And Speaking of Dinner....

Well, not really dinner....Lunch.  Big lunch.  The last couple of days have been very hot.  "September" hot.  Not at all like the end of April.  When it's hot in the valley, we often head for the ocean.  Yesterday my husband suggested we go to one of our new favorites for lunch.  Phil's Fish Market in Moss Landing.

Moss Landing is a really small town about half-way between Santa Cruz and Monterey.  It is the gateway to the Monterey Canyon which is one of the deepest undersea canyons in the Pacific.  Unmanned submarines, funded jointly by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, explore the canyon. The town itself has a population of only 200 people.  It's most famous landmark is the power plant which is really quite an eyesore.  But it has a beautiful marina and wide, sandy beaches.

I've driven by Moss Landing a hundred times on my painting trips to Carmel and have even painted at the marina in Moss Landing a couple of times (One of them below).  What's really remarkable is that I just "discovered" Phil's Fish Market a couple of weeks ago.  It has won numerous awards, has been featured on many restaurant shows and Phil actually beat Bobby Flay in a Cioppino throwdown.

The menu is huge.  The portions are big.  The seafood is fresh and delicious.  Oh, and it's a real fish market as well, so you can stop and get really fresh fish to take home.  On your way out of town, stop at the Whole Enchilada Market Place.  It's a deli, wine shop, a coffee shop, and produce stand.  It's right off Highway One.  Or just go and sit on the uncrowded, peaceful beach.  It's a short drive south from Santa Cruz or north from Monterey.  Don't miss it.