Fall 2026

BIG BIRTHDAY BASH COMING TO PETER B’S Portola Hotel & Spa’s brewery-eatery, Peter B’s, turns 30 in September, and head brewer Cody Leano is still working out how to mark it. One idea already on tap: a birthday cake kettle sour, joining a beer menu with something for fans of malt, fruit and hops alike. Leano, who began his brewing career at Alvarado Street and was named brewmaster at Peter B’s in April, wants to collaborate with local breweries for the occasion. “There are a lot of great spots to drink out here now,” he says.“I want to get people excited about coming here.” He started as a busser at Alvarado, working up through assistant brewer to head brewer before helping open Hops & Fog in Pacific Grove. He credits mentors at both breweries, plus years of home brewing before any of it was a job. His own taste runs to West Coast IPAs and German-style lagers, though hazies still sell fast- est behind the bar.“I feel like an IPA goes perfect with the burgers we have,” he says. By September, Leano will also have entries ready for the Great American Beer Festival in Colorado. Beyond that, he’s finishing a degree in graphic design through an online program at Arizona State University. For more information, call 831/649-2699 or visit www.portolahotel.com/dining/peter-bs. WINE TAKES AN EQUAL SPOTLIGHT AT COASTAL KITCHEN At Monterey Plaza’s Coastal Kitchen, plans are underway for the next in a series of wine dinners pairing food from Chef Michael Rotondo with local wines of the pending Carmel Coast AVA, with sommelier Conrad Reddick running herd on the grape choices.The series launched in July and sold out fast. The idea grew from a 20-year partnership: Rotondo and Reddick met at Charlie Trotter’s, the late genius Chicago chef ’s namesake restau- rant, where Reddick ran the wine program and Rotondo ran the kitchen for four years. Both came away certain wine deserved equal billing with food and service. “We are both aware of the importance wine had in that restaurant, and that it was an integral part of the guest experience,” Rotondo says. The first dinner featured four local wineries, with courses built to match the wines they poured, three chardonnays and two pinots shaping the menu. Demand outran the plan, and people still had to be turned away. Next up is a Santa Lucia Highlands dinner, built around lesser-known varietals like riesling, gamay and valdiguié. The final dinner is tenta - tively planned for October 23, winemaker still undecided, with tickets going on sale about six weeks ahead. For more information, call 831/645-4064 or visit www.coastalkitchenmonterey.com. 174 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 6 The chef and sommelier of Coastal Kitchen at the Monterey Plaza Hotel have put together a series of stellar wine pairing dinners, the next in the series takes place October 23 and celebrates wines from the pending Carmel Coast AVA. Photo: Joseph Weaver