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.
… New owners Gavin Parsons and Ginny Miller took over the Davenport Roadhouse in July, and have spent the past three months slowly updating the stately restaurant and inn. The rustic, community-focused, tavern-like vibe is the same, but chef Roland “Uncie Ro” Konicke has created a new menu with an emphasis on family-friendly fare made with local produce and ingredients.
“Our goal is to appeal to everyone,” said Konicke, who lives in Davenport. “There are lots of people traveling up and down the coast, and we also want to connect with the community of folks from Bonny Doon, Santa Cruz and Davenport.”
Standout dishes include the Greens & Grains Bowl ($17), with farro, aged provolone and tender local lettuces, and the Cash Smash ($17), an appetizingly messy double smash burger with layers of American cheese, sweet grilled onions and briny caper aioli. Read the full story here.
… Last week, I checked in with Evan Loewy, co-owner of Seaside’s Other Brother Beer Co., on the craft brewery’s new Aptos location in the former Doon to Earth tasting room, next door to Cat & Cloud coffee. He told me that it’s on track to open “by the holidays,” with 22 taps and a food menu of hearty sandwiches, salads and snacks.
“I won’t say which holiday, because I’m not quite sure,” he joked. Read more about the new spot.
… In downtown Santa Cruz, two hospitality veterans are teaming up to open Mane Kitchen & Cocktails in the spot recently vacated by Betty’s Eat Inn. Chef Desmond Schneider, who most recently led the kitchen at Pete’s in Capitola, and his business partner Julianna Mireles, currently a bartender at the Redroom Cocktail Lounge in downtown Santa Cruz, aim to open the upscale, cocktail-centric lounge by the end of the month with a bistro-style menu of small plates, including oysters, as well as entrees like steak, homemade pasta and fresh seafood.
After 20 years working in Santa Cruz’s hospitality industry, both owners told me that they’re excited to finally have the opportunity to be their own bosses, and to share their decades of experience under their own roof. “It’s an investment for us and for our future, and to bring something to Santa Cruz that no one’s really seen before,” said Mireles. Here’s what’s coming.
… This is the weekend for sensational fall foodie events – all three are happening this Saturday afternoon.
In Santa Cruz, local nonprofit Homeless Garden Project will host an autumn Sustain Supper fundraising dinner at its Natural Bridges Farm. Poet Jane Hirshfield is the keynote speaker, and chef Jozseph Schultz of India Joze fame is returning to prepare a feast with ingredients from the garden. Other vendors include The Penny Ice Creamery, Woodside Vineyards, Living Swell Kombucha and Alta Organic Coffee & Tea. Tickets are $209.93.
In Santa Cruz’s buzzy Westside neighborhood, a chef, a farmer, a brewer and a cider maker are teaming up for an Autumn Pig Roast. Full Steam Dumpling chef Andy Huynh will roast a half hog from Fogline Farm. The event takes place in front of the tasting rooms for Tanuki Cider and Private Press Brewing, where local ciders by Robby Honda and barrel-aged beers and barleywines by brewer Brad Clark will be on draft and in bottles.
Plates are $26 and include pork, macaroni salad, apple-fennel slaw, rice, and ginger scallion sauce and three-chili sauce. A $16 vegetarian plate comes with grilled Jimmy Nardellos, potatoes and leeks, slaw, rice and sauces. There is also a kids plate with teriyaki chicken and rice for $10.
In Corralitos, the fourth annual Uncork Corralitos returns to the Alladin Nursery & Gift Shop. This garden party highlights food, wine, beer and cider made locally. Guests can taste libations from 11 wineries, three breweries and two cideries, and My Mom’s Mole, Chubby’s Tacos, Parker Picks and Pana Food Truck will be on site with food for purchase, plus live music by the Alex Lucero Band.
General-admission tickets with unlimited tasting from 1 to 4 p.m. are $60. VIP tasting tickets with early entry from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and access to a special wine tasting on the patio at nearby Vaquero Winery are an additional $40. This is a fundraiser hosted by Freedom Rotary for BirchBark Foundation, the Salvation Army Watsonville Corps and Boy Scout Troop 505.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
No tax on tips has become part of the U.S. tax code, but experts see limited benefits for California workers. The provision makes taxes more complicated, brings up issues of fairness, and could incentivize customers to tip less. “I would be hard-pressed to think of a stupider tax policy that’s become law,” said Brian Galle, a law professor at UC Berkeley whose focus includes taxes. Read more from Lookout partner CalMatters.
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
Santa Cruz Restaurant Week will return next week. Starting Wednesday, Oct. 22, and running through the following Wednesday, Oct. 29, participating restaurants will offer special three-course menus with choices for an appetizer, entree and dessert, for either $45, $55 or $65, depending on the location. The price includes all three courses but does not include tax, beverages or gratuity.
As of Tuesday, 25 restaurants are signed up across the county, including Hook & Line in downtown Santa Cruz, Pete’s in Capitola and Laughing Monk Brewing in Scotts Valley. More info here.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
I took the day off Monday, and spent most of the afternoon tending to a Bolognese sauce. In the evening, my husband, Mike, and I had our friends over along with their two small children. Their daughter is good friends with my kiddos, Marco, 4, and Cecilia, 2. It was so lovely to welcome them in from the crazy rainstorm to our cozy house, especially since they had worked all day.
While the kids played with every single toy, we drank wine and finished the pasta, and passed around my friend’s 7-month-old baby. After feeding the big kids first, we set them up with a movie in the living room so the adults could actually enjoy their food. In a charming twist, both families had baked cookies that day, so we finished the meal with plenty of sweets.
It was casual, and perfect for a weeknight. Since my life is already messy these days, my attitude toward dinner parties at this phase of life is for guests to come as they are, wine is always welcome, and no, you absolutely do not have to do the dishes.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema retired from his 25-year career last week. After a quarter-century of anonymously covering restaurants and food stories throughout the nation’s capital, Sietsema revealed his identity. He plans to remain connected to the food industry, and hinted at an upcoming project. (The Washington Post)
➤ Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop health empire is coming to the Bay Area. The actress-turned-mogul will open three Goop Kitchen restaurants, in San Jose, Sunnyvale and San Francisco, before the end of the year, with gluten-free menus that include numerous vegan options. (Eater)