Welcome To The Sardine Factory!
That’s my wife Alex standing next to me at the entrance to one of the California’s most unique restaurants – made even more iconic by being part of a classic Clint Eastwood film!
This edition of “Dinner And A Movie” has delicious seafood, magical Jellyfish, and this lady – ready to slice and dice her dinner!
Well, what a tease, right? Let’s head to Monterey California, home to one of the world’s greatest aquariums as well as this iconic restaurant!
The Sardine Factory is located about 90 minutes south of San Francisco and just north of Carmel…it’s an amazingly beautiful place – here’s proof:
This is the view of Monterey Bay from our hotel room window, and right down the street is the legendary “Cannery Row” as written about by John Steinbeck:
It is home to the one of the world’s greatest Aquariums, and I will take you in there in a moment, but first, back to the unique entrance to the restaurant:
Yep, you walk past this full size fishing trawler to head inside, where you will find this classic bar to the left:
Now why am I showing you a vintage bar?
Well, because it’s a movie star!
This is one of several scenes filmed inside The Sardine Factory for the 1971 thriller “Play Misty For Me”…Clint Eastwood’s directorial debut – they filmed it right there – so of course we had to sit in the same spot as Clint! I’ll have more on this terrific film in a moment…but as this is a “dinner and a movie” segment, let’s grab a bite first!
Yes, Alex and I are slightly out of focus but the bartender is crisp and clear – let’s head inside the restaurant and try some of their food!
The main part of the restaurant sits under a glass dome with a large chandelier, and since we are near the ocean, of course the menu is seafood themed!
Due to the name of the restaurant, we had to start with fresh sardines over a nice salad of arugula, red onion and diced egg…with a drizzle of lemon, they were delicious!
The Sardines were meaty and smoky, and the olive oil and lemon made a perfect salad dressing as well…and of course, I love clam chowder so there was some of that as well:
Their clam chowder was thick and full of fresh clams – a favorite of mine.
Sesame crusted seared Tuna was next, with a rich orange beurre blanc sauce, and Alex got a very unique dish not seen many places:
Pacific Coast Sand Dabs!
This unique fish has both eyes on top of its small head, and a long, flat body…it is cooked and served as filets, with mixed vegetables, asparagus and mushrooms:
It’s a beautiful dish with a rich, delicious sauce – and the fish has a nutty, meaty flavor:
We were joined by Alex’s Uncle Francis, who bears a strong resemblance to Clint Eastwood, and her Aunt Hilary. We had a blast! They live in Carmel, where yes, Eastwood was once Mayor!
“Play Misty For Me!”
Clint starred in this classic thriller, and also made his directorial debut – with a great assist from Director Siegel…first, check out the trailer:
Eastwood plays a Jazz DJ, who makes a BIG mistake when he picks up one of his fans – at a bar that is tended by Director Don Siegel!
Siegel is clearly having a blast in this scene, but for Jessica Walter, after going home with her favorite DJ that night, her fascination with Eastwood turns deadly in a hurry…
This is a terrific thriller and worth a watch! You will see so many of the Monterey and Carmel areas shown in the film – so let’s head back to the Aquarium to watch the beauty of a solo Jellyfish gliding through the water:
Time To Explore “Cannery Row!”
Monterey’s legendary “cannery row” was the setting for John Steinbeck’s novel about workers who canned fish on the docks of Monterey…
At the entrance to the famous Aquarium, you can see classic cans of tinned fish, which were manufactured here for decades…
One of the Aquarium’s signature areas is the Jellyfish exhibit, where they are brilliantly backlit for maximum effect – take a look:
Stunning…Jellyfish are truly magical creatures….but did you know they are also a sustainable, healthy food source?
This is a food blog folks, so while the Jellyfish are cool to look at, they are also a food of the future!
This is a sesame seed jellyfish salad…would you eat it? I have eaten jellyfish and if you click here you can find out why they could help solve our future of food on this planet:
Of course, no Aquarium is complete without fish, and it this case, lots and lots of sardines of course…check this video out!
Alex and I had a blast inside, and you can see more pictures and videos here:
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Categories: Alcohol And Bars, Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Fine Dining, Food, Food Travel, Movies, Restaurants, Travel, Wacky Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
That was one scary movie! Very cool that you got to check out the bar. Wanna know something depressing?! I was born in Carmel!!! And now I live in Oklahoma!!!!