Dining in and around Santa Cruz?

[pleiades]

So it looks like I'm heading to Santa Cruz for a couple of days of wine biz touring. I tried doing a search, but the engine doesn't like "santa" or "cruz" for some reason. Anything worth checking out for dinner?

[Gifted Gourmet]

Good Times Dining Guide for Santa Cruz

In a few minutes, literally, you will have a myriad of suggestions from both Tana Butler and from me, as well as others, on some incredibly fine dining! Will include the websites so you can read and savor the menus ...

Metroactive Santa Cruz dining guide

Edited July 29, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[rshorens]

Here are a few of my personal favorites(I've lived and worked in Santa Cruz for 25 years):

Dinner: Bittersweet Bistro in Aptos(fish)

Theo's in Soquel(California/country French)

Casablanca near the Boardwalk/Santa Cruz wharf(ocean view)

Lunch or dinner

Omei on Mission Street on the Westside(Chinese)lunch or dinner

Crow's Nest near yacht harbor(fish- touristy but great view)lunch &dinner

Cafe Bella Napoli on Water Street near downtown(Italian)

Picnics:

Takeout from Gayle's Bakery & Rosticceria in Soquel

Enjoy your trip!

Best regards,

Roz

[milla]

In Santa Cruz:

Oswald Bistro (downtown) great food.

Soif Wine Bar (downtown), new chef, great small plates, great wine list fairly priced

Avanti (Mission St) simple and good menu. emphasis on organics and local. great wine list

Don't forget Manresa in nearby Los Gatos...

[Gifted Gourmet]

Don't forget Manresa in nearby Los Gatos...

I wanted to say Manresa but waited for your input, Chef!

I agree on Bittersweet Bistro and Oswald and Avanti and Gabriella and OMei ...

However, I thought that Cafe Bella Napoli and Soif were way overpriced for what I had there ...

[milla]

I wanted to say Manresa but waited for your input, Chef! 

Well, We are not in Santa Cruz but not far away. You do have to make that twisty drive over 17 in the mountains... Still it is about 30 minutes door to door...

[Gifted Gourmet]

Well, We are not in Santa Cruz but not far away. You do have to make that twisty drive over 17 in the mountains... Still it is about 30 minutes door to door...

Twisty drive, eh? There is always highway 9 which is a real horror of curves and bends snaking through the mountains ... by comparison, Highway 17 is a piece of cake ... but a 'gateau of anxiety' to the uninitiated ...

Irrespective of how you get there, Santa Cruz is a restaurant lovers' paradise ... and all of the suggestions are well worth heeding .. except that the well-fed individual, pleiades, must, ultimately, drag himself back to reality ...

[tanabutler]

Pleiades, I hope you have a fabulous time. Along with dining suggestions, may I recommend a trip to Soquel Vineyards? I tasted some of their wines recently and they are as good as anything I've had at 23 Outstanding in the Field farm dinners. If you are in Soquel, Theo's is a fine place, though on the "expensive" (ha, for Santa Cruz, that is) side.

My favorite restaurant in town is Oswald, closely followed by Ristorante Avanti and Gabriella Café. Neither Avanti nor Oswald have web sites (and they haven't hired me yet!), but I can tell you that all three are sustained by the local farmers markets. I know all the chefs, and they personally shop at the Wednesday market.

You might read the story of the blackmailing babysitter to get an idea about how I feel about why the food scene is as good as it is in Santa Cruz.

Gayle's Bakery and Rosticceria is a treasure, and is always worth a visit. (I recommend getting food to go, though, as it can be deafening in there, especially if you make the mistake of sitting under the speaker where they call the numbers.)

Do you need suggestions for lodgings, too? Feel free to PM me if you like; it seems to be my purpose in life to hook people up with the good things around here, and I love doing it.

Lastly, let me endorse the idea of going to Manresa. I think I will be there on Saturday night with another eGulleteer, and it makes me happy to think so. David Kinch is a (close your eyes, Chef) bloody genius and his food will simply blow you away. They don't call him "the Thomas Keller of the South Bay" for nothing, I promise.

Manresa thread at eGullet

Again, feel free to PM me with any specific questions. Are you working the whole time, or do you have a chance to socialize? We could meet for a glass of wine at Soif, if you want.

Edited July 30, 2004 by tanabutler (log)

[pleiades]

Thanks one and all for the help. I'm a wine saleman here in MD. It's going to be a group trip, and we are relegated to visiting the wineries we represent in the area: Justin, David Bruce, Wente, Steven Kent, and Gravity Hills. We're staying in Livermore and then jumping to the Seacliff Inn (??)

