Where Shall I Go For Dinner on the Monterey Peninsula - Part 1

Where should I go for dinner when I come to Monterey? you ask.

You want something special?  You're going to spend about $65 a person at least.  The best places have food that sourced locally:  Fish from this bay, salad ingredients grown in Salinas and Watsonville, sometimes as close as Carmel Valley, meat from upper Carmel Valley or Big Sur if it's grass fed.  Cheese is made locally.  Wines are world class from this region.  But, it does get expensive if the chef is going with sustainable, locally sourced, properly prepared food.

Service will vary, but it's generally competent.

So?  What do I recommend?  Here's my list:

Passionfish in Pacific Grove
Bistro Moulin in Monterey (near the Aquarium)
Roy's at Spanish Bay
Ambrosia (Indian cuisine) in Monterey
Demetra Cafe in Carmel

Granted, these are placed I have personally been in the past year, and I am not a food critic, but I know food pretty well.  There are about 25 other places I would readily recommend to anyone, and I may put that list together soon, but this list consists of places where I have eaten and not only enjoyed the food but loved it, without any quibbling.

Tomorrow, I'll go into more detail, and I'll also let you know what places to avoid and how to enjoy the Peninsula like locals do.  Like any other tourist destination, a few places trumpet themselves as must-see spots but seldom are.