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Cucina di mare · Est. 2014

Carta di giovedì 29 ottobre

Cannery Row · Monterey, California

Tue–Sun from 5 pm

Fish from the morning boats, pasta rolled at four.

Dalle barche · this morning

  • Petrale sole
  • Monterey squid
  • Vermilion rockfish
  • Spot prawns
  • Manila clams

Landed at Wharf II at 6:10 am by the Stella Maris and the Nina B. Most of it is on tonight’s carta.

Read tonight’s carta(555) 014-2290

Osteria Vela

We cook what the bay gives us, and stop when it’s gone.

Osteria Vela opened in 2014 in a net loft on the Monterey waterfront, where Sicilian and Ligurian crews once mended sardine nets between seasons. Chef Lucia Ferraro grew up above her father’s fish stall in Camogli, on the Ligurian coast, and she cooks the way that town eats: quickly, simply, with more lemon than you’d expect.

Every morning she meets the boats at Wharf II and buys standing on the dock. The carta is written by two and printed on the old press in the back. By four, Teresa has rolled the pasta. When the fish runs out, it comes off the menu, and nobody here apologizes for that.

Lucia Ferraro, chef and owner

La giornata

A day at Vela, by the clock

  1. The boats tie up

    The Stella Maris and the Nina B. come in to Wharf II. Lucia picks the fish on the dock.

  2. Breaking down

    Bones go into the brodo, ink into the risotto, the cheeks to whoever is working the pass.

  3. The carta is printed

    Set by hand on a 1962 Vandercook in the back room. Forty copies, never more.

  4. Pasta at the marble

    Teresa rolls trofie, cuts spaghetti and pinches ravioli at the long marble table.

  5. Doors open

    The four window tables go to whoever walks in first. Nobody can book them.

La carta di giovedì 29 ottobre

Written at two, after the boats. Prices in dollars; the sea decides the rest. Hover over a dish to see Lucia’s drawing of it.

I.

Antipasti

To start, or to share across the table

  • Crudo di halibut19Monterey Bay halibut, blood orange, Taggiasca olive, Calabrian chili oil
  • Calamari fritti16Monterey squid in chickpea flour, lemon, salsa verde
  • Carciofo alla giudiav15Castroville artichoke, fried twice, mint, anchovy aioli on the side
  • Burrata e pomodoriv17Burrata, late Salinas Valley tomatoes, basil oil, flaky salt
  • Polpo alla brace22Grilled octopus, crushed potatoes, celery leaf, smoked paprika
II.

Primi

Pasta rolled at four, risotto made to order

  • Spaghetti al limonev21Meyer lemon, Parmigiano, cultured butter, a lot of black pepper
  • Linguine alle vongole26Manila clams, garlic, white wine, parsley, chili
  • Trofie al pestov22Hand-rolled trofie, Genovese basil, potato, green beans
  • Risotto al nero27Squid ink, Carnaroli rice, cuttlefish, lemon zest
  • Ravioli di ricottav23Sheep’s milk ricotta, brown butter, crisp sage, marjoram
III.

Secondi

From the grill and the big pot

  • Branzino intero42Whole grilled branzino, salmoriglio, charred lemon
  • Cioppino di Vela46Rockfish, Dungeness crab, mussels, tomato brodo, grilled bread
  • Pesce del giornoMPThe day’s catch, grilled or baked in salt; ask your server
  • Pollo al mattone34Half chicken under a brick, rosemary, garlic, lemon
IV.

Dolci

Made at noon, served after six

  • Tiramisù12Savoiardi, espresso, mascarpone, bitter cocoa
  • Panna cotta al miele11Carmel Valley honey, roasted figs, thyme
  • Torta all’olio d’oliva11Olive oil cake, lemon curd, crème fraîche
  • Affogato9Fior di latte gelato, a shot of espresso, amaretti

Lasciate fare a Lucia

Or let Lucia cook. Six courses, whatever came in.

