Passionfish Review: An Annual Tradition in Pacific Grove

Apologies for the blog posts being slightly out of order but I had to download a memory card to my computer in my 7 hours at home between my NYC and Northern California trips.

Every year, we visit Passionfish in Pacific Grove, right next to Monterey. I can't think of another restaurant that I would make a point to visit every year; Passionfish is just that good with amazing seafood and a well-selected, almost retail priced wine list.  I also particularly love their commitment to sustainable seafood and the environment; it always inspires me to be more conscious about what I consume. I carry in my wallet the guide from the Monterey Bay Aquarium on sustainable seafood that they include with the check, everywhere I go.

This year was our third trip and it was just as delicious as we remembered. As much as I try to try new things on the menu every visit, we just had to order the crabcakes and scallops again since they were so amazing last year.  The crabcakes could have used just a little bit more broth since the lime relish broth is so delightful and what makes the dish unique, and the scallops were perfect again (although last year there were 4, albeit slightly smaller scallops vs. 3 this year). Still, those two dishes are still are my favorite dishes on the menu and we'll be ordering them again the next time we visit. The salad was quite good, quite hearty with the rich gorgonzola and the warm curry spices. The halibut was also very good with a slight golden crunch from the crust and a touch of heat from the spicy tangerine-tamarind vinaigrette.  We would probably try different dishes next time, but we did enjoy them as well. The organic strawberry and homemade marshmellow was the perfect light dessert. We had an 2006 Salinia Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir from the W.E. Bottoms Vineyard based on our server's recommendation. It was good, but not as distinctive as the very pretty 2007 Cobb Pinot Noir Diane Cobb's Vineyard that we had from our very first visit in 2009. Service was great as usual and the restaurant was bustling with happy people. Passionfish is always worth a special visit.

Baked gorgonzola, golden chutney, curried greens, spiced pecans

Dungeness crab cake with lime relish

Alaskan halibut, spring vegetables, spicy tangerine-tamarind vinaigrette

Sea scallops, tomato-truffle butter, risotto custard, minted celery

Organic strawberries in a red wine sauce with a toasted marshmallow and ice cream

Passionfish
701 Lighthouse Avenue
Pacific Grove, CA 93950