Ocean-fresh seafood, an emphasis on natural ingredients, casual atmosphere and an eclectic mix of exotic cuisines characterize Santa Cruz's culinary culture. Vegetarian-friendly and vegetarian restaurants are well represented, but there are enough steak houses to toss a little red meat into the mix. SantaCruz.com's Santa Cruz area dining guide is anchored by dining reviews from the Santa Cruz Weekly newspaper.
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If you’re out near Pleasure Point and suddenly you and your soccer team find yourselves ravenous but short on cash, then by all means head on over to Leo’s Taco Bar, where the plates are gigantic and the prices are low. Read more » -
The glass of syrah I’m sipping exudes pepper, blackberries and the elusive terroir of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It is one of the reasons the new Silver Mountain Vineyards tasting room on Ingalls Street is a connoisseur’s destination. Even though he’s been ahead of the pack in local winemaking for 30 years, focusing on pinots and an estate of organic vines, Jerry O’Brien continues to reinvent the ways in which the public can experience his Silver Mountain wines. Read more » -
Lillian’s Italian Kitchen dishes up East Coast attitude with the Sunday gravy to back it up. No wonder the entire Eastside loves to wait for a table on weekends, checking cellphones for an alert that their table—one of only a dozen or so in this tiny trattoria—is finally ready. Read more » -
It seems that the entire culinary world is fair game for the talents of Soif’s new chef, Santos Majano. The American South, the Middle East, France, California, Spain—all figure prominently in the menu Majano has orchestrated for the downtown wine bar. We enjoyed some of his sensitivity to the fresh and the seasonal at a splendid and completely satisfying dinner last week. Read more » -
Breakfast on a recent spectacular spring day required something a bit out of the ordinary. So we headed up the coast to Davenport, hiked around the cliffs fragrant with alyssum and salt air and took our soaring appetites back to the Roadhouse for a major morning meal. Read more » -
With Pilsner-Urquell and Fat Tire Ale on tap, wood fires burning in the free-standing oven and ping-pong in the side room, Engfer Pizza Works is a place to kick back and savor yet another reason why we live in Santa Cruz. Where else is your order customized by friendly folks into something you might have cooked up for yourself, or the pizza brought to your table by the guy who just made it? Read more » -
Actually, it’s a garage, and even though it does maintain a wine-friendly temperature of 55 degrees year-round, it also forces boxes of wine to rub shoulders with laundry baskets, racks of potting equipment, spurned luggage, seasonal lawn furniture and poorly organized power tools. My current cellar (cut me some slack here) reflects the reduced circumstances of my spending climate. Hence the following eclectic assortment. Read more » -
Last week we enjoyed dinner in the cozy Tap Room at Hollins House, where a sensational meal took us by storm. I’ve always been partial to this hilltop location, where even at night the view of the town and ocean far below shimmers delightfully. Housed in the graceful residence of former championship golfer Marian Hollins, the restaurant currently boasts an appealing menu of well-made, beautifully presented dishes at friendly prices. Flat-screen televisions have been placed discreetly at both ends of the vintage bar, and hardwood wainscoting nicely sets off the corner fireplace and deep green walls. Read more » -
One of the wine world’s top blending grapes, as well as the standalone star of such fabled creations as France’s Hermitage and Côte Rotie, syrah is an alluring subject. This noble varietal gives complexity without requiring the sort of oeno-retentive analysis usually reserved for pinot noir or riesling. Whether or not you suspect it of being the grape consumed at the Last Supper, as I do, if you’re old enough to hold a glass with a stem, you have doubtless encountered syrah. Read more » -
The first taste of the wickedly complex green salsa set the tone for a fine rainy day lunch at Real Colima. We’ve passed this yellow roadhouse umpteen times on the way to Gilroy and parts south. Inside, the colorful interior—geranium windowsills, yellow walls and pale green sideboard—feel like a country bungalow, with salsas and the floral oilcloth table coverings repeating the pastel hues. Starting with icy Bohemias, we worked our way through as much as we could of the substantial Real Colima menu, helped along by friendly service and plenty of mariachi tunes. Read more » -
Not counting the chance to hang out with owner and raconteur Cliff Livingston, the top reason for a visit to Capitola’s cozy wine bar is the long list of tasting flights available every day. After all, sampling a trio of 2-oz pours of intriguing domestic and global wines can help expand any palate, from beginner to aficionado. “I really like to let people enjoy the wines without a lot of direction,” says Livingston, whose smile is as broad as his shoulders. “Once they start tasting and like a wine, if they want a real discussion, I’ll be happy to talk about it as much and in as much depth as they want. But I believe they shouldn’t be bombarded with data.” Read more » -
