Pèppoli at Pebble Beach — Restaurant in Pacific Grove

TL;DR I recommend Peppoli. Ask the sommelier for wine pairings with your particular dish if you're a wine drinker. I asked for secondi recommendations on beef as I was in the mood for a steak. I had it in my head to get the filet mignon but the sommelier suggested the osso buco. I went with it, and it turned out to be a great choice!

Long Version: I decided to go during a busy time of the year, which is just after Christmas. They told me they were booked out for the night, but that's what I get for calling at 3 pm for the same day that I want booking. They said I might be able to get a seat if I just show up. I did and was told that I should get a table after 8 pm. So, I hung around for an hour and a half. Heck, there are worse places to be than sitting by the ocean on a rainy night.

The sommelier recommended the osso buco all'antinori, paired with the Il Bruciato (2021) wine. Looking back, this is the same wine that is used to braise the osso buco (veal shank). How was the osso buco? In three words: Delectable, savory, and tender!

It was so tender I could just cut it with a fork. Alas, in my ignorance, I did not know you could eat the bone marrow, too, which apparently is the tastiest part of the osso buco. The little butter knife sticking out of the bone should have clued me in, as it was show-casing just how tender the marrow became. The traditional gremolata was just the right balance of parsley, garlic, and lemon. Sometimes, one of the trifecta of ingredients tend to overpower the other two, but the chef and his people did a good job finding the balance.

For dessert, I had the torta di burro with the orange compote and cream gelato. I went a little crazy and ordered a cappuccino. Incidentally, if you're lactose intolerant and cannot really hold your wine, perhaps you'll want to pass on this combo. (I should have! :-) ) Of course, it's a bad idea to mix downers (wine) with an upper (cappuccino).

This being said, I don't normally drink but the wine pairing is quite complimentary to the osso buco. If you ask the sommelier why, they will take the time to explain the rationale behind the pairing. The wine itself was quite fruity and oaky, and it did not give me a headache, as most cheaper wines tend to do.

All told, this was a $100+ evening for just one person. Was the wait worth the food and the money spent? I'd say so. It's about a quarter to a third as big as Roy's, which is why they were booked out, and I had to wait until 8 pm for a seat. The outside area was all wet from the recent storm system, so that increased the seating indoors and the wait times...

This was a bad experience. The Caesar Salad was supposed to be split in two, no anchovies. It came in one plate with anchovies. The other salad was served correctly. The soup orders did not arrive when the salads were served. 5 minutes later another salad came to the table, we hadn't ordered it and the waiter took it back to the kitchen. Still no soup. 5 more minutes and another salad shows up. Again, the waiter returned it to the kitchen and still no soup. The manager comes over, makes some lame excuse, apologizes, says, "they are working on your soups and entrees". The soups eventually arrive. By this time we have been seated for an hour and 20 minutes. We're all annoyed and starting to lose our appetites. The entrees arrive and for the most part they are ok, with the exception of the lasagna, which is luke warm. Apologies from the waiter. The manager wants to comp us for dessert, but we've had enough and decline. The manager then commits the cardinal sin of blaming the wait staff for the issues. Never blame the people who work for you in front of a customer. You're the manager, take responsibility and deal with the people who work with you in private. The manager then decided to reverse all of the charges, while saying that the waiter staff would be held accountable. Nice job throwing the people who work for you under the bus. Entirely an...

Please carefully read through my review if the price range is not within your daily consumption level:

You need to adjust your expectation before dinning here. The price that you paid for the food obviously contains a premium, considering the restaurant locates inside the most luxurious lodge with the best view you can find in Monterey. (I'm sure there is no "one of the best".)

I would reckon a 30%-40% premium contained in the price, comparing to a similar level of food and service elsewhere. $100+/persion can get you a 1-star Michelin restaurant anywhere else in CA.

Now, back to the view: GREAT if you are lucky enough to avoid rainy, cloudy days during winter times, as the day goes completely dark after 5:30 while the restaurant only start operations at 5:30; GOOD if you encounter any situations listed above, but it remains a question for you to decide if you are willing to pay for the overly priced food when the entire coast has no sunlight at all.

Last, I don't think the food is that amazing as some other reviews described. I'm not sure if they pretend to say so as they are purely staggered by the view or they rarely have the chance to walk inside a decent Italian-style restaurant. In either case, you should expect a decent level of cooking as you can normally get in this price level and a not very generous portion. (eat as many free bread...