Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
STOKES RESTAURANT
& BAR
. ,
Stokes began as an adobe building, constructed in 1833 as a single-room structure by Hoge and
Benjamin Day. In four short years, it passed through several hands, until it was purchased by an
English sailor-turned-doctor, James Stokes. Stokes married a Californio (a Spanish-descended na-
tive of Alta California) named Josefa Soto de Cano. Over time, their home grew as the family grew.
He enlarged the old tile-roofed house until it became a gracious two-story house with seven rooms
and a wing for the kitchen and storeroom. A detached shed was also added to house the press that
produced California's first newspaper,
The Californian
.
The doctor and one-time mayor of Monterey included a sala, or main room, in his home to host
grand gatherings of Monterey's leading citizens. He also hosted the city's Cascaron Ball. A
cascaron
is a party favor thrown at balls and festivals and is a chicken egg that has been properly cracked,
emptied, thoroughly washed, brightly painted, and filled with confetti.
From 1855 to 1890, in the years after Stokes and his wife died, the adobe housed both families
and businesses, including the bakery of Frenchman Honore Escolle. From 1950 to 1980, Stokes was
the home of the popular restaurant Gallatin's. Employees often whispered that the upper floors of
the adobe were haunted by sociable ghosts: a man in the dress of the 1800s that might be Dr. Stokes,
and a beautiful woman they believed to be Dona Josefa.
Restaurants and apparitions continued to occupy the premises until 1995, when Kirk and Doro-
thea Probasco and Chef Brandon Miller opened Stokes Adobe Restaurant in June 1996. Located in
the heart of historic Monterey, it was remodeled in 2001. A wood-burning pizza oven was added,
and the establishment was reopened as Stokes Restaurant & Bar. Apparitions are still occasionally
reported but do not diminish the hospitality offered by the current restaurateurs.
Stokes Restaurant & Bar
500 Hartnell Street
Monterey, California 93940
(831) 373-1110
