• Pacific's Edge
• Montrio Bistro
• Flaherty's
• Forge In The Forest
• Lugano Swiss Bistro

• The C Restaurant

• Rio Grill
• Chart House
• Fandango

Executive Chef Jerry Regester, the brilliant mind behind the “comfort” menu at The C Restaurant at Cannery Row’s new Inter-Continental the Clement Monterey hotel, heralds the underrated sardine as his favorite Monterey Bay food. Not the canned staples of camping survival kits, but the fresh, house-smoked local beauties that Regester includes in such dishes as fettuccini with sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, basil, and garlic bread crumbs. “They’re wonderful. Rich,” he says, with visions of shimmering schools fueling his creative genius. “I think sardines are to die for.” Regester further notes that it’s the mighty sardine that built Cannery Row over 100 years ago. Where better to celebrate their Monterey Bay legacy than at The C Restaurant, overlooking the very spot that spawned an international industry.

A native of Buffalo, New York, Executive Chef Regester graduated from the New England Culinary Institute. Prior to joining The C Restaurant, he led premier culinary programs at the acclaimed Domaine Chandon in Napa Valley and Wente Vineyards in Livermore, among others. Taking the head position in 2008 at The C Restaurant gave Regester the opportunity to work again in Monterey, a place he fell in love with years ago while a sous chef in the kitchen of esteemed Chef Cal Stamenov at The Highlands Inn in Carmel.

Modern interpretations of traditional recipes inspire Regester. “I like reinventing the classics,” he says. “As a chef I don’t sleep sometimes because I’m thinking about how I can make it better.” A delicious example is Regester’s take on surf n’ turf. Venturing beyond steak and lobster, Executive Chef Regester prefers to experiment with creative combinations such as risotto with duck confit and seared fish, or a steak-and-tuna tartare mix. Cioppino is another noted reinvention: Regester’s scrumptious Monterey-style version overflows with mini cheese ravioli, artichokes, tuna, mussels, clams, and calamari in a spicy Dungeness-crab saffron broth. Original and distinctive, The C Restaurant menu nonetheless embodies Executive Chef Regester’s philosophy of rustic elegance with refined flavors. “The food isn’t fussed with,” he says. “I like nice, clean, beautiful flavors.”