Where to Eat in Monterey
"Innovative interpretations of Mexican cuisine star at this elegant restaurant with a dozen chandeliers. Its lamb chile relleno — a chile pepper stuffed with apples, pears, raisins, and ground lamb in a pomegranate seed-studded sauce concocted from white chocolate, macadamia nuts, and spices — is fabulous, an inspired riff on chiles en nogada, a specialty of Puebla state, but with chocolate and more fruit. A brownie baked with a dark chocolate mole is topped with black bean caramel for dessert. The 5,000-square-foot Nicolas Cocina de Herencia, which opened in November 2023, is the second restaurant from the Alvarez family, whose casual Villa Azteca in Salinas is a hit." - Sharon McDonnell
