Press Releases
World-Famous Celebrities Dine at the World-Famous Sardine Factory
Golf weekend draws big names with big appetites to Monterey's most elegant restaurant
MONTEREY, CALIF. – Jim Nantz, the dynamic CBS sportscaster, hosted his annual AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am dinner party in the wine cellar of the world-famous Sardine Factory this weekend. Among his guests were Tony Romo, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback; Ray Romano, star of Everybody Loves Raymond; Nick Faldo, golf commentator; Maury Povich, talk show host; and Connie Chung, a former news anchor.
Ted Balestreri and Bert Cutino, co-owners of the Sardine Factory Restaurant, long dreamed of a special use for the cellar below their restaurant's glass-domed Conservatory. Based on their descriptions of an ideal banquet room, artist Roy Ami Hamlin made watercolor sketches of a dream venue in which they could house their ever-growing inventory of fine California and European wines. Hamlin's sketches served as the blueprint for the construction of their dream, and in August 1980, construction of the wine cellar began.
The wine cellar reflects Old World legacy with the Central Coast traditions. Firebricks from the boilers of old Cannery Row make up the basic framework of the room and catacombs. The room's wood trim is almost all California redwood. The 25-foot long banquet table, cognac bar, cognac locker and tobacco humidor are all built from a single 1,000-year-old fallen redwood tree discovered resting in the Big Sur forest. Banks of wine bins in the catacombs, as well as the 111 private reserve lockers, are also made from locally cut redwood.
The artifacts in the room are all genuine antiques. Dating from the 16th century, the chandelier and candelabra are from a Spanish Abbey. The candelabra centerpiece on the table dates from the time of Napoleon III. The gold leaf mirrors, which reflect the room's soft hues and flickering candlelight, are from Victorian England, and 18th-century Italy. A 16th-century carved oak sideboard from France supports an ornate brass Louis XIV clock, and hanging above is a 125-year-old painting of a wine festival in Pompeii by the English artist Hewitt.
Co-owners Balestreri and Cutino, along with Arvind Dutt, Cellar Master, invite private parties to share in their special dream and dine in the Sardine Factory's regal wine cellar.
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About The Sardine Factory
Established in 1968, The Sardine Factory is known for its impeccable service, wonderful décor, extraordinary wine collection, fresh locally grown produce, delicious sustainable seafood, and USDA prime beef. Over the years The Sardine Factory has hosted celebrities, movie stars, sports legends, and public figures from all over the world. The restaurant was also one of the locations for the first film directed by Clint Eastwood, Play Misty for Me. The Sardine Factory has received virtually every culinary, wine list and service award possible in the industry, including the Wine Spectator’s Grand Award, Restaurant Hospitality's Best Wine List in America, voted the Best Restaurant in Monterey by readers of the Monterey County Weekly, Monterey County Herald, and Carmel Pine Cone newspapers, named Top Ten Most Romantic Restaurants on the Central Coast by Open Table, in addition to many other honors and awards. For more information, please visit sardinefactory.com.