I'd love to take up your offer at Soif, but I don't know how much my schedule will be my own, traveling, as I am, in a group with 2 minivans.

I DO know we have two open dinner nights in Santa Cruz, and I want to avoid a default trip to Outback or some other nonsense. Thanks again!

Edited July 30, 2004 by pleiades (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

I want to avoid a default trip to Outback or some other nonsense.

No Outback dares to display its evil head within the perimeter of Santa Cruz, I can assure you! The general feeling in dining that I have found, is mostly about individualism, creativity, and a passion among the locals in the food business for interesting cuisine ... and absolute freshness is a cherished value here as well .. prepare to enjoy the laid back (not Outback) ambiance .. it is always that which I most treasure every time I visit Santa Cruz!

[tanabutler]

Santa Cruz has chain restaurants (but the Red Lobster went belly-up). The best chain in town is, hands down, Armadillo Willy's BBQ, right off Highway 1 on 41st Avenue. I'm not such a snoot that I won't darken their doors (besides, it's about three blocks from my house). A girl has to get her BBQ fix somewhere. (There is also Cole's, which is great but not close to me.)

David Bruce is just wonderful. And Wente provided the wine at the farm dinner with Alice Waters in Frog Hollow Farm's peach orchard.

Isn't Justin down in Paso Robles?

Hope you have a wonderful time. All the places I recommended have great wine lists. You'll be in good hands, regardless.

[ludja]

The best chain in town is, hands down, Armadillo Willy's BBQ, right off Highway 1 on 41st Avenue. I'm not such a snoot that I won't darken their doors (besides, it's about three blocks from my house). A girl has to get her BBQ fix somewhere.

Armadillo Willy's is a small chain--but a local one with most of its restaurants in Silicon Valley. It's been around for ~ 20 years and is actually pretty good.

Here's the link with more info including their menu: armadillo willy's

p.s. David Bruce is one of my favorite local wineries...

[pleiades]

Yea we'll haul down to Paso for the day; looks like we have 2 nights in SC, so it seems Oswald and Avanti are targets for wine savvy diners from the east. Organic a plus.

[tanabutler]

Yea we'll haul down to Paso for the day; looks like we have 2 nights in SC, so it seems Oswald and Avanti are targets for wine savvy diners from the east. Organic a plus.

After you have dinner at Oswald, you can walk a few blocks down the Pacific Garden Mall (it's a lovely stroll) and have gelato at GelatoMania Café. They are also a member of CASCC (Culinary Alliance of Santa Cruz), and they're open until 10 PM or 11 PM every night.

Edited July 30, 2004 by tanabutler (log)

[slbunge]

This thread about Santa Cruz makes me wonder...is the Pink Godzilla is still around? I had one of those 'meals that turns your life around' there about, er, 10 or 11 years ago when some friends were living there. I have no idea if the food was outstanding compared to other sushi places in the area but, at the time, I was a midwestern rube and sushi virgin. I think I'll remember that meal for a long time (cue the wistful looks and string instruments playing quietly in the background).

Anyway, just curious.

Edited July 30, 2004 by slbunge (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

This thread about Santa Cruz makes me wonder...is the Pink Godzilla is still around?

this might be still around ... it is on 41st Avenue in Capitola and Tana Butler will know of the present state of the place ... open or closed .. it did look great in this review!

[tanabutler]

Pink Godzilla was our date place when Bob and I first met, back in the early Nineties. I am sad to say it but we don't particularly like going there so much any more. It's seen better days. My chief complaint is that owner/chef Mitzu is not there as much as he used to be. It's unbearably rowdy most of the time, and often with drunks in the tatami rooms who should have been cut off a great many sakes ago. Also, a chef I know says she heard they re-use their ginger (off customers' plates).

If you want good sushi, go to Shogun downtown. It's the finest.

[pleiades]

Just a follow up-

Turns out my manager had already made dinner reservations for all 3 nights we were there. Luckily, the first night was Oswald. My dinner was delicious, the best meal of the trip. And the best wine, too, with apologies to the places we visited: Bollinger NV, 2000 Dageneau Pouilly-Fume and 2001 Alban Grenache.

