This place is now called Spotted Duck. (I wonder when TripAdvisor will pick up on this). It was our first time and we were early. I had the halibut special with a Bernardus Sauv blanc. It came sitting on some black rice, topped with lobster pieces, arugula, and some cubed watermelon. There was some kind of green sauce spread on the plate to compliment the dish. It was pretty. The flavors came together very well. I thought it was a great dinner main. My husband had the sautéed rock cod with artichokes, puréed potatoes, and capers with some brown butter sauce. He said his fish was salty but at least it was offset by the bland potatoes and vinegared artichokes. We shared some beignets with salted honey on the side for dessert. The rosemary sugar coating was good enough for me. But my husband enjoyed the salted honey. Our service was great. Our server was congenial, attentive and patient. He was quite informative too. All in all a pleasant meal. Maybe we will try the duck next time.
Betty Sproule
Spotted Duck has delicious fresh food. The vegetable sides are especially nice. Make a reservation using Open Table to make sure you have a table.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Jose Vasquez
Excellent food. Truly worth it and currently one of my favorite places in Monterey, CA. It has recently changed names from Jenni Kitchen + Wine Bar to The Spotted Duck. Menu still similar enough to before and there seems to have been little to no change in the food. Quality is still really high.Vegetarian options: Some vegetarian/Vegan options and some of the dishes can be made vegan. Ask your server for details.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mark H.
My wife and I went to Jeninni's expecting a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean meal, but were surprised to find that the previous owner sold the business in September 2022 and that the menu and name had changed since then. The latter caused some difficulty in locating the place that is now called the Spotted Duck. Nevertheless he food was outstanding, including our scallop and duck dishes and the scrumptious dessert. I felt the inclusion of only three scallops was skimpy, but otherwise I was happy with the food offerings. Our waitress was wonderfully attentive, instructive, and kind. The decor was pleasing. A solid 'recommended'!
Solomiya Lyshenyuk Williams
My husband said: "good thing we don't live here or we would be spending a lot of money here".The food is amazing. From pictures you expect it to taste a certain way, but it tasted a lot better than it looked. Nice surprise. We got duck, which my toddler devoured, polenta cake and rosemary donuts. DELICIOUS
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
S S.
Incredible service! Very attentive and friendly. Chef came out to speak with us about his preparation and ideas behind the dishes. The duck liver pâté was incredible, and we've gone back for the creamy polenta multiple days in a row now! Roasted Brussel sprouts were cooked to perfection, with a nice balsamic glaze. Overall the food and experience was 5/5. Highly recommend this restaurant.
Hans Lehmann
Jeninni Kitchen offers a uniquely creative, delicious and perfectly presented meal…from service and amenities to qualities and taste. I had the chicken torchon and it was absolutely first class in every respect. Five stars to Chef Jerry and his crew. Many Thanks. Hans LehmannVegetarian options: Vegetarian options were available.
Veronica L.
Great option for kids after a day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Dined here twice in the last 6 months after visiting Monterey from out of town. First time, we sat outside and their outdoor setup is very cozy with blankets and heat lamps. Second time was indoors near the windows. The lamb shank we had the first time was so delicious I was disappointed they took it off the menu by our second visit. Nice salads and pasta entrees. Saw kids dining there both times and the restaurant is kid friendly. Had their house made beignets both times and those were really delicious.
Jessica Sullivan
Just got finished making our kids pasta for dinner because we never got our food from this restaurant.Made a 5:30 reservation here with our family of four (two boys aged 3 and 5). The waiter took our order promptly at 5:35 or so, and we got salads 15 minutes later, which were fine, if a little heavy on dressing. Anyone with small kids knows they don't eat much salad typically so we were waiting... and waiting... and waiting... for our entrees. We noticed with dismay that several tables who were seated after us got their food promptly, but not us. Anyone with small children knows the anxiety of waiting with your kids while they try to remain on their best behavior, telling them to be patient, be patient, the food is coming...? At 6:30, the food still had not shown up. Our waiter mentioned that the kitchen was "a little backed up" but that our food would be "right out". Various people came by to tell us that it would be "right out", but still, nothing. We ordered extra bread because we were all starving. After we'd waited well over an hour, the waiter rushed in with what we thought was our food - only to deliver it to the table behind us, who had been seated 30 minutes after we arrived. At this point, our kids were starving, we'd waited for our food for a ridiculous amount of time, and so we left. We threw two 20s on the table for wine. I have never walked out of a restaurant without paying before but this was truly unacceptable.
