Coastal Kitchen

You'll have to weave your way through the Monterey Plaza Hotel and down a flight of stairs to find the entrance to this hideout, but once you do, you'll be rewarded by a stunning view of the bay in a posh, elegant space. Thankfully, Chef Michael Rotondo’s tasting menu of colorful contemporary cuisine offers its own enticements to hold your attention. Highlighting local products while spanning global flavors, each dish provides a barrage of flavors, from a quartet of first bites encompassing cauliflower, oyster, calamari and halibut sashimi, to a locally caught black cod marinated in miso and roasted in the wood-fired oven, paired with coconut, smoked paprika, chorizo, sweet potato, blood orange and octopus; a thoughtful wine pairing gilds the lily.