October 4, 2014 - Linda's Seabreeze Cafe - Santa Cruz, California

Eggs Benedict

Huevos  Chipolte   

Orange Poppyseed Pancakes

Breakfast was delicious.  Rose ordered the Eggs Benedict….Neal ordered the  Huevos  Chipolte   and I ordered the Orange Poppyseed Pancakes….three big pancakes covered in dripping butter.  I have never tried anything orange with poppyseed…always lemon…I love poppyseed….I love pancakes…who could go wrong with this.

I tasted Rose’ Eggs Benedict….and it was yummy but I liked the Hollandaise Sauce at the Harbor Café a little better than at Linda’s.  I am definitely coming back to visit because Bacon Waffles are also on the menu…and I love those Bacon Waffles…so I want to try them at Linda’s.

Rose asked me to compare Linda's Seabreeze Cafe and the Harbor Cafe.  The items at the Harbor Cafe are delicious and not your run of the mill breakfast dishes...but the food was just as good at Linda's Seabreeze Cafe..and the menu offerings really outdid the Harbor Cafe.  Neal thinks the wait staff are hotter at the Harbor Cafe.

Linda’s Seabreeze Cafe

542 Seabright Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA    

831-427-9713

Hours:

              Monday - Saturday - Breakfast & Lunch -    6AM - 2PM

              Sunday Brunch - 7AM - 1PM 

October 3, 2014 - Cafe Cruz - Soquel, California

Rose ordered Linguini, Gulf Shrimp & New Bedford Sea Scallops  - fava beans, roasted tomatoes, fresh basil, smoked prosciutto with butter white wine sauce .

Neal ordered -  ½ Garlic Herb garlic aioli  - cooked on the spit.

I ordered Applewood Smoked Boneless Pork Chops with  molasses cured house made applesauce .  I was not happy with the first pork chop that I cut and ate….but the restaurant redeemed itself with the second pork chop…it was cooked exactly the way I like my pork chops cooked.  I chose the mashed potatoes and the steamed artichoke heart…that was very good as was the sauce..almost like a hot mustard sauce that was served with the heart for dipping.

Dessert – Rose – Polar Bear Famous Mud Pie - Coffee ice cream, Chocolate cookie crust, fudge,  House made whipped cream, Toasted almonds .   Neal – Black China Bakery Mile High Chocolate Cake with Fresh whipped cream.

I would have to say that I want to try this café on one of my next trips.  After some quiet time at home I realized how much the noise in a café affects the dining experience.  We were seated in the bar…and the talking was at a very loud roar.

Café Cruz

2621 41^st Avenue

Soquel, California

(831) 476-3801

Hours:

            Monday – Thursday 11:00 a.m.  – 9:00 p.m.

            Friday – 10:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

            Saturday – 11:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.

            Sunday – 5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

October 3, 2014 - Companion Bakery - Santa Cruz, California

Rose Filicetti, Neal Savage and I made a quick stop for morning pastries and muffins.

Oh what delectable delights!  I chose the Almond Croissant and coffee…Neal chose the Blueberry Muffin and Rose chose this pastry that looked like a little box with the four corners turned up…I hope it was a tart.  Rose and I also chose a shortbread cookie each.

Neal bought a crusty loaf of 3-grain bread…a small boule.

My almond croissant was very good.  It differed from Gayle’s in that Gayle’s Bakery almond croissant had an almond filling in the middle.  The Companion’s do not. So it was more of a bread type croissant where Gayle's is more like a dessert croissant.

Look what we had to choose from:

Companion Bakery

2341 Mission Street

Santa Cruz, California 95060

(831) 252-2533

Hours:

            Closed Mondays

            Tuesday - 7:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.

            Wednesday – Friday -  7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

            Saturday and Sunday – 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

October 2, 2014 - La Fiesta - Mountain View, California

Late night dinner after watching and listening to the Sal Khan's  Interview of Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg on their just released book How Google Works.  It was held in the Theater of the Santa Clara Convention Center...with Rose Filicetti, Matt Savage and Kristy Calaway.  We each ordered a combination of enchiladas with different sauces.  I ordered the two enchiladas – shrimp with Grandma’s sauce and chicken with Mole.  .They came complete with rice and beans.  I really liked the shrimp with Grandma’s sauce.  The chicken enchilada was filled with chicken.  I will admit right now that I do not like Mole sauce but this was very tasty with the chicken.  I really liked the beans, but did not care for the rice.  There was no taste to the rice.

The chips were tasty...and came with the three sauces.  I tried all of them.  Each has a distinct taste and brought a variety of tastes to add to your chips.  I really like this.  Rose later ordered the chips and guacamole pictured above.

