More Bay Area restaurants for Christmas: Carmel, Monterey, Santa Cruz

Food at Will’s Fargo Steakhouse & Bar in Carmel Valley

Food at Will’s Fargo Steakhouse & Bar in Carmel Valley

Here are a few more choices for dining out in the Bay Area on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day 2014.

If you missed my earlier Christmas article, here are some restaurant highlights for San Francisco and Oakland.

Monterey, Carmel, Pacific Grove

Anton & Michel Restaurant / Dec. 24, open regular lunch & dinner hours with regular menus. Dec. 25, open 3-9 p.m. with Dinner for Two prepared tableside — $135 for three courses; several Christmas specials available a la carte / Mission Street between Ocean & 7th., Carmel, 831-624-2406.
The “Classic Dinner for Two” includes Caesar salad, rack of lamb, and choice of flambée dessert. A la carte entrees include porcini-crusted halibut and herb-seared Pacific salmon.

Favaloro’s Big Night Bistro / Dec. 24 special a la carte dinner, prices vary, seatings from 5 p.m. / 545 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove, 831-373-8523.
The restaurant is offering a limited Christmas Eve menu featuring their family’s favorite holiday dishes; the regular menu won’t be available. Salads ($13) include persimmon artisan salad. Starters ($16) include veggie-stuffed portabella mushroom, ahi carpaccio, and clams and mussels Bordelaise. Entrees ($28) include petit filet mignon and champagne prawns.

Pacific’s Edge Restaurant at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands / Dec. 25 dinner, $110 adults, $55 kids 5-12, four-course prix fixe dinner, seatings from 5:30-9:30 p.m. / 120 Highlands Drive, Carmel, 831-622-5445.
First course options include winter mushroom ravioli with black truffle sauce and shaved black truffles or butternut squash bisque with Frangelico, brown butter, and maple cream. Entrée choices include sautéed King salmon, coriander crust, bok choy, enoki mushrooms, ginger soy vinaigrette or pan-fried filet mignon, smashed duck fat Yukon gold potatoes, whole grain mustard Béarnaise.

Schooner’s Coastal Kitchen & Bar / Dec. 25 prix fixe dinner $55 or $80 with wine pairing, seatings from 4:30 p.m. onward / 400 Cannery Row, Monterey, 831-372-BOAT (2628).
In addition to the special four-course prix fix dinner, the restaurant will offer its regular menu with holiday specials.
Will’s Fargo Steakhouse & Bar / Dec. 24 will include holiday specials, prices vary, seatings from 4-8:30 p.m. / 16 Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel Valley, 831-659-2774.Christmas Eve specials will include appetizer Dungeness crab cake with chipolte remoulade, micro arugula ($9.95) and two entrees: grilled buffalo rib eye, sauce marchand de vin ($45.95) and baked Petrale sole, leek, corn au piment d’espelette ($32.95). Each entrée includes soup or salad, choice of rice or potato, cauliflower gratin. Soup specials will be crab & corn bisque, and chestnut & mushroom soup with white truffle oil. One dessert special is Bûche de Noël, (Yule Log) for $8.95.

Other restaurants in the Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove area offering dinner on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day include the following (book at OpenTable.com):

  • Monterey–Café Beach Restaurant at Monterey Beach Resort, Fish Hopper, Louie Linguini’s, Old Fisherman’s Grotto, Chart House, and TusCA Ristorante
  • Carmel–Il Fornaio, Grasing’s, Aubergine at L’Auberge Carmel

Santa Cruz
Restaurants in Santa Cruz offering dinner on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day include the following (book at OpenTable.com):

  • Aquarius at Dream Inn
  • Linwood’s Bar & Grill at Chaminade Resort
  • Lago Di Como

If you’re on Twitter, please follow me @santacruzfoodie.

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