Vivolo's Chowder House - Pacific Grove, Ca

Since going to Maine in October and having Lobster Stew, I have been on a mission for all things seafood! Mostly cream based bisque's to be exact. I have mentioned before that I am a member of Yelp. I came across a review for a chowder house located in Pacific Grove and had to go! The rainy weather did not scare me from setting out for a drive to the coast! With chowder on my mind I made my way to Pacific Grove.

Take the Del Monte exit and follow it all the way down until it turns into Central Avenue, 127 Central in fact. Located on the left side of the road, park on the street and cross over. I was kind of surprised to see I was the first customer of the day, it was 12:00 on a Sunday! Weren't people hungry in Pacific Grove? We grabbed a table for two and began to browse the menu. Water and a soda were ordered and brought to the table.

Our meal before our meal showed up. Soup and salad. We ordered a cup of what they were known for - Clam Chowder. Sadly, we were not impressed. I had to take a bite for myself and had to agree. It was not bad by any means just kind of blah. The salad was just a salad, but the tomato vinaigrette that was served with it was quite tasty, tangy almost tart. I like...





Now for the main event, let's get ready to rumble... The first entree out of the gate was the Linguini Pescatori House Specialty, with the choice of sauce: Marinara, Alfredo, or Garlic Butter Sauce with fresh fish, prawns, scallops, calamari served on top. We chose the garlic butter sauce and were underwhelmed. The sauce was pretty much salted water with a hint of garlic. The seafood served throughout was of course fantastic! Did you see the size of that squid - woweee!!! Big boy! The linguini was cooked perfectly. My order is up next... When I read the Special of the Day - Boston Pan Roast Bisque, I had to have it! Prawns, Bay Shrimp, Scallops and Oysters all bathing in a bowl of cream, sherry, and garlic. I loved it! I cleaned my bowl with the Parmesan cheese toast tops that they brought out. What a wonderful treat! I liked this dish very much, it did not compare to Maine - but that is quite a task in it self.

All in all, I had a great little meal. It sort of reminded me of a hole in the wall, secret hiding place. They are not really all about the flash, they seem to really stick to the basics. I enjoyed the bisque and wouldn't mind returning to see what other specials they were promoting - they seem to really like to jazz the specials up compared to their simple menu. The prices were kind of high but I don't mind paying the price for seafood, it is so worth it! All in all, I give it 1.5 thumbs up.