This was a quaint bistro like space in the community. The service was great, our server was attentive and helpful navigating the menu. The food was delicious. Going with a group of friends is my favorite, as we can get a few things and sample more. The zucchini fries and warm olives were a nice start to the meal. The burger was well seasoned and cooked well. The homemade pickles are a must!
Emily J.
We had an excellent dinner here the Friday night of the Monterey Half Marathon weekend in November. We were able to book a reservation for four day of, no problem. I got the tuna which was perfectly seared and served on top of whipped potatoes and green beans with a delicious mustard sauce. My honey got the crispy lamb shank which was giant and he gave it a thumbs up. Our friends enjoyed their respective dishes as well. To wrap things up we couldn't resist sharing a couple orders of zeppole (Sicilian donuts) and ice cream. Definitely save room for at least a bite of zeppole because those aren't to be missed. Our server was wonderful and everything well paced.
Danielle D.
Great experience here during our anniversary trip to Monterey! A friend recommended this restaurant because of their chicken torchon, which she kept promising "tastes like Christmas". * Blueberry and lavender ($12): I'd originally wanted a different cocktail, but apparently they ran out of sparkling wine and a lot of their cocktail menu was out of commission. This one was too sweet for us, unfortunately. * Eggplant fries ($12): These fries perfectly preserved the eggplant flavor and texture. So juicy! It comes with an aioli (I'm thinking roasted garlic) which worked really well here. The fries do feel really oily after a while. * Kabocha squash/pear soup ($120: Genius. Delicious. This is the best squash soup we've ever had. * Butternut gnocchi ($14): Great flavor and really appreciated the fried sage. The butternut squash kind of functions like tomato here? * Chicken torchon ($64): This comes in three parts. A salad, the chicken, and mashed potatoes. All of them are bigger than expected (it's more chicken than it looks like from the pictures, trust), and I would not recommend ordering additional appetizers if you plan to get this. We boxed up most of it since we were only able to make it through half of the dish. The salad is well-balanced, and the chicken sauce is very subtle but tasty.
Jessica W
The food was amazing. I went with a party of 5 and we ordered half the menu to share family style. The mushroom risotto and the lamb shank were my top favorites. The atmosphere was also nice.The service was not. Our server was like, really sweaty for some reason. He looked disheveled and he spilled a drink on my friends placesetting. No big deal. He said "oops let me get you a new one" a new drink? A new placesetting? I dunno because he did not return with either. Also a woman, who I think is the new owner or manager, was helping place our dishes and it was an awkward angle so I helped her. She didn't warn me that the plates were incredibly hot!
Jeninni was recommended by our hotel, but it was just ok. We booked a last minute reservation online and we're surprised that there were open tables on a Friday night. When we arrived we found out that our table was outside because we booked last minute and they're full inside. It was fine; they had a heat lamp for us, and we had thick coats. The sidewalk is sloped so the server helped make the table not wobbly for us. We told our server we're celebrating a birthday, and we ordered the cauliflower, octopus and the chicken torchon for 2 special. I liked the cauliflower although you only get 3 pieces of cauliflower, and they weren't big pieces either. The octopus was very salty so I wouldn't recommend that. The chicken torchon was $56 for 2 people and came with a butter lettuce salad which was brought out first by the owner. The owner commented how our utensils were cleared so she went and got new utensils for us. I later overheard another server tell the table next to us that they should hold onto their utensils because the new owners do not like changing utensils. I was hoping to eat the salad with the chicken but maybe it's its own course since the chicken came out when we were almost done with the salad. The salad was overdressed anyway and the dressing didn't match the chicken's sauce so I didn't eat it together. I would've preferred salad undressed to eat with the chicken since the chicken felt very heavy without any carbs accompanying it. It was my first time trying chicken torchon so I didn't know what to expect, but it tasted like deboned fried chicken with sauce. We didn't order as much food since we were leaving room for dessert, and asked to see the dessert menu. Because they were also hosting a party inside, service was slow. Our server took a long time to come outside and check on us, and when she finally came over she assumed we didn't want dessert so I responded we wanted dessert and were waiting for her. I asked her if the hazelnut ice cream was icy or creamy which she said was homemade and creamy so we got that and the panna cotta. She brought them out but forgot we were celebrating a birthday so no candles and no mention of happy birthday. She did say they added honey to the panna cotta so if we didn't like that we can let her know. She told us the panna cotta is a new item and she hasn't tried it yet. The ice cream ended up being very icy and chalky, and I didn't like how sweet the panna cotta was so she was nice to take them off our bill and also not charge us for hot water with lemon.
