Tag Archives: Wine
12 Days of Christmas Giveaway Day Eight: Soif & La Posta
Soif Wine Bar & Merchants and La Posta Restaurant are today’s partners for the “12 Days of Christmas Giveaway:” the prize is a $50 gift card redeemable at either restaurant. Keep reading for how to enter.
Owner Patrice Boyle, who opened Soif in 2002 and La Posta in 2006, considers herself extremely fortunate to have the current executive chefs at these restaurants. Soif’s Tom McNary joined the team in 2018 and La Posta’s Rodrigo Serna first worked for Boyle at Soif in 2002. “I really love working with both of them,” shares Boyle.
Soif has always had a separate retail wine shop that customers can visit; in 2015 they added a full bar which features handcrafted seasonal cocktails. During the pandemic, Soif expanded to offer front patio seating which is the site of occasional “winemaker takeovers” with special flights. The restaurant also has Oyster Wednesdays. Signature dishes include Little Gem Caesar Salad and a Cheese Board with rotating cheese selections plus quince paste and other goodies. Recent entrees have included Risotto with wild mushrooms, roasted Butternut squash and sage, and Duck Breast with pancetta, balsamic glazed Brassicas, sweet potato puree, and citrus marsala pan sauce. For New Year’s Eve, Chef Tom has created an a la carte menu and Soif is accepting reservations for the dining room and the patio beginning at 5 p.m. Guests dining indoors must provide proof of vaccination. Starters include Humboldt Kumamoto Oysters with Uni, Scallion, Soy, and Sudachi; Warm Crab Salad Stuffed Piquillo Peppers; and Leek and Cauliflower Soup with Gruyere. Main courses include Lobster and Scallop Ravioli with Nantua and Herbs and Squab Breast with Wild Mushroom Ragout, Farro, and Candied Citrus. Desserts include Pumpkin Fritters with Spiced Creme Anglaise, Candied Pepitas, and Chocolate Sauce. Make reservations online or by phone.
La Posta is renowned for dishes like seasonal rotating pasta selections, specialty pizza (like popular Salsiccia with housemade sausage and Calabrian chili), and exquisite fresh seafood specials featuring fish from Ocean2Table. They are also famous for their bread made with 30-year-old sourdough starter. At the restaurant, you can enjoy White or Walnut-Rosemary Brown (the latter is my favorite) and you can even buy loaves to take home. La Posta also added patio seating during the pandemic that has proven to be very popular; it’s located behind the restaurant. In addition, they offer Neighborhood Nights every Wednesday where you get a free salad (for take-out orders) or a free glass of wine (for on-site dining) with any pizza or pasta purchase. La Posta will offer a fixed price menu to celebrate New Year’s Eve; watch the website for details coming soon.
Need a gift for a foodie or wine connoisseur in your life? Both venues sell gift cards in any amount.
More Information
Soif
105 Walnut Ave., 831-423-2020, soifwine.com, IG @soifwine
La Posta
538 Seabright Ave., 831-457-2782, lapostarestaurant.com, IG @ lapostarestaurantsc
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CONTEST:
One lucky reader will win a gift card worth $50 redeemable at either La Posta or Soif.
To enter, email your name to tara@santacruzfoodie.com by Tuesday Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. with the words “Soif/La Posta” in the subject line. The winner will be notified via email.
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Gourmet Grazing on the Green benefits cancer research: enjoy lots of delicious food and wine
Attendees at a previous Grazing on the Green, photo courtesy of Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit Group
The 16th annual Gourmet Grazing on the Green—noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Aptos Village Park—is an always-fun annual celebration with more than 75 vendors including local restaurants, caterers, wineries, breweries, and spirits distilleries. Proceeds benefit the Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit Group (SCCBG) .
Buy $65 tickets at New Leaf Community Markets (downtown, Westside or Capitola locations) or online or pay $70 at the door if it’s not sold out. Adult admission includes food, drinks and a souvenir wineglass. Designated driver tickets are $40 in advance or $50 at the door. Kids 10 and under are free; kids ages 10-20 are $35.
Longtime sponsors New Leaf Community Markets, Coke Farms and Watsonville Coast Produce generously donate lots of locally grown produce and products for chefs to create special tastes for event attendees.
Participating restaurants, food suppliers, food trucks, and other vendors include:
- Alterra Solar
- Ashby Confections
- Ate3One
- Back Nine Grill and Bar
- Brew Dr. Kombucha
- Café Cruz
- California Lavash
- Cantine Winepub
- Cinnamon Bay Clothing
- Cruise Coffee
- Drink La Vie
- East Side Eatery
- Efi’s Dutch-indo Kitchen
- Ella’s at the Airport
- Fran Battendieri Designs
- Friend in Cheeses Jam Co
- Hollins House
- Hula’s Island Grill
- Judge Casey’s
- K Dezynz Jewelry
- Malone’s Grille Scotts Valley
- Martinelli’s
- McKella Jo
- New Leaf Community Markets
- Pacific Coffee Roasting Co.
- Pure Valley Water
- Sandbar Solar
- Santa Cruz Fish Co.
- Shadowbrook Restaurant
- Smart Chicken
- SunRidge Farms
- The Crow’s Nest
- The Turkey Boat
- Vital Mystic
- Watsonville Coast Produce
- Whole Enchilada
- Zameen Mediterranean Cuisine
Wineries, breweries and spirits include:
- Alfaro Family Winery
- Armitage Wines
- Bargetto Winery
- Bonny Doon Vineyard
- Burrell School Vineyards
- Carbonic Service
- Discretion Brewing
- El Vaquero Winery
- Hallcrest Vineyards
- Integrity Wines
- Kathryn Kennedy Winery
- Kings Mountain Vineyards
- Lester Estate Wines
- Loma Prieta Winery
- MJA Vineyards
- Muccigrosso Vineyards
- Muns Vineyard
- New Bohemia Brewing Co.
- Pelican Ranch Winery
- Roudon-Smith Winery
- Sailing Shoes Wine
- Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing
- Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard
- Sante Arcangeli Family Wines
- Scrumpy Hard Cider
- Seabright Brewery
- Sones Winery
- Soquel Cider
- Storrs Winery
- Uncommon Brewers
- Venus Spirits
- Via Vega Winery
- Villa Del Monte Winery
- Wrights Station Winery
Proceeds from SCCBG’s events benefit these local cancer support and research organizations: Hospice of Santa Cruz County, Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Association, Katz Cancer Resource Center, researchers from UC Santa Cruz, the Teen Kitchen Project, and WomenCARE Cancer Advocacy.
Since 1995, SCCBG has been dedicated to improving the quality of life for people living with cancer in the Santa Cruz community, by raising money to support beneficiary organizations and fund new research that will provide possible cures and better solutions for treating cancer. Just in the last decade, they have distributed more than $2 million to directly support the Santa Cruz community.
For more information on the event, see sccbg.org. Parking is limited at Aptos Village Park. There is free shuttle service every 15 minutes from Cabrillo College (parking lot K); parking is free. If you Uber, dropoff is at the top of the park.
Aptos Village Park: 100 Aptos Creek Road, Aptos
Attendees at a previous Grazing on the Green, photo courtesy of Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit Group
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Thanksgiving, Hanukkah at Whole Foods Market in Santa Cruz & Capitola
Whole Foods Market’s favorite local wine and cheese pairings for the holidays. Courtesy of WFM.
Thanksgiving is almost here, and after that Hanukkah is right around the corner! Whole Foods Market locations in Capitola (1710 41st Ave.) and Santa Cruz (911 Soquel Ave.) have many Thanksgiving selections and several Hanukkah items, and they graciously gave me a gift card so that I could try a few out.
You can place orders in person or online. Thanksgiving pick up dates are through Nov. 23; Hanukkah pick up is Nov. 30-Dec. 9 and selections include wine-braised brisket dinner for eight, and potato latkes with applesauce. Thanksgiving choices at WFM (see a holiday showcase here) include a classic roast turkey dinner for eight (with optional organic turkey upgrade) with a fully-cooked bird, herb stuffing and mashed potatoes turkey gravy, cranberry orange sauce, and green beans with crispy garlic and parsley; spiral-sliced ham; vegan entrees and sides; traditional holiday sides; and desserts. Prime members get a special deal: through Nov. 22, they get organic whole turkeys for $2.99/lb. and whole turkeys for $1.99/lb.
Something new and intriguing is a vegan holiday meal WFM has created in partnership with award-winning chef Jeremy Fox, author of the “On Vegetables” cookbook. The meal includes Romanesco Cauliflower Roast with Miso Bagna Cauda, Cremini Mushroom Stuffing with Kimchi, and Roasted Acorn Squash with Maple and Hazelnut Dukkah. You can also order these selections a la carte.
WFM is also offering a special seasonal pie from Lisa Ludwinski, founder of Detroit’s Sister Pie and author of “Sister Pie: The Recipes & Stories of a Big-Hearted Bakery in Detroit.” The Cranberry Crumble Pie, Ludwinski’s personal favorite for the season, features an all-butter crust, a sweet cranberry compote filling with juicy whole cranberries, grated pear and warm spices, and an oat crumble topping.
Other Santa Cruz and Capitola store highlights that are perfect for the holidays:
- Seafood: Fresh, Whole Dungeness Crab
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- Crab season is a Bay Area holiday tradition. Pick up at least three sweet and rich whole crab, and save $1 per pound. WFM’s team of local fishmongers will crack and clean free of charge.
- Specialty Wine and Cheese: Favorite local wine and cheese pairings this season selected by WFM
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- Bay Blue cheese, a mellow blue made in Point Reyes, paired with Sean Thackery Pleides red blend, a “red berry, tangy crowd pleaser”
- Carmody cheese paired with Jay Vineyards J California Pinot Noir, a “highly drinkable, soft rich wine”
- Crisp Roederer Estates Anderson Valley Brut paired with Mt. Tam organic cheese, because the wine “goes lovely with soft, ripened cheeses”
- Local, Organic Eggnog including:
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- Straus Family Creamery, an organic eggnog finished with nutmeg
- Clover Sonoma Organic Maple Bourbon Eggnog, a non-alcoholic classic
- Special holiday dishes by Chef Trent of WFM
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- Creations include Ginger Cinnamon Spice Duck or Turkey breast, and Spiced Prime Rib
- “Pick up your cut at the meat counter, pop into the oven and you are ready to serve your guests,” shared a WFM spokesperson.
- Humphry Slocombe’s Coconut Shoyu Ice Cream – new and available for a limited time
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- Top your favorite seasonal pie with a scoop of this ice cream, the fourth exclusive collaboration available exclusively at Whole Foods Market
- Created by San Francisco-based Humphry Slocombe and Chef Melissa King in partnership with WFM—they made their first collaborative flavor, Hong Kong Milk Tea, in 2017
- Northern California’s Tsar Nicolai caviar
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- Tsar Nicolai sustainably raises and produces top of the line caviar in Wilton, CA.
- This year, WFM is partnering with the brand for an exclusive trio bundle deal, available in the Seafood dept.
Local Store Details
Whole Foods Market Santa Cruz is at 911 Soquel Ave. Call (831) 426-9901 for more information.
Whole Foods Market Capitola is located at 1710 41st Ave. Call (831) 464-2900 for more information.
For more Whole Foods Market locations, see the store locator.
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Get tickets soon for A Taste of Santa Cruz on Oct. 18
Treats from Aldo’s Italian Bakery at the 2017 “A Taste of Santa Cruz” – Photo credit: ATOSC
The 14th annual “A Taste of Santa Cruz,” at the MAH from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, features about 20 participating restaurants and food vendors plus several wineries and one brewery. This year, organizers switched the celebration from November to October and moved the time earlier, to take advantage of warmer weather. The event benefits first-time home buyers. Tickets are $50 in advance or $55 at the door if it’s not sold out.
The cost includes a commemorative glass plus tastings from all vendors. Participants will have the opportunity to sample lots of food and drinks including a new raw oyster bar on the third floor (the refreshments are spread across all three floors, and there’s a wine bar at the museum’s outdoor sculpture garden where attendees can purchase extra glasses of wine). Buy tickets online, and visit atosc.com or call 831-464-2000 for more information.
Food vendors include Splash!, Five Star Catering, Aldo’s, Rosie McCann’s, Gordo Gustavo’s, Casa Nostra, East Side Eatery, The Jerk House, Hula’s Island Grill, Percy’s Pies, burger, Woodstock Pizza, H&H Fresh Fish Co., Shucked Raw Oyster Bar, Vinocruz, The Turkey Boat, Buttercup Cakes, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Marini’s Candies, and Back Nine Bar & Grill.
At the 2017 event, Splash! offered a tasty bite with house-smoked trout and tomato confit; Hula’s served up a delicious Hawaiian Ceviche (fresh whitefish cooked in citrus with coconut milk, chili, cilantro, and garlic), and Buttercup handed out their always-fantastic cupcakes.
Wineries include Alfaro Family Vineyard, Kissed by an Angel, Stockwell Cellars, Bargetto, Roudon Smith, 37th Parallel, DeVincenzi Cellars, McHenry Vineyard, and Loma Prieta. East Cliff Brewing Co. will be providing beer.
This year’s event is at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History for the second consecutive year, and Habit for Humanity Monterey Bay is a presenting partner for the second year in a row. There will be live and silent auctions. Live auction items include an eight-day unique Hawaii vacation that includes three different places to stay, a Jeep rental, restaurants, beach adventures and a massage. Silent auction items include wine tasting, and excellent tickets to the first 2019 pre-season game for the San Francisco 49ers.
All proceeds from the event benefit the grant assistance program of the Santa Cruz Association of Realtors Housing Foundation, which provides closing costs for first time, low-income home-buyers in Santa Cruz County. In 2017, the event sold out—for the first time ever!—and raised nearly $25,000. The Taste of Santa Cruz has raised almost $400,000 since its inception in 2004.
Location: MAH, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz
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Enjoy delicious food & drinks at A Taste of Santa Cruz Thursday
The Point Chophouse serving food at a previous “A Taste of Santa Cruz,” Photo credit: A Taste of Santa Cruz, used with permission
The 13th annual “A Taste of Santa Cruz” (ATOSC) at the MAH on Thursday, Nov. 9, features more than 15 participating restaurants plus 16 wineries and two breweries. The event runs from 5:30-9 p.m. and benefits first-time home buyers. Tickets are $45 in advance or $55 at the door if it’s not sold out. The cost includes a commemorative glass plus tantalizing tastings from 30-plus vendors. Buy tickets online, or visit atosc.com or call 831-464-2000 for more information.
This year’s event is at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History for the first time, and attendees can enjoy the museum’s three floors of exhibits before or after their refreshments. There is also a “tasting garden” on the rooftop where attendees can purchase glasses of wine and beer and purchase wine to take home. All proceeds from the event benefit the grant assistance program of the Santa Cruz Association of Realtors Housing Foundation, which provides closing costs for first time, low-income home-buyers in Santa Cruz County. Also, Habit for Humanity Monterey Bay is collaborating with ATOSC this year.
Selected Bites at the Nov. 9 event
Splash!
Trout Bruschetta – House smoked trout with a tomato confit
Rosie McCann’s Irish Pub & Restaurant
Two items: Ruben Rolls with corned beef on an egg roll with sauerkraut & dipping sauces, and traditional Irish Bangers
Persephone
Budino (savory Parmesan custard with balsamic glaze and fried sage)
Michael’s On Main
Two items: Smoked Pork Belly Sliders-Chipotle aioli, pickled slaw, crème fraiche on Hawaiian sweet rolls, and Spicy Tuna Spring Rolls with avocado, shitake mushrooms and wasabi mousse
Maine Lobster Rolls (with fresh lobster flown in from Maine)
Hula’s Island Grill – Santa Cruz
Hawaiian Ceviche with fresh white fish, cooked in citrus with coconut milk, chili, cilantro & garlic
“Thanksgiving Dinner in a Bowl” and dessert
Jerk House Wings with sweet Hibiscus Glaze or Jerk Glaze plus Sweet Fried Plantains
Buttercup Cakes & Farmhouse Frosting
Dessert Buffet of holiday treats and cupcakes
Other participating vendors include Akira, The Point Chophouse, Marini’s Candies (assorted chocolates), Aldo’s Santa Cruz, Percy’s Pies, Makse Bars, Oasis Tasting Room (El Salchichero cured meats and accompaniments), Woodstock Pizza and Cowboy Bar and Grill (pulled pork). Wineries include Alfaro Family Vineyards, Bargetto, Burrell School, Clos Tita, Equinox Wines & Bartolo Winery, Kings Mountain Vineyards, Loma Prieta Winery, McHenry Vineyard, Odonata Wines, Roudon-Smith Winery, Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, Ser Winery, Villa del Monte Winery, Wrights Station Vineyard & Winery and 37th Parallel. Breweries are East Cliff Brewing Co. and Uncommon Brewers.
