B.L.O.A.T.T. sandwich – Solaire Restaurant + Bar

Posted on August 21, 2013 by vicentesf

B.L.O.A.T.T. sandwich - Solaire Restaurant + Bar
Daily’s bacon, sweet gem lettuce, pickled onion, avocado, turkey, vine ripened tomato and house made chips. $12
Solaire Restaurant + Bar, Santa Cruz CA

This sandwich tasted great and I really liked the pickled onions. I just wish the turkey was of better quality, but the home made potato chips were amazing! I’d order a bowl of the chips by themselves next time. Unfortuantely, I had to go hunting for our poolside server when we wanted to pay. I walked around everywhere and finally had to clear my check with the manager. What a waste of my time!

Hotel Paradox poolside. Unfortunately, there were SO many screaming kids everywhere! Not my idea of relaxing by the pool.

Dungeness crab – Oswald

Posted on August 21, 2013 by vicentesf

Dungeness crab - Oswald
With avocado, greens (mache), parmesan crisp, pineapple and balsamic reduction. $13
Oswald, Santa Cruz CA

Mmm, this was very tasty! My one complaint was that the whipped avocado and picked crab mixture both had smooth and silky textures. I wish the avocado had been a little more firm to stand up to the crab (and feel less like baby food).

Hotel Paradox entrance

Hotel Paradox entrance vegetation.

Cream of artichoke soup – Duarte’s Tavern

Posted on August 20, 2013 by vicentesf

Cream of artichoke soup - Duarte's Tavern
Served with freshly baked bread. $8.75
Duarte’s Tavern, Pescadero CA

Cream of artichoke soup - Duarte's Tavern
This place is FAMOUS for their cream of artichoke soup! They’ve received many awards and national recognition including a James Beard Foundation Award. When I found out that we were going to be traveling nearby, I had to include a stop-over to try their food.

There have been mixed reviews online regarding the artichoke soup, so I’m gonna throw my hat into the ring and say that I really liked the soup! It had a great texture and a nice natural artichoke flavor. They use sour cream and corn starch to thicken the soup instead of cream. They use bread from Half Moon Bay Bakery and it was delicious. The bread was reheated before serving so it was nice and warm and fluffy. NOMS!

Duarte's Tavern storefront
Duarte’s Tavern storefront.

Duarte's Tavern parking lot sign
Parking lot signage.

Hula’s mai tai – Hula’s Island Grill

Posted on August 20, 2013 by vicentesf

Hula's mai tai - Hula's Island Grill

Appleton’s gold rum, DeKuyper orange curacao, pineapple and lime juice, orgeat, Goslings Black Seal rum. $7
Hula’s Island Grill, Santa Cruz CA

There was something off with this cocktail. Perhaps the pineapple juice was old, but something just didn’t taste right. This was unfortunate because I do love my mai tai’s.

The Mystery Spot sign.

Pepperoni mushroom slice – Pizza My Heart

Posted on August 20, 2013 by vicentesf

Pepperoni mushroom slice - Pizza My Heart
This pizza slice was really good! I liked the thin crust and they pack it with a good amount of toppings. The small pepperoni slices were perfectly salty and greasy, MMM!
Pizza My Heart, Santa Cruz CA

Pale pink Fuschia flowers (Onagraceae), The Mystery Spot.

Chilaquiles – Solaire Restaurant + Bar

Posted on August 19, 2013 by vicentesf

Chilaquiles - Solaire Restaurant + Bar
Salsa, tortillas, Rio Zape beans, queso fresco and fried Glaum eggs. $12
Solaire Restaurant + Bar, Santa Cruz CA

This dish was lame. The sauce covering the tortilla chips was cold and the tortillas were way too soggy. The Rio Zape beans were bland and boring, and the eggs were overcooked and dry.

Coffee - Solaire Restaurant + Bar
Freshly brewed coffee. $3

Mixed redwood forest at The Mystery Spot.

The Cooler cocktail – Oswald

Posted on August 19, 2013 by vicentesf

The Cooler cocktail - Oswald

Gin, lime and cucumber. Served on the rocks. $9
Oswald, Santa Cruz CA

This cocktail was good, but it wasn’t as bright and refreshing as I thought it was going to be. Hmm…

San Lorenzo River and the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.

Spicy soft shell crawfish maki – Sushi Ran

Posted on August 19, 2013 by vicentesf

Spicy soft shell crawfish maki - Sushi Ran
Cucumber, seven types of Japanese spice, umami tobiko, spicy crab and shiso. $13.50
Sushi Ran, Sausalito CA

Spicy soft shell crawfish maki - Sushi Ran
I thought this sushi roll was really fun and delicious! I’d never had crawfish sushi before. The crawfish was cute and crunchy and I loved the umami tobiko and shiso. This roll had so many great flavors, noms!

Chopsticks - Sushi Ran
I’m so glad that they don’t use cheap wouldn’t chopsticks. 🙂

Abalone style calamari – Hula’s Island Grill

Posted on August 17, 2013 by vicentesf

Abalone style calamari - Hula's Island Grill
With lime-ginger sauce and soy glaze, rice and mango salsa. $5
Hula’s Island Grill, Santa Cruz CA

This tasted ok, but the squid steak had a super squishy texture which I didn’t like. I liked the sauces they used and the addition of rice and mango salsa though. It was also nicely fried so it wasn’t greasy.

Orange-yellow hibiscus flower (Malvaceae), The Mystery Spot.

Manhattans – The Blue Lounge

Posted on August 17, 2013 by vicentesf

Manhattans - The Blue Lounge
With Bulleit bourbon. We came here randomly one evening and it was pretty dead. The lady bartender was REALLY nice and accommodating though and she did a good job on the Manhattans. We had arrived pretty early so towards the end of our visit the nightly DJ had begun setting up his station. Playing a few games of pool was fun, but their table was on a slant so the balls never really did want you wanted them to do.
The Blue Lounge, Santa Cruz CA