Welcome to Lily Belli on Food, a weekly food-focused newsletter from Lookout’s food and drink correspondent, Lily Belli. Keep reading for the latest local food news for Santa Cruz County – plus a few fun odds and ends from my own life and around the web.
… “Fun” is the word that springs to mind while looking back on the best things I ate in April. I sought joy in my food and drink explorations across Santa Cruz County, and discovered a range of playful culinary treats.
My first encounter with Tostilocos at La Michoacana Paleteria y Neveria in Watsonville set the tone for the month. This antojito – Spanish for “little cravings” – is a wild riff on nachos, if instead of cheese you topped the chips with savory, crunchy, spicy and refreshing toppings.
I also indulged in a custardy French toast at Cat & Cloud coffee’s location on Santa Cruz’s Westside, an incredible bread and butter service at Emerald Mallard in Felton, viral fruit-shaped desserts at Sugar Bakery in Soquel – here’s the story on that – and fresh spring rolls at Dharma’s Restaurant in Capitola. Read the best things I ate in April here.
… Restaurants throughout Santa Cruz County are pulling out the white tablecloths for Mother’s Day this Sunday. Here are a few ideas:
La Bahia Hotel & Spa in Santa Cruz is offering a prix fixe brunch menu for $95 for adults, $45 for children at both its sit-down restaurants, High Tide and Low Tide Bar & Grill. The View at Chaminade Resort & Spa is offering a brunch buffet, also $95 for adults and $35 for children 12 and under.
Chocolate in downtown Santa Cruz is giving Mom a 10% discount on a cocktail of her choice with lunch or dinner, and serving Amaretto truffles and chocolate strawberry shortcake.
On Saturday, Venus Spirits is hosting a Mama’s Day Market at the Westside tasting room from 1 to 5 p.m. with handcrafted gifts from local vendors, and brunch on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In Bonny Doon, Sea to Sky Farm is opening its doors on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. with a live bluegrass band, blueberry u-pick and flower bouquet-making station. A $55 ticket includes flowers, food and drinks, and a $35 ticket lets guests enjoy the music.
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… Chaminade Resort & Spa set dates for its annual summer wine dinner series, Vine to View. This monthly event runs through September with a different featured winemaker. Bonny Doon’s Beauregard Vineyards kicked off the season on Friday, and Napa’s Caymus Vineyards is coming up on June 5. Chef Avram Samuels prepared a multicourse feast to pair with several wines.
I attended a Vine to View evening last year, and was impressed with Samuels’ creativity, the quality and quantity of the wines, and the beauty of the dining area overlooking Monterey Bay – they don’t call it “the View” for nothing. Tickets are $155 per person. Find the full schedule here.
… Following a call to the community to visit Dharma’s Restaurant in Capitola to help keep the longstanding vegetarian eatery afloat, owner Yogi Shapiro listened to feedback and ideas from customers on what it could improve. This month, Dharma’s launched a monthly community menu with smaller portions and lower prices between $15 to $18.
The options for May include a half lunch salad plus a soup for $15, a gado gado tofu bowl for $18, a vegan cheese steak sandwich with a side of coleslaw for $17, and two more items.
… The commercial salmon season opened for the first time in three years on Friday, and could potentially run through the end of summer, depending on how quickly fishers reach the strict quotas.
Seek out a local fishmonger if you want the freshest experience of this flavorful catch. H&H Fresh Fish Co. in the Santa Cruz Harbor is offering king salmon for $33 per pound, and salmon collars – fantastic on the grill – for $14 per pound. Ocean2Table, which has a shop on Santa Cruz’s Westside and provides delivery, is selling fillet for $32 per pound, and trim – great for burgers, salmon cakes and poke – for $15 per pound.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Santa Cruz coffeehouses are expanding into full-service dining, adding chef-driven, all-day menus as high-quality coffee becomes standard and less of a differentiator. While some cafés embrace the shift to stand out and draw customers, others stick with simpler offerings, reflecting a split in how the industry is evolving. Read it here.
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
Farm Discovery at Live Earth Farm’s Spring Picnic is this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the idyllic Live Earth Farm in Corralitos. The farm education-based nonprofit hosts this event every year to thank its volunteers, donors and sponsors with lunch, live music, a guided farm tour and a panel of speakers. This year’s speakers are Live Earth Farm founder Tom Broz, Jessy Beckett Parr, chief programs officer at California Certified Organic Farmers, and sustainable agriculture professor Brett Malone. Tickets are free, and donations are welcome.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
My sweet, artistic, thoughtful son, Marco, is 5 years old Tuesday. Turning 5 on the fifth day of the fifth month is a particularly special birthday, so he has enjoyed almost a full week of celebrations, from a beach bonfire birthday with s’mores and pizza, an afternoon at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and popsicles with his class at school.
Tuesday night, for the family birthday dinner, Marco has a very specific meal plan. He wants rigatoni pasta with homemade tomato sauce (the famous three-ingredient Marcella Hazan recipe) and “salad for the grown-ups,” he said. For his cake, he asked for a strawberry-flavored cake with vanilla frosting, and strawberries “that go all around like a castle, and the candle is the flag.”
How could I deny this darling boy anything? I can’t wait to see his face when I bring it out.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ OpenTable lost its way by prioritizing diners over the paying clients: restaurants. High fees, strict contracts, and lagging features drove eateries to rivals like Resy and SevenRooms. After years of frustration, CEO Debby Soo is trying to win them back by refocusing on restaurant needs and overhauling OpenTable’s approach after years of frustration. (Bloomberg/$)
➤ Want to live past 100? A new study on supercentenarian María Branyas Morera, who lived to be 117 years old, shows that gut health might be closely tied to aging. Branyas Morera’s microbiome was unusually diverse, and likely contributed to her longevity, researchers say. (Food & Wine)