The next 2 nights were dreadful; some place you have to take a tram to get to, 1st date/Mother's Day/ cookie cutter wedding kind of place with a wine list written by whatever Sunbelt distributor is in the area. Heavy banal food. Then some Gringo mexican place called Palapas in Aptos I think. Refried beans out of a can, ceviche featuring imitation crab, etc. Wish I had been able to talk her out of those places, but she was pretty attached to the idea of honoring the rezzies.

On a side note, we had lunch at a place called Lido; I don't remember the town, but the digs were on the water and the food was very good.

Thanks again for all the help; there was almost a mutiny on the third night from a contingent of us who either wanted to go back to Oswald or strike out for Manresa (which Steven Kent recommended).

Edited August 5, 2004 by pleiades (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

Luckily, the first night was Oswald. My dinner was delicious, the best meal of the trip. And the best wine, too, with apologies to the places we visited: Bollinger NV, 2000 Dageneau Pouilly-Fume and 2001 Alban Grenache.

Thanks again for all the help; there was almost a mutiny on the third night from a contingent of us who either wanted to go back to Oswald or strike out for Manresa (which Steven Kent recommended).

Glad the trip was generally positive foodwise for you .. yes, Oswald is terrific and I am pleased that you enjoyed it ... don't know about the other two though ... and, yes, Manresa is one of the best choices one can possibly make in that area! Thanks for the followup!

[tanabutler]

Just a follow up-

Turns out my manager had already made dinner reservations for all 3 nights we were there. Luckily, the first night was Oswald. My dinner was delicious, the best meal of the trip. And the best wine, too, with apologies to the places we visited: Bollinger NV, 2000 Dageneau Pouilly-Fume and 2001 Alban Grenache.

The next 2 nights were dreadful; some place you have to take a tram to get to, 1st date/Mother's Day/ cookie cutter wedding kind of place with a wine list written by whatever Sunbelt distributor is in the area. Heavy banal food. Then some Gringo mexican place called Palapas in Aptos I think. Refried beans out of a can, ceviche featuring imitation crab, etc. Wish I had been able to talk her out of those places, but she was pretty attached to the idea of honoring the rezzies.

On a side note, we had lunch at a place called Lido; I don't remember the town, but the digs were on the water and the food was very good.

Thanks again for all the help; there was almost a mutiny on the third night from a contingent of us who either wanted to go back to Oswald or strike out for Manresa (which  Steven Kent recommended).

The tram place you went to is the Shadowbrook. The chef there has just insisted on becoming organic, which is a good thing in this county. What night of the week were you there? (I had a great meal there in January or so. Everything was perfect but the cheese plate, which had packaged crackers with it. If I wanted those, I'd go to Costco.)

Lido is on the Esplanade in Capitola. I'm glad if it was good; I'd have gone to the Paradise Grill if I were down there, or to Il Pirata (great Italian food).

And I am delighted you had a good experience at Oswald. They are so attentive to every detail. What did you have?

Next time, you must go to Manresa, too. And be blown away. (Chef Eric Lau, at Oswald, and chef David Kinch, at Manresa, are good friends. I like that!)

[pleiades]

Yesssss......Shadowbrook. I guess it was an off night. I wasn't in the mood for Prime Rib, heaps of pasta, etc.

At Oswald I had the summer vegetable medley, which was just about perfect. Crispy but not raw, warm and flavorful but not overcooked. Followed that with the duck confit and mopped up with the fresh figs. Killer food, good list, attentive but not overbearing service, a home run in my book. For the record, our service at Shadowbrook was exemplary as well.

[tanabutler]

Yesssss......Shadowbrook. I guess it was an off night. I wasn't in the mood for Prime Rib, heaps of pasta, etc.

At Oswald I had the summer vegetable medley, which was just about perfect. Crispy but not raw, warm and flavorful but not overcooked. Followed that with the duck confit and mopped up with the fresh figs. Killer food, good list, attentive but not overbearing service, a home run in my book. For the record, our service at Shadowbrook was exemplary as well.

Yeah, I don't think "prime rib" when I dine out in Santa Cruz. For what it's worth, you can get P L Bar Ranch beef at the Hindquarter (a steak house where I've never eaten, though I may now that I know PL's meat is there) or Green Valley Grill in Watsonville. They provided the steaks for a recent farm dinner, and many people at the dinner think it's some of the best meat they've ever had. It rivals any beef I've ever eaten, and that includes 23 farm dinners' worth.

I am very glad you enjoyed Oswald, and I bet the vegetables were wonderful. Damani and Eric have such a good touch. And of course, "duck confit" are two of the most beautiful words in the English language.