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.
… Over the past year, I spotlighted a tender tri-tip sandwich at LG Meats in Capitola, Italian paninis at Bottega del Lago in Live Oak, and focaccia sandwiches stuffed with seasonal ingredients from farmers market stall Melrose Café. At some point, it felt like a guide to the best sandwiches in the area was practically writing itself.
So for the past month, I combined crowdsourced suggestions from readers with my own knowledge of the area, then spent several weeks tasting each one. I tried more than 25 sandwiches in search of those with star power, something that set them apart from a sea of options. I looked for flavorful ingredients that worked well together, conscious composition, quality bread, and value for the price. Throughout the process, I considered, “If someone had one day in Santa Cruz and they wanted a great sandwich for lunch, would I send them here?” Only sandwiches with a clear “yes” made it on the list.
The result is my guide to the 15 best sandwiches in Santa Cruz County. I hope you enjoy it and discover a new favorite!
The hardest part about making these guides is readers who are disappointed that their favorite spot didn’t make the cut. I aim to update these lists at least every couple of years (I think the burger guide I released last year is due for a redux …) so feel free to send me to your sandwich spot for future coverage – my inbox is always open.
… El Frijolito, one of Watsonville’s most beloved Mexican restaurants, reopened last week after closing for a remodel more than two years ago. This week, I’ll chat with owner Sergio Carrera about the restaurant’s expansion – and yes, the famed “hole in the wall” takeout window is operational again, too.
… On Saturday, Portland-based Nico’s Real Fruit Ice Cream opened a location at 111 Locust St. in downtown Santa Cruz, its fourth after two shops in Oregon and a third location on Cannery Row in Monterey that opened in early October. I stopped by the soft opening on Friday for a swirled cone of Nico’s New Zealand-style ice cream, a vanilla ice cream base blended with your choice of frozen fruit into a smooth soft serve. I topped my strawberry swirl with spicy tajín and sour chamoy. Other toppings include graham cracker dust, coconut flakes and rainbow sprinkles. Cones range from $6 to $8.
… New Leaf Community Markets opened the doors to its newest and largest grocery store in the King’s Plaza Shopping Center in Capitola on Saturday. I visited the store at a preview on Thursday evening, and was impressed with new additions like a larger bulk section, at least twice as many prepared food options, including a barbecue station and a poke bowl station, and a greater range of products, from the butcher department to the dairy section – seriously, I probably counted at least 25 different kinds of milk.
At the coffee bar, customers can take fresh juice home in reusable glass bottles, and return them for a discount. The bakery also offers custom cakes and has a cookie warmer station for chocolate chip cookies. And, the store has the locally based chain’s largest self-care department, with an emphasis on environmentally friendly beauty products.
Check out this story from October for more info on the new store. And, I’m told this is a good example of what to expect from the River Street location that the company is planning to open sometime next year.
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ON THE MENU
Ask 10 chefs how they define “sustainable” and “local” seafood, and you’ll get 10 different answers. These terms don’t have a standard definition, and can be nebulous at best and deceptive at worst. I wondered, is there a way for diners to make informed decisions about their tuna or trout without resorting to the unappetizing task of Googling every item on the menu? I spoke to distributors and chefs about how to decipher restaurant menus, and the challenges to sourcing fish with a low environmental footprint.
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
Come celebrate Lookout’s fourth year in the community at Lookout Santa Cruz’s anniversary party at our downtown office this Thursday. We’ll toast to our successes over the past year – including our Pulitzer Prize win – and plans for the future, new products, our upcoming expansion to the Eugene-Springfield area in Oregon, and our ongoing educational programs, Lookout in the Classroom.
This event is for Lookout members, partners and their guests only. Become a member today to join the festivities! RSVP here.
LIFE WITH THE BELLIS
Longtime readers of this newsletter will know that lately I’ve had a lackluster relationship with Thanksgiving. I love the holiday, but with two tiny children – Marco is 3 and Cecilia is 1½ – the amount of work it takes to create the feast has felt overwhelming, and the results haven’t met my expectations. Something has been off, and I want to fix it so I can go back to enjoying myself.
This year, my husband, Mike, and I decided to chuck tradition. Instead of the usual meal – which I never really liked all that much, if I’m being honest – we’re creating what I’m calling a “fall Italian feast with Thanksgiving vibes.” The meal will start with some antipasti snacks and prosecco, then a pasta course (I’m thinking winter squash-stuffed ravioli with brown butter and sage). Instead of turkey, we’re making a porchetta stuffed with porcini and apples, served with a Sicilian orange, fennel and olive salad, plus fried Roman artichokes for sides, followed by some Italian pastries from a local bakery. I haven’t looked forward to Thanksgiving this much in years.
FOOD NEWS WORTH READING
➤ Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and some wellness influencers claim that refined oils such as corn oil, sunflower oil and canola oil are ruining our health. But nutritionists say the science is more nuanced, and, while these oils are often seen in processed foods that can be unhealthy, the oils themselves aren’t necessarily to blame. (The New York Times)
➤ Once a quintessential American business, chain restaurants including Red Lobster, Buca di Beppo, TGI Fridays and Denny’s are filing for bankruptcy or closing stores across the county. The culprits: cost-conscious customers eating out less often or choosing less expensive dining options, and rising labor costs have taken a bite of the bottom line. (Time)