As my sustainable road trip continues, I find myself with a day to ride around Monterey. This town has some visible signs of sustainability, with low-mow lawns and a bike trail that runs along the coast. This contrasts the 4-lane feeder highways that cris-cross through town cruelly undermining the Cannery Row atmeosphere. My rented bike, from Bay Bikes, is nimble and speedy, which is good, as I encounter strong headwinds on my way up the coast to Carmel. Homes along the way are mostly modest in size (beach and golf holiday cottages possibly) and almost all feature native plant-style landscaping instead of monoculture lawns. Carmel-by-the-sea is more ‘in-the-woods’, and is mostly a high-end shopping mall with really interesting cottage architecture.
Carmel Sustainable Restaurant Review: Grasings Coastal Cuisine. Chef/Proprietor Kurt Grasing. Although it doesn’t bill itself as an ‘organic’ restaurant, the menu does boast that they support local and organic farmers wherever possible. My waiter Cody also told me they serve only sustainable seafood, and that the catch of the day (Mahi-Mahi) was a farmed fish. Not having heard of a mahi-mahi farm, I asked him to find out where they were raised. A few minutes later, he told me it was a Hawaiian fish. Not sure about that one.
But, served on a bed of thick-cut heirloom tomatoes, couscous, feta and olives, it was delicious. I complemented it with a glass of local central coast wine, the Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir. Appropriate given the hill I had to climb going back from Carmel to Monterey.
One in a series of articles on Lorne’s Sustainable Journey to the Sustainable Brands 08 Conference in Monterey CA. Click here for the full list of sessions, or here for the ‘Fear & Loathing’ road trip journals.
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