It was a dark and stormy night when we cozied in to La Posta to sample a menu newly invigorated by chef Katherine Stern. Bringing an impressive resumé to the Italian cuisine at the restaurant, Stern’s touch was immediately evident. Although her designer portfolio includes San Francisco, Ireland and Italy, including a two-star Michelin kitchen in Montemerano, Italy, her approach is also seasoned by two years at a small hotel dining room in Scotland. Read more » -
Lou Caviglia has done a great job over the years of knowing exactly who his clientele is, what his patrons want and how to sail safely through fashion trends and economic turbulence. Clouds does a fine job making the cocktail set feel right at home, and it has devised a surefire menu of crowd-pleasers loaded with seafoods, steaks and high-flavor small plates. Our dining quartet met at the bar last week and, with one eye on the NFL game above the bar, we started with glasses of Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard Petite Syrah ($10) and some wicked caramel appletinis ($8). Read more » -
Most vegetables, left to their own devices, won’t slide easily into a flavor partnership with wine. That’s because flora in general, and green veggies in particular, bring their own herbal, grassy, sometimes even metallic bitter tones to the table. Wines, on the other hand, love to partner with flavors that offer fruit, meatiness, butter, olive oil—in other words, rich, strong, earthy attitudes. Vegetables are known for other, well, virtues. And that means, as many chefs know all too well, that it can be challenging to make a wine-friendly dish of brussels sprouts or asparagus. Read more » -
Even though its original founders are gone, Real Thai Kitchen is still capable of creating authentic dishes laced with the enduring flavors of chili, basil, ginger and garlic. On a recent excursion to the Midtown eatery, the three of us had our mouths set for spice. And spice is what we got, punctuated by some unremarkable standards. Oddly enough, our dinner at Real Thai went against the general rule that appetizers are always more interesting than entrees. Read more » -
Mornings at Black China Bakery are filled with the insistent hissing of the espresso machine and perfumed by the aromas of fresh pastry. Fabled for its incomparable dark chocolate cake and addictive cranberry scones, Black China morphed into a café a while back and began serving lunches that were pretty, organic and, yes, vegetarian. Now the boho space on Soquel Drive has taken another plunge. Hoping to appeal to sophisticated vegans and vegetarians, the Café is now open for dining until 9pm Thursday through Saturday. Read more » -
For the finicky gastronome on your list, nothing will do but the best. In a word—wine! That’s right, vino, especially something with a concept behind it. Here’s an example. You’re going to a holiday party at your friend’s house. That friend is watching her budget these days and has been languishing on a steady diet of cheapo Argentine wines from Trader Joe’s. Brighten her day with a very nicely made bottle of pinot noir from the Santa Cruz Mountains—say, something in the key of licorice and plums from Windy Oaks, Vine Hill, Alfaro and/or Storrs. These will run you anywhere from $30 to $45, but Christmas comes but once a year, no? Read more » -
The season’s ritual dinners cry out for just the right wine to match the entrée. Let me start out with a sure-fire concept—champagne. If all else fails, never forget that a crisp, dry bubbly goes with any and every food. So if you’re feeling gastronomically lazy or just can’t decide what to serve, either a decent French champagne (Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot, Roederer—all will do nicely), or a well-made California sparkler such as Gloria Ferrer, Schramsberg or our own local Equinox, will carry the entire meal from smoked almonds to pumpkin pie. But for those who enjoy the hunt for a wine to go with appetizers, another to go with the turkey, or lamb, or roast beef, and yet another for the cheese course—here are some solid ideas to get you started. Read more » -
Various chefs have paved the way for Avanti’s current helmsman Benjamin Sims, who continues the high standards that, once set, have never faltered. At the top of every Westsider’s go-to list for reliable luxury at moderate prices, Avanti , with its fetching wine list and warm ambience, delivers again. And again. Read more » -
Most people go for the plush velour couches, the sparkling firelight and the romantic deck. Oh, and let’s not forget the sophisticated lineup of cocktails. But we went to dine, and we were happy with the overall results. Read more » -
By now, we all know that the Santa Cruz Mountains are home to dozens of small artisanal wineries. And many have heard that on certain weekends the wineries host big events called Passport days. But some folks still aren’t quite sure what this Passport program is all about. So let’s get started.