95a guest · 150 with wine
whole table, seated by 8:30 pm

v vegetarian. Tell us about allergies when you book; the kitchen is small, but it listens. A 20% service charge is added to every bill and shared by everyone who works here, dishwashers included.

Wines that taste of salt.

Mateo Ruiz keeps about two hundred bottles, nearly all from coastlines: the Ligurian cliffs, Campania, Sicily and its islands, and the Santa Lucia Highlands twenty minutes inland. The list is short on purpose. Ask him for the one that isn’t on it.

Corkage $30, waived for every bottle you buy from us

Bollicine & rosatocalicebottiglia

  • Prosecco Col Fondo1454NV · Ca’ di Vento · Veneto · cloudy, bone-dry, a little sourdough
  • Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo15582024 · Tenuta Marosi · Abruzzo · a dark rosé for fish that can take it

Bianchicalicebottiglia

  • Vermentino15582024 · Podere Scogli · Riviera Ligure di Ponente · sea spray, crushed herbs
  • Pigato17662023 · Ca’ di Vento · Liguria · pine, peach skin, salt
  • Fiano di Avellino18702022 · Tenuta Marosi · Campania · smoke and honey; for the branzino
  • Albariño16602024 · Halyard Cellars · Arroyo Seco, Monterey County · grown twenty miles from the bay

Rossicalicebottiglia

  • Rossese di Dolceacqua18722023 · Podere Scogli · Liguria · light, chilled, wild strawberry
  • Etna Rosso20802021 · Casa Fondali · Sicilia · volcanic; for the octopus
  • Pinot Noir22882022 · Halyard Cellars · Santa Lucia Highlands · the neighbors, and good ones

Dopo cenacalicebottiglia

  • Limoncello della casa9—Meyer lemons from the tree behind the press room

Forty-six seats, four of them at the window.

The building was a net loft for sixty years. The beams still carry the iron hooks the crews hung their nets from, and the floor still slopes toward the water, very slightly, so the rain could run out.

The window tables sit close enough to the bay to hear the sea lions on Wharf II argue through dinner. The twelve seats at the counter face the pass, where Lucia plates every dish herself.

Floor plan of the dining room: four window tables on the bay side, eight tables on the floor, a twelve-seat counter at the kitchen pass, La Rimessa private room and the press room. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Monterey Bay Cucina Il banco · 12 Il marmo La Rimessa 8 to 22 guests Stamperia Ingresso · Net Loft Lane Net beams, 1931
Pianta della sala

Hover over a table. Tables 1 to 4 are never booked.

At the end of Net Loft Lane, on the water.

  • On foot

    Ten minutes along the Recreation Trail from the Aquarium. Follow the smell of the grill.

  • By car

    Park in the Wharf II lot and walk two minutes west along the water.

  • By boat

    Guest slip B-14 in the marina. Radio the harbormaster, then call us.

Hand-drawn map of the Monterey harbor: Osteria Vela sits on Net Loft Lane by the Coast Guard pier, a short walk from Fisherman’s Wharf and Wharf II. Monterey Bay Cannery Row Lighthouse Ave Del Monte Ave Coast Guard Pier Fisherman’s Wharf Wharf II boats in at 6:10 am ← Aquarium, 10 min N ¼ mile Osteria Vela 18 Net Loft Lane
18 Net Loft LaneMonterey, California 93940
(555) 014-2290 · [email protected]

Orari · Hours

Tue – Thu5:00 – 9:30 pm
Fri – Sat5:00 – 10:30 pm
Sunday12–3 & 5–9 pm
MondayClosed · private hire

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 5 pm

The bar opens at 4:30 for spritz, oysters and fried things.

Prenota.

Book a table. A real person confirms every request by email within the hour. The four window tables are never booked; they go to whoever walks in.

A table for , , at .

Parties of nine or more, and La Rimessa, call us on (555) 014-2290. We hold tables for fifteen minutes.