaurant is always crowded.