Four times a year (the third Saturdays of January, April, July and November), members of the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association open their tasting rooms and wineries to the public. Here’s why that matters: Many of these wineries aren’t open to the public most of the year, and these open house days allow wine lovers to visit the wineries, meet eccentric winemakers, tour the cellars and sample and purchase rare, limited and new varietals created by our local vintners. Read more » -
I’m no stranger to pumpkin pie. When I owned and operated a small pumpkin pie business after college, I experimented widely, trying countless permutations on the basic theme. I thought I knew most everything there is to know about pumpkin pie. But walking around a night market in Bangkok, Thailand recently, I had an experience that turned my concept of pumpkin pie inside-out. Read more » -
This year's San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition gave gold medals to the Storrs 2007 Santa Cruz Mountain and the 2007 Stu Miller Vineyard chardonnays. It was an exciting honor for local winemakers Steve and Pamela Storrs, but it was hardly an unprecedented one. Peer awards are typical for this poised winery started up on a proverbial shoestring 20 years ago by the husband-and-wife team of UC Davis-trained oenologists. Read more » -
Small and intimate, an attractive assortment of artwork adorning the coral-hued walls, this little Sri Lankan dining room makes a special invitation to those who like vegetarian dining. But there is plenty of lamb and chicken on offer as well.
Service is warm and sporadic, almost as if patrons had dropped into a private home where not every aspect of dinner is ready at the same time. Still, timing is important in the culinary world, as in other domains of life, and it’s difficult to feel that the management is entirely in control of its operation when entrees arrive before appetizers and food arrives before drinks. Read more » -
The seasons each take turns showing up on the earthenware plates of Avanti. Beet raviolis in winter and fava beans and lamb in the spring. An astonishing creation of lentils, pancetta and roast brussel sprouts has winter patrons coming back for more. And heirloom tomatoes, shell beans and padron peppers splash gorgeous colors throughout Ben Sims’ late harvest menu. A fixture at several of the local farmers markets, Avanti’s chef fills his creation with the freshest items from local fields and orchards. “And at least one day a week I try to go to the City, or to the East Bay,” he says. While there, Sims goes to eat, hooking up with former colleagues from Pizzaiolo and Chez Panisse and sampling new ideas from the kitchens he most respects. Read more » -
Seated across the street from where my grandfather’s house once stood, I soaked up the view of redwood slopes sunning in the late summer afternoon. I was, of course, at Scopazzi’s, a roadhouse legend at the bend of Big Basin Way. And it was gratifying, in a world that changes by the minute, to find that this durable landmark still does things in a gracious way. Mountain hospitality is always the special of the house, and I’ll swear the ghost of my uncle Bud, a Scopazzi’s regular for decades, was seated down at the end of the bar, sipping a Scotch while his steak cooked on the grill. Read more » -
On the Menu: Calamari with squid ink risotto, savory bread pudding with kale and lemon relish, braised beef short ribs with creamy polenta and gremolata.
It was his cooking partners from Oliveto in Oakland who made Damani Thomas an offer he couldn't refuse: come on down to cook for a year or so at our new place in Santa Cruz. The place was Oswald. Thomas agreed, fell in love with the town and thought, "Why not try it for a little while?" That was 15 years ago. Read more » -
On the Menu: House-made gnocchi with Point Reyes goat cheese ragout, raspberry vinaigrette ricotta salata.
Brad Briske's path to hand-butchered charcuterie began unexpectedly. "I would have kept snowboarding, but it didn't make any money," the chef of Gabriella Café confesses, recalling his youthful days on the slopes of his native Lake Tahoe and New Zealand. "My girlfriend suggested I go into cooking, but I was a vegan and didn't want to have to cut up meat," he says. Read more » -
On the Menu: Slow-roasted pork shoulder with pecorino polenta and braised greens, whole fried rock cod with sweet corn, roasted dry-farmed tomato soup with torn bread and crème fraîche.