Decent but overpriced for what it
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
This place is now called Spotted Duck. (I wonder when TripAdvisor will pick up on this). It was our first time and we were early. I had the halibut special with a Bernardus Sauv blanc. It came sitting on some black rice, topped with lobster pieces, arugula, and some cubed watermelon. There was some kind of green sauce spread on the plate to compliment the dish. It was pretty. The flavors came together very well. I thought it was a great dinner main. My husband had the sautéed rock cod with artichokes, puréed potatoes, and capers with some brown butter sauce. He said his fish was salty but at least it was offset by the bland potatoes and vinegared artichokes. We shared some beignets with salted honey on the side for dessert. The rosemary sugar coating was good enough for me. But my husband enjoyed the salted honey. Our service was great. Our server was congenial, attentive and patient. He was quite informative too. All in all a pleasant meal. Maybe we will try the duck next time.
Spotted Duck has delicious fresh food. The vegetable sides are especially nice. Make a reservation using Open Table to make sure you have a table.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Excellent food. Truly worth it and currently one of my favorite places in Monterey, CA. It has recently changed names from Jenni Kitchen + Wine Bar to The Spotted Duck. Menu still similar enough to before and there seems to have been little to no change in the food. Quality is still really high.Vegetarian options: Some vegetarian/Vegan options and some of the dishes can be made vegan. Ask your server for details.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My wife and I went to Jeninni's expecting a Middle Eastern/Mediterranean meal, but were surprised to find that the previous owner sold the business in September 2022 and that the menu and name had changed since then. The latter caused some difficulty in locating the place that is now called the Spotted Duck. Nevertheless he food was outstanding, including our scallop and duck dishes and the scrumptious dessert. I felt the inclusion of only three scallops was skimpy, but otherwise I was happy with the food offerings. Our waitress was wonderfully attentive, instructive, and kind. The decor was pleasing. A solid 'recommended'!
My husband said: "good thing we don't live here or we would be spending a lot of money here".The food is amazing. From pictures you expect it to taste a certain way, but it tasted a lot better than it looked. Nice surprise. We got duck, which my toddler devoured, polenta cake and rosemary donuts. DELICIOUS
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Incredible service! Very attentive and friendly. Chef came out to speak with us about his preparation and ideas behind the dishes. The duck liver pâté was incredible, and we've gone back for the creamy polenta multiple days in a row now! Roasted Brussel sprouts were cooked to perfection, with a nice balsamic glaze. Overall the food and experience was 5/5. Highly recommend this restaurant.
Jeninni Kitchen offers a uniquely creative, delicious and perfectly presented meal…from service and amenities to qualities and taste. I had the chicken torchon and it was absolutely first class in every respect. Five stars to Chef Jerry and his crew. Many Thanks. Hans LehmannVegetarian options: Vegetarian options were available.
Great option for kids after a day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Dined here twice in the last 6 months after visiting Monterey from out of town. First time, we sat outside and their outdoor setup is very cozy with blankets and heat lamps. Second time was indoors near the windows. The lamb shank we had the first time was so delicious I was disappointed they took it off the menu by our second visit. Nice salads and pasta entrees. Saw kids dining there both times and the restaurant is kid friendly. Had their house made beignets both times and those were really delicious.
Just got finished making our kids pasta for dinner because we never got our food from this restaurant.Made a 5:30 reservation here with our family of four (two boys aged 3 and 5). The waiter took our order promptly at 5:35 or so, and we got salads 15 minutes later, which were fine, if a little heavy on dressing. Anyone with small kids knows they don't eat much salad typically so we were waiting... and waiting... and waiting... for our entrees. We noticed with dismay that several tables who were seated after us got their food promptly, but not us. Anyone with small children knows the anxiety of waiting with your kids while they try to remain on their best behavior, telling them to be patient, be patient, the food is coming...? At 6:30, the food still had not shown up. Our waiter mentioned that the kitchen was "a little backed up" but that our food would be "right out". Various people came by to tell us that it would be "right out", but still, nothing. We ordered extra bread because we were all starving. After we'd waited well over an hour, the waiter rushed in with what we thought was our food - only to deliver it to the table behind us, who had been seated 30 minutes after we arrived. At this point, our kids were starving, we'd waited for our food for a ridiculous amount of time, and so we left. We threw two 20s on the table for wine. I have never walked out of a restaurant without paying before but this was truly unacceptable.
