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.
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… Sad news for craft beer lovers: New Bohemia Brewing Co. has closed. The Pleasure Point brewery opened nine years ago and specialized in modern takes on traditional European ales and lagers, as well as Western styles like IPAs. Owners Dan and Sarah Satterthwaite did not give a reason for the decision, but expressed their gratitude for their community and a desire to focus on their family. Read more here.
… At the same time, more craft beer has come to South County. Watsonville Public House opened last weekend on Main Street in downtown Watsonville. The nonprofit brewery and taproom offers ales and seasonal beers, and donates a portion of its proceeds to local nonprofits in the Pajaro Valley. More info at watsonville.pub.
… Dharma’s restaurant in Capitola, a staple in the vegetarian and vegan community for more than 40 years, launched a menu refresh a couple of weeks ago. The menu itself has been reorganized and some dishes have been updated, says manager Yogi Shapiro. Portion sizes and prices have been reduced, items like burgers, dogs and sandwiches are now served à la carte, and guests can order meals like the stir frys as a smaller plate or a larger bowl. View the full menu at dharmasrestaurant.com.
… And speaking of vegan eats: Chef Toriano Gordon, owner of plant-based soul food and barbeque restaurant Vegan Mob in Oakland, has written a cookbook, also called “Vegan Mob,” and is coming to Bookshop Santa Cruz on Tuesday, March 26. The event is free but you must register to save a spot. Go to bookshopsantacruz.com for more info.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Earlier this month, Seabright Social in Santa Cruz launched a new gastropub-style menu created by consulting chef Desmond Schneider, formerly of Alderwood and current chef of pop-up Pizza Bones. With standouts like shrimp and grits, a wedge salad and a killer burger, it feels like the restaurant, which has struggled to define itself since it opened in the former Seabright Brewery in 2020, has finally found its stride. Read the full story here.
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
Local nonprofit Monterey Bay Fisheries Trust is holding a fundraising dinner at Madson Wines in Santa Cruz on Thursday, March 7. The menu, created by Latin American chef Diego Felix of Fonda Felix and Colectivo Felix, will focus on locally caught seafood, including a fish paella and a fish empanada. A portion of the proceeds will go toward the trust, which supports our local fisheries and coastal communities. Tickets are $90. More info here.
THIS WEEK, I’M OBSESSED …
… with this list of best food movies from Eater. The list showcases more than 30 films where food is the focus or plays a central role in the plot. There are crowd-pleasers like “Chocolat,” “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” “Chef” and “Julie and Julia,” and some more niche classics like “Spirited Away,” “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” and “Sideways.” It also includes some of my favorite food movies, including “Goodfellas,” “Like Water for Chocolate” and “Fried Green Tomatoes.” Basically, if you want to pack your streaming queue, take a look. Although, I’m a little surprised that it didn’t include the captivating but very dark and weird 1980s crime drama “The Cook, The Thief, His Wife & Her Lover,” featuring Helen Mirren. Seems like a shoo-in for a list like this. If you liked “The Menu,” check it out.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
My family isn’t that into meal plans. I rarely make the same exact meal twice, and am always changing up even my most formulaic meals depending on what’s in season or needs to be used up in the fridge. But there are two food routines we’ve adopted over the past few months that have become highlights in our week – and neither of them are in any way fancy. One, we get ice cream together every Friday evening. My husband, baby Cecilia and I pick up Marco at preschool and then immediately go to Marianne’s new shop on the Westside. We’re all usually too tired from our week to do much on Friday nights, but getting ice cream has become a great way to kick off the weekend. And, Monday nights have become spaghetti and meatball nights. The start of the week can be hectic and I usually don’t feel like cooking, so I heat up a bag of Trader Joe’s meatballs into a jar of Rao’s sauce and some good pasta. It’s a no-think meal that we all love and allows us to reconnect after a long day.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ The New York Times released two pieces on the dining industry that are worth checking out. In the first, it analyzed 121 menus to get a glimpse of current dining trends, and found caviar, maximalist fried chicken and nostalgic desserts everywhere, and took a look at aesthetics, fonts and branding. And in the second, industry professionals speak candidly about what it’s like to run a restaurant today. (New York Times)
➤ Americans are spending more on food than they have in 30 years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. consumers spent more than 11% of their income on groceries and restaurants in 2022 – the highest percentage since 1991. In general, high food prices, increased labor costs and economic inflation are to blame. (CBS News)