Stokes Restaurant & Bar

02/11/2007 Posted by djkalei

I had made reservations for 7:45pm, and my girlfriend and I arrived at 7:45pm. We had to wait 15 minutes to get seated, while we watched other "walk-in" guests get seated before us. Upon seating, our orders were taken and our food arrived in a acceptable manner. The food was good, not great. We ordered the sampler appetizer, which included chicken confit (excellent), potatoes with garlic aioli (not bad), Duck proscuitto with apricot relish (not as good as i thought it would be), and garlic toast with fromage blanc and spanish chorizo (greasy and not the great). For our entrees, i ordered the free-range chicken with roasted polenta, and my girlfriend ordered the 3-hour duck breast with mushroom risotto with pomegrante essence. My chiciken was cooked to perfection however the plate presentation was lackadaiscal. The duck was a little over done and the mushroom risotto had very little pomegranite taste, which was dissapointing. I would not come to stokes again, however the atmosphere and the dining experiene as a whole, is a worth a 1-time visit.

Pros: atmosphere

Cons: service and some entrees

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

09/15/2006 Posted by dseperas

On a family weekend visit to Monterey, we dined at Stokes at the recommendation from our hotel. The menu looked promising but I found the food to be completely average and over priced. Salads lacked any kick but the mozzarella was awesome. The service was slow and other than the cheese, can't think of anything positive to say -- from reading the other reviews, it appears we may have just dined on an off night...needless to say, we were quite disappointed.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

10/12/2005 Posted by tbonewilly99

My wife and I enjoyed dinner at Stokes on Tuesday evening arrivng before 6:30. My wife selected the early-bird special which was a good value and turned out to be the best of our two meals although the server refused to substitute the salami appetizer for my vegetarian wife. The Vegetarian canneloni was most delicous. We both enjoyed the organic salad with bleu cheese. Tasted fresh picked with wonderful flavor. I would have enjoyed a little wider selection of non-meat entrees. I selected the pizza with heirloom tomatoes as my best alternative to the meat selections. Unique preparation for the pizza. We enjoyed a bottle of Turley Zinfindel Rattlesnake Vineyard which was reasonably priced. Service was good not outstanding. I thought the entrees were slow in arriving considering the number of people in the resturant and the simplicity of our entrees. Overall, an enjoyable evening with good food priced right.

Pros: price, environment

Cons: limited selection

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

04/26/2005 Posted by jjvee

I went on a Sunday evening. It was my fourth visit to this restaurant. The setting is unique, and I thought my foreign visitors would enjoy the atmosphere. I was let down by the slow service and lack of comprehensible menu descriptions. I couldn't tell who my server was, I had to grab the hostess' attention to order appetizers, and menu descriptions were too pretentious. (Am I supposed to know "Stromboli" is a rolled up pizza?) When the appetizers did come, we still hadn't been served our wine. The entrees showed up before we finished our appetizers! I don't know if it was training, but it was not what I was used to from this restaurant. Still, I'd give it one more chance before I try some place else in Monterey.

Pros: setting, decor, location

Cons: service, menu

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

10/07/2003 Posted by vabob

The food is all organic and the difference really showed. The homemade sausage and pasta was excellent. Service was a little too "cute" with a somwhat simpering waitress and she was not initially attentive to our desire for a cocktail and wine while we read the menu. I expected a quainter ambience but it was actually on the sterile side. I would definitely go back but it would be for the food alone.

Pros: organic food

Cons: parking

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

08/03/2003 Posted by karekano

We almost didn't find this just-out-of-the-way restaurant. We're glad we did because we had an amazing dining experience. The service was stellar and every dish was better than the last. We started with and loved the fava bean crostini and lobster mac and cheese. I had a vegetable manicotti with pea shoot salad that was delightful, and he had a tasty and unusual calzone. Don't go if you're looking for standard fare. Stokes will surprise and delight.

Pros: ambiance, unusual, tasty fare, stellar service

Cons: print a map, make reservations, wish it were closer

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

09/19/2002 Posted by stevelaughton

My family and I ate at Stokes Adobe about a year or so ago. I had the ribs and they were scrumptious. I don't rmeember what everyone else had, but there were no complaints. I live in Monterey County, so I pretty much know the restaurants in the area. I will recommend a couple more - The Fishwife and Chef Lee's. In Salinas it would have to be Smalley's barbecue.

Pros: good service, good food

Cons: poor parking, hard to find

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

07/29/2002 Posted by jazzforhim

Brandon Miller is the next culinary God! His food dances on your tongue and touches your soul. It brings forth thoughts of world class dining to those memories of your grandmother's best dishes! The creativity of his food is worth the journey to Stokes and should be a dining stop for anyone visiting the Monterey Bay Area. Request his Truffle Scrambled Eggs for a starter and finish with his Short Ribs garnished with Deep Fried Shallot Rings. Food to die for! PS He is the King of Fava Beans!!!

Cons: parking

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful