Baby Beet Salad with pomegranate seeds and goat feta crumbles is one of Chaminade’s appetizers for Santa Cruz Restaurant Week 2016
Santa Cruz Restaurant Week, which continues through Wednesday, Oct. 19, includes nearly 40 restaurants such as Hula’s and Linwood’s at Chaminade Resort and Spa.
Restaurants offer three-course prix fixe dinners for $25 or $35 during Restaurant Week, and also continue to serve regular menus during this time. Read details about Assembly’s menu selections and inspiration in my article from yesterday.
Hula’s Island Grill (221 Cathcart St., 831-426-HULA) is serving a three-course $25 menu. Appetizer choices include crispy coconut shrimp rolls with pineapple and horseradish dipping sauce; and Hawaiian ceviche with whitefish, coconut milk, chili, cilantro and garlic. Desserts include Hula pie with macadamia nut ice cream, Oreo crust, hot fudge and house-made whipped cream.
Hollis Ferguson, general manager of Hula’s in Santa Cruz, commented on why Hula’s is a longtime Santa Cruz Restaurant Week participant: “It’s fun to be part of a community wide event that encourages people to take a night off and go out to eat, try new restaurants they haven’t before and/or a dish they might not have tried before.”
Ferguson says that the Kalbi Ribs, an entrée on the Restaurant Week menu this year, are a good classic Hawaiian dish, plate lunch style (they’re served with macaroni salad and rice). “Our Lemongrass Hapu is more exotic and showcases flavors of Thailand and Polynesia,” she adds. Customers can also substitute tofu for the Hapu (which is Hawaiian sea bass); both versions include lime-ginger-cream sauce, rice and slaw.
Executive chef Nick Church, from Linwood’s at the Chaminade (One Chaminade Lane, 831-475-5600), has created a $35 menu that includes seasonal ingredients such as squash, apples and sweet potatoes. Appetizers include roasted butternut soup with spicy apple relish and toasted pumpkin seeds; and baby beet salad with frisee and escarole, vanilla vinaigrette, pomegranate seeds and goat feta crumbles. Entrée choices are grass-fed grilled NY steak with wild mushroom ragout, sweet potato gratin, grilled asparagus and roasted baby carrots; grilled pork chop with Calvados demi, apple puree, smashed fingerling potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts; and pan-seared local halibut with heirloom tomato relish, farro and Dungeness crab risotto plus wilted greens and sauteed baby vegetables. Desserts include persimmon crisp with lavender ice cream.
Even though it just started two days ago, Church is already enjoying Restaurant Week. “We love seeing all of the locals come up to the property while experiencing Linwood’s and hearing all of the their favorite Chaminade stories,” Church said. “There is so much history and so many fun and personal memories people have, it’s refreshing to hear the positive feedback during Restaurant Week.”
Restaurants participating in SCRW, in alphabetical order:
- 515 Kitchen & Cocktails
- Aquarius at the Dream Inn
- Assembly
- Back Nine Grill & Bar
- Café Mare
- Chocolate
- Crow’s Nest
- El Jardin
- Gabriella Café
- Hindquarter Bar & Grill
- Hoffman’s Bistro & Patisserie
- Hollins House at Pasatiempo
- Hula’s Island Grill
- Ideal Bar & Grill
- Johnny’s Harborside
- Kianti’s Pizza & Pasta Bar
- Laili
- Linwood’s at Chaminade Resort
- Margaritaville
- Michael’s on Main
- Mozaic
- Pearl of the Ocean
- Red Restaurant & Bar
- Ristorante Italiano
- Rosie McCann’s
- Sanderlings at Seascape Resort
- Severino’s Bar & Grill
- Soif
- Solaire
- Splash!
- Stonehouse Bar & Grill at the Hilton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley
- Süda
- The Cremer House
- The Point Chophouse & Lounge
- The Water St. Grill
- Tyrolean Inn
- Your Place
- Zelda’s On The Beach
For more information and full menus, visit the event web site at santacruzrestaurantweek.com.
****
Follow me on:
Twitter @santacruzfoodie
Instagram @tarafatemiwalker
Facebook @santacruzfoodieexaminer