During his three-month stint at Noma, a two-Michelin-star Danish restaurant regarded as one of the best in the world, Charlie Parker realized he'd had enough of fine dining restaurants. Eating in other star-bestowed restaurants around Europe added to the feeling Read more » -
Tom Vinolus always loved cooking, but he wanted to be a concert promoter—until he realized he wouldn’t be able to work for himself. Two and a half years at the Hilton in Irvine, a degree at the Culinary Institute of America and a coveted job at Charlie Palmer’s Aureole in New York set him up with the skills to match his imagination and ambition. He headed back to California, and after a stint as pastry chef at Casanova in Carmel, Vinolus bought Zanzibar, several doors down from O’Mei. The bistro concept carried over to Bittersweet, his popular Aptos restaurant, which has gained a loyal following for its consistent quality and spectacular desserts. Read more » -
Armed with a culinary degree from Philadelphia Restaurant School, experience cooking in major hotels on the East Coast, and a passion for golf, Michael Alonzo came to California five years ago, and has been Chef at Pasatiempo Golf Club’s Hollins House Restaurant ever since. Read more » -
It's possible that the road of temptation is paved with caprese salads. Come late summer, who can resist the allure of sliced heirloom tomatoes joined by creamy mozzarella, the licoracy perfume of fresh basil and a dressing of olive oil and balsamic? Not us. Read more » -
Potatoes at breakfast are usually gratuitous, a starchy way of filling up the plate, a carbo-charged afterthought. The potatoes at Hoffman’s are worth eating right down to the last bite. We discovered this happy fact, and more, last week at a post-workout breakfast that left us full and satisfied. Read more » -
Oil paintings line the graceful rooms, white cloths and fresh flowers top the tables. Owner Paul Cocking greets guests, pours wine. Brad Briske's team rocks the kitchen. And between a fine lineup of California wines and a nightly menu showcasing local specialty items, this is arguably the best dining in town. Read more » -
The sunny sesort that is the Dream Inn still perches like a golden sandcastle along West Cliff Drive. Only now, the spectacular view of wharf and waves is available through the picture windows of Aquarius. Chef Philippe Breneman, formerly of Ventana Inn and most recently of Paragon in San Jose, is at the helm of the playfully modernist dining room, creating dishes as lovely as the sleek orange and sand-toned interior. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner--and for stylish cocktails just about any time you want them--the hotel's revamped dining room offers casually elegant (think San Francisco) fare designed to tempt locals and satiate visitors. Read more » -
After many terrific meals at La Mission over the years, a recent breakfast and lunch left us with mixed feelings. We enjoyed our classic huevos rancheros ($7.95), topped with a very tangy chile sauce and accompanied by oceans of voluptuous refried beans. The eggs in my order were perfectly cooked over medium, allowing all that rich, yellow yolk to run into the beans and salsa. Read more » -
We've come a long way since those youthful picnics with a trusty bottle of introductory wine in the form of Mateus or Lancers Rosé. Nonetheless, when the weather gets warm there's no denying the appeal of pink wine. Rosés have been with us since the post-war era of easy-sippin' outdoor dining. The theory was that if some like red wine and others like white wine, hopefully everybody would enjoy a wine that appeared to be somewhere in between. And today's blush wines--rosés--actually are able to hold their own equally well with seafoods, ripe cheeses and barbecued pork. Read more » -
A few nights ago my three cronies and I got serious about seafood--at Hawgs. First off, we attacked a platter of crab and shrimp quesadilla ($12), which came sliced into in easy-access wedges, along with three dipping sauces of tomatillo salsa, tomato salsa and sour cream. Ripe avocado topped each triangle of toasted flour tortilla. The quesadilla served as a warm-up, along with a glass of Ridge Three Valleys zin blend ($9), a frosty Peroni beer ($5) and a Hibiscus (involving plenty of tequila, $8). Our conversation gained traction just as more food arrived. Great staff at Hawgs, let it be noted. Read more » -
The Sepia label is framed by a creamy border. Against the dark brown field, embossed with a watermark of grape clusters, floats an atmospheric view of Vine Hill, the vineyards in the foreground overlooking a procession of mountain ridges. Fog settles in the valleys below, watched over by a few iconic oaks. The words "Vine Hill" at the top, and "Santa Cruz Mountains" along the bottom, are embossed in gold. It is an elegant, appealing and site-specific wine label. Read more » -
After three meals at the very new, very smart Cellar Door Café in the Bonny Doon Vineyard tasting room, I only wish I could dine there every Friday. On one occasion, I sampled a range of what chef Charlie Parker has up his wunderkind sleeve--from pork belly topped with house-smoked salmon roe to a salad of local greens, multicolored beets, fennel, hazelnuts and pecorino. Desserts included warm olive oil cake and stewed apricots and lemon poundcakes layered with organic strawberries and rose-scented cream. The flavor-driven list of small plates--applewood-smoked fingerling potatoes with aioli, pizzas du jour, cheese plates, cured seafoods--is available daily from noon on. But it's the three-course, prix fixe cafe menu that captures my attention. Read more »
