The best things I ate and drank in Santa Cruz County in April

“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 culinary treats that are playful and, at times, exuberant. 

Upon reflection, perhaps it was my first encounter with Tostilocos at La Michoacana Paleteria y Neveria in Watsonville that 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. At Emerald Mallard in Felton, I came for a burger but left delighted by towering slices of sourdough served alongside a shamrock-green compound butter. 

At Cat & Cloud’s Westside Santa Cruz location, a luxurious French toast changed my perception of what was possible at a coffeehouse. And is there anything more adorable than the fruit-shaped desserts launched last week at Sugar Bakery in Soquel? 

Even the fat, plump spring rolls at Dharma’s Restaurant in Capitola sparked joy – for health, for sustaining local businesses and for balancing out the indulgences throughout the rest of the month. 

I only recently realized that antojitos are all around me, and the world is suddenly more beautiful. These “little cravings” are Mexican street foods that are anything but demure, encompassing a collection of vividly colorful paletas, fresh fruit swimming in sweet cream, wide pizza-like chicharrones topped with avocado, crema and hot sauce, and mango sorbet swirled with fluorescent chamoy. 

La Michoacana Paleteria y Neveria on Freedom Boulevard in Watsonville – one of three locations in the city – offers antojitos, including the rather insane-sounding Tostilocos ($10). To prepare, the server cuts open a bag of salsa verde-flavored Tostitos, then heaps the chips with diced cucumber, mango and jicama, squiggly pickled pork skin, round and shatteringly crunchy Japanese peanuts, and healthy squirts of chile. It’s a texture funhouse, simultaneously spicy and cooling, and impossible to enjoy without a satisfied smile.

Visitors to Emerald Mallard in Felton seeking lacy-edged smash burgers and fried chicken sandwiches might not realize that chef Lance Ebert’s other passion is bread. Before establishing the tavern at the old Cremer House on Highway 9 – an address he cohabits with Humble Sea Brewing Co., which manages the bar – Ebert earned a following as SC Bread Boy selling cannolis and focaccia. At Emerald Mallard, he offers fat boules of sourdough, and occasionally baguettes and other French loaves. 

The bread and butter ($10) on the menu bears as much resemblance to a basket of lukewarm rolls as a Christian Louboutin high heel does to a flip-flop. Impossibly tall slices of sourdough, both airy and structured, are seared to golden brown, and served with a springy green garlicky compound butter and smoky sea salt. Simultaneously decadent and humble, it shouldn’t be overlooked. 

Viral food trends are usually something you have to leave Santa Cruz County to find, like Asian grocery stores and affordable housing. But last week one came to Soquel when baker Ela Crawford launched a line of chocolate-coated fruit-shaped desserts at Sugar Bakery in Soquel. The trompe-l’oeils – French for “deceive the eyes” – are molded and painted to resemble real fruits and nuts, and filled with flavored mousse and fresh fruit, chocolate or crumbled cookie. 

The cartoonish treats are shaped into 12 palm-sized molds, including raspberries, strawberries, peanuts and passionfruit, that are simultaneously mouth-watering and almost too beautiful to eat. The vividly colored chocolate shell gives a satisfying crunch before your teeth sink into airy mousse flavored like peanut butter, coffee or coconut, depending on the design. The center might be filled with chocolate, crumbled cookies or jam. 

The mango ($11), painted rosy and yellow, was a standout. Because Crawford uses real fruit to flavor each dessert, it tasted like biting into a perfectly ripe mango. Surprisingly, the banana ($7) was a close second; the cookie crumble in the center reminded me of banana cream pie. 

Dharma’s co-owner Yogi Shapiro, whose father founded the longstanding vegetarian eatery in 1986, sent out a call for help in early April, asking fans to stop in for a meal if they wanted to see the restaurant continue. The community rushed in for robust meat-free mainstays like kitchari soup, international stir-fries and hearty burritos, and offered Shapiro feedback on how to uplift the old-school spot. 

I stopped in, too, and rather than order my beloved tempeh Reuben – which earned a place on my list of best sandwiches in the county – I went for another classic: the fresh spring rolls with tangy peanut sauce ($14.95). These fat rolls are listed as an appetizer, but, like many of Dharma’s well-proportioned meals, made a satisfying lunch. Crunchy veggies rolled with tofu, dipped into a tangy-sweet and silky peanut sauce, it reminded me that some of the best things about Dharma’s don’t need to change. 

Coffeehouses across the county are expanding their menus beyond avocado toast, with chef-driven all-day menus, offering everything from Turkish eggs to breakfast gnocchi.

Cat & Cloud coffee was at the forefront of this industrywide trend locally when it opened its Swift Street location on Santa Cruz’s Westside in 2020. With a full kitchen and culinary staff of 20, it offers a seasonal menu of breakfast items like overnight oats and lunchy sandwiches and salads. 

Far and away its most popular item is the breakfast burrito; the location sells around 1,200 a week, retail manager Herman Madrigal told me. But the French toast is another hit that I can’t get off my mind. Thick, tender sandwich slices from Manresa Bread are soaked and griddled until silky and custardy, and served with tangy fruit syrup and whipped cream. My first bite was so good it gave me pause, and has not left my mind since. 

Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.