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DRINK THIS: SOMMELIER FLIGHT AT VIN VIVANT
After a pretty sleepy summer, news-wise, this was a big week for Santa Cruz County’s food and drink scene, with stories coming to light across the county.
To recap: After Betty Burger’s downtown Santa Cruz location closed on Sunday, the Seabright location suffered a break-in on Tuesday. It reopened on Wednesday, but owner Laurie Negro is grappling with a $50,000 loss for a new security system, cleaning fees and lost income.
My colleague Jessica M. Pasko reported that New Leaf Community Markets set a date next month – Sept. 27 – for its new River Street store in Santa Cruz to open. And, after two years, Soif Wine owners Andrea Eckhardt and Alexis Carr are embarking on a journey to update the historic Dr. Miller’s building, the former Caffe Pergolesi, into a wine bar.
Coming next week, I’ll have updates on a new pop-up, Death Box, in the former Alderwood space, a collaboration between chefs Lance Ebert of Emerald Mallard in Felton and Santa Cruz native Mikey Adams, as well as the return of former Alderwood chef Jeffrey Wall, now at the helm of Johnny Harborside in the Santa Cruz Harbor.
What a week! Honestly, I wouldn’t mind a glass of wine, which brings me back to a story from Monday on a new Capitola Village wine bar, Vin Vivant. Owners John Haffey and Ryan Cooley, two sommeliers from two-Michelin-starred Aubergine in Carmel, opened this spot in the former Capitola Wine Bar (it closed earlier this month after six years when the owners moved away). Their list includes nearly 1,000 bottles of mostly French wines, particularly from storied regions Burgundy, Champagne and Bordeaux, along with other European and Californian producers.
Despite their fine-dining background, Haffey and Cooley aim to offer expressive wines at a variety of price points. Most of the 20-plus wines by the glass are priced at a reasonable $10 to $14. These wines are also available for a 2-ounce pour for $4 to $7 to encourage people to “taste sustainably,” Cooley told me.
With wines this good, it’s an excuse to be adventurous. I’m going to return for the sommelier’s blind tasting flight ($25), with four pours of mystery wines chosen by the bartender.
115 San Jose Ave. #G, Capitola.
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 food news stories from Lookout that you might have missed.
- At former Caffe Pergolesi site, a new incarnation of Soif takes shape (Lookout)
- New Leaf to open expanded Santa Cruz store next month (Lookout)
- Betty Burgers’ Seabright store temporarily closed after major vandalism (Lookout)
- Murray Street Bridge closure delivers fatal blow to Seabright Social (Lookout)