Other highlights at the event: live and silent auctions with items from local businesses and individuals. Prizes include stays at an oceanfront home in Aptos plus homes in Donner Lake, Puerto Vallarta and Maine; a wine lovers package; restaurant gift certificates; family-friendly activity tickets; shopping and wellness packages; and outdoor experiences.
Location: MAH, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz
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Feast for foodies & beer/wine lovers for cancer research
The 2017 Gourmet Grazing festival is October 7.
The 14th annual Gourmet Grazing on the Green—Saturday, Oct. 7 at Aptos Village Park—features more than 75 vendors including local restaurants, caterers, wineries, breweries, and spirits distilleries. Proceeds benefit the Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit Group (SCCBG).
The event is from noon to 4 p.m. Buy $65 tickets at New Leaf Community Markets (downtown, Westside or Capitola locations) or online or pay $70 at the door if it’s not sold out. Adult admission includes food, drinks and a souvenir wineglass. Kids 10 and under are free; kids ages 10-20 are $35.
Participating food, drink & other vendors include:
Alfaro Family Vineyards
Armitage Wines
Bargetto
Bonny Doon
Burrell School Vineyards
Café Rio
Cantine Winepub
Comanche Cellars
Corralitos Brewing
Dustbowl Brewery
East Side Eatery
Efi’s Dutch-Indo Kitchen
Ella’s at the Airport
Fresh Prep Kitchen
Hollins House
Hula’s Island Grill
Integrity Wines
Kathryn Kennedy
Kings Mountain Vineyards
Krazy Farm Cider
Loma Prieta
Malone’s Grille
MJA Winery
Muccigrosso Vineyards
Muns Vineyards
New Bohemia Brewing Co
New Leaf Community Markets
Odonata Wines
Pelican Ranch
Real Good Fish
Roudon-Smith
Santa Cruz Fish Co
Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing
Seabright Brewery
Scheid Family Wines
Shadowbrook Restaurant
Solaire Restaurant & Bar
Something to Taste
Soquel Cider
Storrs
Surf City Sandwich
The Crow’s Nest Restaurant
The Turkey Boat
Venus Spirits
Via Vega
Villa del Monte Winery
Whole Enchilada
Wrights Station Vineyards
Zameen Mediterranean Cuisine
Ashby Confections
Cinnamon Bay
Cowgirl Creamery
Fran Battendieri Jewelry
Friend In Cheeses
Goose Organics
Hive And Hum
K Deznyz Jewelry
La Vie Wellness
Notso Hot Sauce
Pacific Coffee Roasting
Pure Valley Water
Redwood Hill Farm
Sandbar Solar
Santa Cruz Fish Co
Skyros Ceramics
Smart Chicken
Sunridge Farms
Tomales Bay Foods
Proceeds from SCCBG’s events benefit these local cancer support and research organizations: Hospice of Santa Cruz County, Jacob’s Heart Children’s Cancer Association, Katz Cancer Resource Center, researchers from UC Santa Cruz, the Teen Kitchen Project, and WomenCARE Cancer Advocacy.
For over 20 years, the Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit Group has been dedicated to improving the quality of life for people living with cancer in the Santa Cruz community, by raising money to support beneficiary organizations and fund new research that will provide possible cures and better solutions for treating cancer. They have raised more than $22 million since 1995.