My selection two enchiladas - one...shrimp with Grandsma's Sauce...the other chicken with Mole Sauce.

La Fiesta

240 Villa Street

Mountain View, CA  94041

(650) 968-1364

Hours:

Monday-Thursday 11:00 AM - 9:30 PM 

Friday-Saturday 11:00 AM - 10:30 PM  

Sunday 11:00 AM - 9:30 PM

October 2, 2014 - Harbor Cafe - Santa Cruz, California

Rose Filicetti and I went to the Harbor Cafe for breakfast.  

Iordered a Bloody Mary…great…they make their own mix…it comes with a huge piece of celery, a small slice of lime, cocktail onion, a slice of a jalapenos pepper ,  an Italian pepperoncini and a green olive…yum…almost a breakfast in itself.

Rose chose the Captain’s Frittata – egg and home fries scrambled with cheese, topped with salsa fresco and sour cream with toast.

Doesn't this look delicious.  Here is a picture of what it looks like inside.

I ordered the Seafood Omelet – shrimp, avocado and cheese – topped with either Hollandaise Sauce or Salsa Fresca.  I chose the Hollandaise Sauce. Served with hashbrowns or Home Fries…I chose the hashbrowns…toast or a biscuit…I chose the biscuit.

The Hollandaise sauce was perfect.  I could just see them whisking together the eggs and butter…then slowly adding the lemon juice. This sauce was so smooth.  The shrimp were not those little tiny canned shrimp.  These were small shrimp.  There were also huge pieces of avocado.  The best seafood type of omelet that I have ever tasted.

Harbor Café

535 seventh Avenue

Santa Cruz, California

(831) 475-4948

Hours: Open Daily 8:00 a.m.  – 2:00 p.m

This isn't necessarily the Harbor Cafe's Hollandaise Sauce recipe but I thought someone might be interested in the simple one that I use.

Hollandaise Sauce

4 eggs

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/ 2 cup unsalted butter, melted (one stick)

pinch cayenne pepper

pinch salt

Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume.  Place the bowl over a sauce pan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle  in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving

October 1, 2014 - Sitar - Santa Curz, California

Neal Savage and I went to see The Hundred Foot Journey….about an Indian family who moved to France….they owned a restaurant in India…so decided to start a new one in France…just across the street from the big One Star Michelin restaurant.

About half way through the movie I was thinking that all the good food in the movie was making me think about maybe Indian food…just as Neal leaned over and said, “I am beginning to think that we should have Indian food for dinner.”  And so we did.

We went to Sitar…we ordered the buffet…Neal  had the Marsala Chicken add on…and I had a Tandoori Chicken add on…both dishes were marinated chicken cooked in a clay oven with lots of spices and herbs….but each tasted completely different…very good.  Off the buffet we tried Daal Tadka – yellow lentils with special spices…I really liked this…also tried a red bean mixture…and I loved that..went back for seconds…tried a chickpea fritter… and  dish that I didn’t get the name... was like a stir fry with okra…it was my least favorite…but then I don’t like cooked okra…but of all the cooked okra I have tried this was the best…rice with peas..and flatbread.   What I liked the best about the Indian food is the use of the spices…delightful eating….plus it is just darn good.

We shared a Mango Lassi – a yogurt drink served with mango pulp.  

October 1, 2014 - Pino Alta - Aptos, California

Rose Filicetti and I met Neal Savage at the Pino Alta for lunch.  This restaurant is  located in the Sesnon Home…on campus at Cabrillo College…it is used for practice by the culinary arts department of the college.

This week was a French Menu.  Rose ordered the Bistro Steak with Pomme Frites, Red Wine Demi glaze.  Neal ordered the Basil and Sundried Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breast.  I ordered the Artichoke and Mushroom Filo Tart.

It came with French Onion soup, Pear, blue Cheese and Walnut Salad and Olive Bread.

Bistro Steak with Pomme Frites, Red Wine Demi-glaze

Basil and Sundried Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breast

Artichoke and Mushroom Filo Tart

We thought they needed a lot of practice.  Neal’s soup was served without putting it under the broiler…it was sent back.  Rose’s meat was cooked perfectly but they did not give her a knife that would cut steak…so she just sawed away.  I thought Neal’s chicken had one overpowering spice that I could not identify…my tart though tasted just fine.

We decide to order just one serving of crème brulee and spoons around.  It was too thin…just about  1/ 2 inch thick..and it was too egg-y tasting.

What bothered Neal was our waiter…she kept serving him from across the table…oh…nooo…bad…bad.

Good effort on the parts of all the students…they just have to keep practicing.

Pino Alta

6500 Soquel Dr.

Aptos, CA 95003

(831) 479-6524