Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/41419
ON-PREMISE PATTER Drinking & Dining OuR TRIP TO MONTEREY COUNTY NETTED MORE THAN WINERY VISITS MONTEREY Lalla Grill After the success of his Monterey dinner house, Lallapalooza, Pat Ottone decided to up the ante for upscale dining at Del Monte, Monterey's largest outdoor shopping center. The three-year-old Lalla Grill is as spacious as it is light and airy, anchored by a wall-to-ceiling bar which houses 83 tequilas and 75 vodkas. Ottone also has the good sense to pour more than 50 wines by the glass. The outdoor patio gives a vacation ambience, backlit by a fireplace, colorful comfy chairs and pillows—and no sense of being within the confines of a mall. New owners Anthony and Alex Buich have a culinary background that lends a collective force to The Mucky Duck, once an old Monterey pub. They polished it up, threw down some linen tablecloths and added some creative food to the menu. The Mucky Duck Shiny brass trinkets line walls—almost every square inch of this narrow tavern feels like an Old World drinking stop. Horsey accessories, a yoke here and a halter there, add accent to the 100-year-old building that houses the newly remodeled Mucky Duck. While it looks old—and it should—the interior of this re-opened comfy gastro-pub has been spiffed up, thanks to new owners Alex and Anthony Buich. And they possess an understanding of how to achieve the dark wood look and the seemingly unchanging façade of a "historic" restau- rant. You see, the Buich family owns the oldest restaurant (and possibly the oldest business) in San Francisco: the Tadich Grill. Founded in 1849 and taken over by the Buichs in 1928, the Tadich could very well have been a model for the Mucky Duck, a British nickname for black swan. The Buich brothers have upped the fare from the previous owner's concept, and Chef Jorge Luna seeks out as many local ingredi- ents as possible. "Our secret home run is the Hangtown Fry," advises Alex. "It's actually a bacon-oyster omelet—the Tadich Grill also made it famous." Also on the menu are freshly caught fish and an "obscure sausage platter" featuring elk, bacon, venison and wild boar. While the Mucky Duck has a face-and-fare lift, it's certainly a swan song for its former image. 78 / the tasting panel / september 201 1 Pat Ottone owns the Lalla Grill and Lallapalooza, both in Monterey. And with that recreational theme running true at Lalla Grill, the cocktails, poured at 10 and 20 ounces, are cleverly assigned the names 10- and 20-minute "Vacations." Dishes such as Mexican street tacos and 15 salad choices are simple, everyday items that are just the right pause that refreshes.