This Week on the Central Coast…
Monterey’s restaurants are featured, Santa Cruz offers alternative transportation, and Salinas celebrates its community members.
Monterey
Maligne in Seaside was recognize by the Michelin Guide
Chef Klaus Georis has worked in kitchens around the world and for many starred chefs. Now that he has his own restaurant, Georis was determined to bring fine dining to the area he’s called home for decades (Walter Georis, his father, was the original owner of La Bicyclette in Carmel-by-the-Sea). Maligne defines themselves as “a mixture of contemporary European and classic American dining, it’s an approachable neighborhood restaurant.”
Maligne was one of ten restaurants added to the Michelin Guide California Bib Gourmand list. “Bib Gourmand restaurants offer a meal of good quality at a good value.” The menu offers a variety of options, such as prosciutto prawns, chicken parm, and ricotta cake.
You can make a reservation on their website. Maligne is open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch from 12pm-2:30pm and for dinner from 5:30pm-8:30pm.
A royal regular returned to Katy’s Place
Katy’s Place is known for their pancakes and extensive eggs benedict menu and now visitors may occasional see royalty. The King of Jordan, Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein, visited the restaurant this week. It was his third time visiting Katy’s, the last time being 15 years ago.
Katy’s Place owner Randy Bernett suspects that it’s the “relaxed atmosphere and low-profile he is able to enjoy while dining” that keeps bringing him back. When the king left, he gifted Bernett a knife designed for his Royal Jordanian special forces. Bernett also got a photo with the VIP and said guests might one day see it added to the wall decor of Katy’s.
Santa Cruz
BCycles pop up in Santa Cruz as alternative transportation
A new bike-sharing program has started in Santa Cruz called BCycle. The white backs and black racks have popped up around the city in an effort to bring an alternative means of transportation to locals, particularly UCSC students.
The bikes are not fully electric, but more “electric-assisted”. Instead of giving a rider a throttle, the bike’s motor kicks in to give you a little extra power “like a wind at your back”. Once you get to about 15 mph, the motor turns off. No extra energy spent when it’s not needed.
The bikes cost $7 per ride. However, longer-term discounts apply. You can pay $30 for a month or $150 for a year. If you are a USCS student, annual plans are only $12 per year. No matter which plan you use, only the first 30 minutes is included. The bikes charge an additional $3 for every following half-hour of use to prevent people from keeping the bikes as their own.
Overall, The new bikes have been a success. “In the first three weeks of the program in Santa Cruz, BCycle has recorded close to 11,000 rides, with more than 500 trips per day. In September, when UCSC students arrive on campus surrounded by new e-bikes, that number is likely to increase.”
Salinas
New murals are being created around Salinas
Three underpasses in Salinas will have new murals soon. One is getting refreshed with added-on elements and the other two are completely new.
The underpass on Alisal Street will be expanded on to include portraits of local historical figures, such as Cesar Chavez, Larry Itliong, Dolores Huerta. The artwork will also incorporate “dramatic decorative images of Chicomecōātl, agricultural energy, and Chalchiuhtlicue, water energy.”
The Sanborn Road artwork will honor agricultural workers with a unique perspective, creating the illusion that the people and crops are flying off the wall.
The mural at East Market Street will “portray the human experience paired with local folklore to celebrate the layered histories of the surrounding neighborhood”. It will also feature natural stapes of the area, such as sycamore trees and poppies,
Caltrans will finish the project by taking care of the landscaping and lighting. A celebration is currently being considered for august once the new projects are complete.
Community input needed to name the Carr Lake Project
The Big Sur Land Trust purchased 73 acres of the Carr Lake Basin six years ago with the goal of turning the area into a Central Park for Salinas. Six acres will be turned into a neighborhood park. The remaining space will be open-space habitat for local species with publicly accessible trails.
Historically, the lake is formed by three creeks: Alisal, Galilean, and Natividad. These areas, once full of wildlife, were eventually drained for agricultural purposes, resulting in the loss of wildlife. As the city of Salinas continued to grow, more of Carr Lake was changed. Plans to create a park started fifteen years ago when Salinas and the Big Sur Land Trust began talking. Finally, in 2014, the land was available for sale, leading to the Trust’s purchase three years ago.
Construction is set to begin in November. A meeting took place last Thursday to inform the public of the project and take ideas of what to name the park. For more information about the project, you can visit the Trust’s website.
Interesting articles as usual. Short and to the point. Good variety.