Restaurantji Recommends
This was a quaint bistro like space in the community. The service was great, our server was attentive and helpful navigating the menu. The food was delicious. Going with a group of friends is my favorite, as we can get a few things and sample more. The zucchini fries and warm olives were a nice start to the meal. The burger was well seasoned and cooked well. The homemade pickles are a must!
We had an excellent dinner here the Friday night of the Monterey Half Marathon weekend in November. We were able to book a reservation for four day of, no problem. I got the tuna which was perfectly seared and served on top of whipped potatoes and green beans with a delicious mustard sauce. My honey got the crispy lamb shank which was giant and he gave it a thumbs up. Our friends enjoyed their respective dishes as well. To wrap things up we couldn't resist sharing a couple orders of zeppole (Sicilian donuts) and ice cream. Definitely save room for at least a bite of zeppole because those aren't to be missed. Our server was wonderful and everything well paced.
Great experience here during our anniversary trip to Monterey! A friend recommended this restaurant because of their chicken torchon, which she kept promising "tastes like Christmas". * Blueberry and lavender ($12): I'd originally wanted a different cocktail, but apparently they ran out of sparkling wine and a lot of their cocktail menu was out of commission. This one was too sweet for us, unfortunately. * Eggplant fries ($12): These fries perfectly preserved the eggplant flavor and texture. So juicy! It comes with an aioli (I'm thinking roasted garlic) which worked really well here. The fries do feel really oily after a while. * Kabocha squash/pear soup ($120: Genius. Delicious. This is the best squash soup we've ever had. * Butternut gnocchi ($14): Great flavor and really appreciated the fried sage. The butternut squash kind of functions like tomato here? * Chicken torchon ($64): This comes in three parts. A salad, the chicken, and mashed potatoes. All of them are bigger than expected (it's more chicken than it looks like from the pictures, trust), and I would not recommend ordering additional appetizers if you plan to get this. We boxed up most of it since we were only able to make it through half of the dish. The salad is well-balanced, and the chicken sauce is very subtle but tasty.
The food was amazing. I went with a party of 5 and we ordered half the menu to share family style. The mushroom risotto and the lamb shank were my top favorites. The atmosphere was also nice.The service was not. Our server was like, really sweaty for some reason. He looked disheveled and he spilled a drink on my friends placesetting. No big deal. He said "oops let me get you a new one" a new drink? A new placesetting? I dunno because he did not return with either. Also a woman, who I think is the new owner or manager, was helping place our dishes and it was an awkward angle so I helped her. She didn't warn me that the plates were incredibly hot!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 5
Service: 1
Recommended dishes: Gnocchi, Crispy Lamb Shank, Risotto
Jeninni was recommended by our hotel, but it was just ok. We booked a last minute reservation online and we're surprised that there were open tables on a Friday night. When we arrived we found out that our table was outside because we booked last minute and they're full inside. It was fine; they had a heat lamp for us, and we had thick coats. The sidewalk is sloped so the server helped make the table not wobbly for us. We told our server we're celebrating a birthday, and we ordered the cauliflower, octopus and the chicken torchon for 2 special. I liked the cauliflower although you only get 3 pieces of cauliflower, and they weren't big pieces either. The octopus was very salty so I wouldn't recommend that. The chicken torchon was $56 for 2 people and came with a butter lettuce salad which was brought out first by the owner. The owner commented how our utensils were cleared so she went and got new utensils for us. I later overheard another server tell the table next to us that they should hold onto their utensils because the new owners do not like changing utensils. I was hoping to eat the salad with the chicken but maybe it's its own course since the chicken came out when we were almost done with the salad. The salad was overdressed anyway and the dressing didn't match the chicken's sauce so I didn't eat it together. I would've preferred salad undressed to eat with the chicken since the chicken felt very heavy without any carbs accompanying it. It was my first time trying chicken torchon so I didn't know what to expect, but it tasted like deboned fried chicken with sauce. We didn't order as much food since we were leaving room for dessert, and asked to see the dessert menu. Because they were also hosting a party inside, service was slow. Our server took a long time to come outside and check on us, and when she finally came over she assumed we didn't want dessert so I responded we wanted dessert and were waiting for her. I asked her if the hazelnut ice cream was icy or creamy which she said was homemade and creamy so we got that and the panna cotta. She brought them out but forgot we were celebrating a birthday so no candles and no mention of happy birthday. She did say they added honey to the panna cotta so if we didn't like that we can let her know. She told us the panna cotta is a new item and she hasn't tried it yet. The ice cream ended up being very icy and chalky, and I didn't like how sweet the panna cotta was so she was nice to take them off our bill and also not charge us for hot water with lemon.