Pacific Grove Restaurants, Fandango

European Country-Style Cuisine

A GuestLife Monterey Bay Great Restaurant

It is clear, as you step into the gated garden entrance, this is a place where friends and family gather for more than a meal. The friendly, festive atmosphere sets the tempo for a spirited pageant of authentic Mediterranean dishes. What else would you expect from a restaurant named after a lively Spanish dance?

There is a table for every mood — from carefree to quiet, T-shirt to tuxedo — where many enjoy lunch, Sunday brunch or an evening repast. The three dining rooms adorned with quaint country-French décor enriched by intimate tables for two or four, set with heavy white linens. A curved stone staircase leads to the wine cellar, which is frequently reserved for parties. Just ahead is a glass-domed terrace, where flames leap from an open fire-pit and animated laughter and spirited conversation flow. Fresh colorful flowers are everywhere and mouthwatering aromas waft from the kitchen.

The varied menu is a synthesis of “all the food I love,” says Proprietor Pierre Bain. From cassoulet to couscous, paella, pastas, seafood, sausage,s and steaks, the emphasis is on Southern European and country-style cooking, prepared with basic, soulful ingredients like tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil. Fandango is famous for its individual Rack of Lamb Provencale and offers more than 25 main course selections to suit any taste.

Appetizers, such as piping-hot garlicky escargot, fois gras truffle with sherry gelée and toast, and fresh giant sea scallops sautéed in lemon butter, prepare the palate for a variety of robustly flavored entées. No less exquisite are the salads — which include a sliced tomato with red onion salad and a salade Nicoise — and the soups, such as traditional French onion gratinée.

The encyclopedic wine list includes more than 1,200 selections ranging from $20 to $5,000.

Dessert is taken no less seriously — creations range from Profiterole au Chocolate, and Cold Soufflé Grand Marnier, to Vacherin Glace Marquise which, is presented with hot chocolate sauce drizzled over the meringueenveloped ice cream.

Open daily for lunch and dinner, and for Sunday brunch, Fandango also has private banquet rooms for up to 50. Full bar. Reservations are encouraged.

Menu Highlights

Sand Dab Appetizer
Sautéed in lemon butter

Veloute Boula Boula
Pea and consommé soup with sherry

Paella Fandango
Saffron rice, seafood, spicy sausage, chicken, peas, green onion, red and green bell pepper, cooked and served in a skillet

Bouillabaisse Marseillaise
Scallops, prawns, swordfish, Pacific snapper, mussels, clams, and potatoes in a saffron fish soup topped with crouton and rouille

25-ounce Farmland Black Angus
Porterhouse steak, grilled with shallots, tarragon, cognac, and herbed butter

Fresh Salmon Fettuccine
Dill, white wine, sun-dried tomato, and cream

Grilled Rack of Lamb
Marinated with herbs de Provence, demi glace, and Merlot sauce

Osso Buco
Sliced veal shank braised with veal stock, madeira, tomato, and mushrooms over pasta

Giant Day-Boat Diver Scallops
Sautéed in lemon butter

House-Made Profiteroles
Filled with cappuccino ice cream and served with hot chocolate sauce

Cold Grand Marnier Soufflé
Served with raspberry purée

Photography by Batista Moon Studios

Fandango
223 17th Street in Pacific Grove.
(831) 372-3456

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