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EAT THIS: CRAB SANDWICH AT THE BOARDWALK
If I told you that your next great meal might be waiting for you at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, you probably wouldn’t believe me. Santa Cruz’s iconic seaside amusement park is synonymous with roller coasters and waterfront views, not fine dining – unless you count corn dogs, dipped soft-serve ice cream and funnel cakes.
But you’d be wrong. Like many destinations, including Las Vegas and the Disneyland theme parks, the Santa Cruz Seaside Company — which owns the Boardwalk and runs many of its dining kiosks — and its leading concessionaire, Whitings Foods, have been working toward making food part of the entertainment. Diverse, modern items like Nashville hot chicken sandwiches, Cajun seafood platters and Indian butter chicken have joined hot dogs, turkey legs and kettle corn.
Keep an eye out for several stories that will open your eyes to this new culinary wonderland. But here’s one suggestion I can’t keep to myself: the crab sandwich ($23.95) at Seaside Fish & Chowder, an eatery with ocean-facing windows on the beach side of the Casino Arcade, is one of the best I’ve ever had.
Many of the items at the Boardwalk are nostalgic, but getting something to taste as good as the idealized version in your head can be a challenge. This sandwich nails it. Made on custom bread from Sumano’s Bakery in Watsonville, the slices are brushed with garlic butter and griddled. The crab salad is uncluttered and contains just lemon zest and juice, Old Bay seasoning, a touch of mayonnaise and fresh parsley, layered with two slices of tomato – simple, buttery seaside perfection.
BEST OF THE WEEK AHEAD
Below, find a curated list of the best food and drink events in Santa Cruz County for the coming week. At the top, I share my picks of unmissable local happenings.
NEWS OF THE WEEK
ICYMI – here are the food news stories from Lookout that you might have missed, plus important news from beyond our borders picked by yours truly.
- Three Santa Cruz County food businesses finalists for USA Today’s best in nation (Lookout)
- Farm-to-table trailblazer Jim Denevan returns to his roots with a dinner on Capitola Wharf (Lookout)
- Inside the Vatican’s quietly influential wine scene (Wine Enthusiast)
- Found Treasure: Snack Shack at Lovers Point (Edible Monterey Bay)