For more information on the event, see sccbg.org. Parking is limited at Aptos Village Park. There is free shuttle service every 15 minutes from Cabrillo College, where people can park for free.
Aptos Village Park: 100 Aptos Creek Road, Aptos
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Santa Cruz weekend highlights including Church Street Fair
Food from G’s Tacos, one of the vendors at Church Street Fair this weekend. Photo credit: G’s Tacos Facebook page
The summertime bounty of events in Santa Cruz continues; here are a few highlights for the weekend of Aug. 5-6, 2017, including refreshment options at the annual Church Street Fair.
Saturday & Sunday, Aug. 5-6: Church Street Fair
The Church Street Fair is part of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, which lasts until Aug. 12. As usual, there will be music, dance, art, food, and wine. Participating breweries and wineries include Corralitos Brewing (noon-3:30 p.m. Saturday), New Bohemia Brewing Co. (4-7 p.m. Saturday), Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing (noon-3:30 p.m. Sunday), Uncommon Brewers (4-7 p.m. Saturday), Storrs Winery, Odonata Wines, Soquel Vineyards, Rexford Winery, Alfaro Family Vineyards & Winery and Birichino Wines. Vinocruz—which is opening in Soquel soon—will be pouring the wine both days. Falafel of Santa Cruz, the chefs from Prophet Elias Orthodox Church who put on the annual Greek festivals, food truck G’s Tacos, and Efi’s Dutch-Indo will sell food on both fair days. Food truck Ate3One will participate on Sunday.
Event organizers promise that “non-stop performances from global traditions will keep your spirits high as you select from a variety of local food purveyors, vintners and brewers, and explore the work of dozens of regional artists and craftspeople” (see site for entire performance schedule, which includes Flor de Cana and Broken English Saturday & Watsonville Taiko Sunday).
Location: Church Street between Chestnut & Cedar
Other highlights:
- La Sofrita Puerto Rican will be at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing 7-10 p.m. Friday
- Efi’s Dutch-Indo will be at POPUP 5:30 p.m. to sellout Friday
- Friday night, lots of food and drinks will be at various galleries, shops and museums (including a fun-sounding balloon-centered exhibit at MAH) for First Friday Santa Cruz.
- My Mom’s Mole will be at Corralitos Brewing Co. Saturday afternoon & evening, and also the first Saturday of September & October. Service is 3 p.m. ‘til 8 p.m. unless they sell out earlier. And yes, I know this isn’t in Santa Cruz, but I wanted to mention anyways, especially since it’s the first of a series of three!
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Cornucopia of collaborations at Event Santa Cruz Paradox party
From Awe Shucks Oysters, a “new raw, dressed style called tomato relish” available at the July 21 event (Photo courtesy of Awe Shucks Facebook page)
Event Santa Cruz is hosting “ Collaboration on the Lot” this Friday night at Hotel Paradox’s front parking lot (611 Ocean St.), where several collaborations by local businesses can be viewed and consumed. These products include “Bombshell Oysters” (Awe Shucks Oysters teaming up with MJA Vineyards); a cherry bomb ice cream float (Marianne’s Ice Cream and NuBo); and a signature Event Santa Cruz cocktail (Hotel Paradox’s Solaire Restaurant & Bar is creating this by partnering with local Venus Spirits).
Admission to the 5:30-9pm event is free but attendees need to pre-register at collabonthelot.eventbrite.com. There will be lots of food and drinks to purchase and to sample. Note there is no parking in the Paradox parking lot. They’re asking people to park in the County Bldg. lot after 5pm. There will also be a valet parking option at the hotel ($15) at the entrance on Ocean St.
Featured vendors include:
Agency
Ate3One
Awe Shucks Oysters in collaboration with MJA Vineyards
Drunk Monkeys Food Truck
Flora and Fauna
Friends In Cheeses Jam Company
Gordo Gustavo’s BBQ in partnership with Humble Sea Brewing Co.
In the Redwoods collaborating with Yarn Shop Santa Cruz
Kinderwood Farms
MