Harvest 2026 Dinner at Pub’s (Growers’ Pub) in Salinas, California by Ruth Paget
Some welcome cool air prompted my family to go to Pub’s (Growers’ Pub) in late September 2026 for an early harvest dinner at the oldest bar in Salinas, California.
Florence and Laurent began their meal wit generous cups of Monterey Bay clam chowder.
I ordered stuffed fall-weather mushrooms instead of my usual calamari. (Monterey County has some woodsy areas in the Santa Lucia Mountain Range that provide local mushrooms.) The stuffed mushrooms came 8 to a plate and were stuffed with ricotta cheese, chopped bacon, and parsley. The mushrooms were delectable hot bites. I really liked them.
Dinner salads came as starters for the main dishes. Cold baby greens and Thousand Island dressing are a refreshing starter I associate with places like Carl’s Chop House in Detroit (Michigan) where I grew up. I was allowed to go to Carl’s as a treat dinner for behaving well and getting good grades.
As my main dish, I ordered the bone-in pork chop with seasonal vegetables. The pork chop was two inches thick and served with a large portion of vegetables in a sauce that appeared to be cooking juices mixed with honey and Dijon mustard; it was delicious.
The seasonal vegetables were a mixture of summer and winter vegetables for someone who grew up in the midwestern United States like I did. The vegetables included:
-rutabagas
-potatoes
-onions
-yellow Italian squash
-spinach
Florence ate a flat iron steak with a baked potato, and Laurent ordered the halibut special with risotto.
For dessert, Laurent and Florence ate crème brulée. I was full and passed on dessert, but I noticed that Pub’s is offering Bananas Foster on its dessert menu ($24). This is an elaborate flamed dessert, but I might try that on my next harvest meal outing to Pub’s.
Pub’s in Salinas, California is a nice place to experience a country town meal that offers the best of the countryside.
By Ruth Paget
-author Eating Soup with Chopsticks, Marrying France, and Europe's Lessons written during overseas duty in Germany + 5 other Kindle books
-developer of the Novgorod and Bento War Games + 8 Classical Western Civilization War Games
-developer of food and beverage knowledge games
-creator of online exhibits about San Miguel Arcangel Mission, French baguette making, and the Carmel Valley History Center
-creator of French travel and culture games
-writer of 1900+ Central Coast California lifestyle blogs
-family genealogist
-developer of 9 music theory games
