Dining Out Is An American Pastime

Americans spend roughly half of their food budget on food consumed outside the home in restaurants, fast food establishments, coffee houses, snack bars, convenient stores, and airport and mall food courts. That's an impressive amount of money spent each year eating out. Why do you eat out? It's convenient, you are overscheduled and maybe not quite organized with menus and shopping, but most of all, it is fun, relaxing, enjoyable and taste delicious!

It has been a harried day at work, home, school or the office, its dinnertime and you forgot to take something out of the freezer. You could not face another hamburger if your life depended on it; you want something satisfying, something substantial, delicious, filing and nutritious. You want seafood! Who doesn't want good seafood at the end of a long day or week? It doesn't have to be a five star restaurant with linens and waiters in tuxedos, you just want a fun, happy, upbeat restaurant in Monterey that knows fish.

Where to start? How about with appetizers and a drink to relax you. Sesame-crusted seared ahi tuna and avocado, ginger soy sauce and a little wasabi kick might be the way to go. Oysters on the shell or fried oysters bring you back to your childhood even though you have an appreciation for those little guys now. What word makes you happier than crab or lobster? Crab cakes or Dungeness crab and fire-roasted artichoke quesadilla smothered with caramelized onions, green chilies served with avocado salsa. Calamari fried up crispy served with drawn garlic butter, and tartar sauce.

You are starting to forget the days work and enjoy yourself. Conversation flows freely and the evening is taking on a new shape. Time for dinner. Salads are always a good option, especially a seafood salad with bay shrimp, or a seafood cobb with crab Louis and bay shrimp, hard cooked egg, apple-smoked bacon, blue cheese, tomatoes and avocado dressing. Yum. A Dungeness crab Louis salad is light yet so satisfying.

For a heartier appetite, try homemade crab ravioli or roasted vegetable lasagna, linguini with sea scallops, tiger prawns, clams, mussels and capers served in a sherry broth or pasta and crab. There is no end to the choices of seafood available. The most difficult aspect of seafood dining is choosing what you want! Charbroiled swordfish, seared Pacific Ahi tuna, wild salmon, wild Alaskan halibut or the ever-popular lobster make perfect dinner choices.

If American's spend half their food budget on eating out, why not choose a restaurant in Montery specializing in seafood and make it worth your while?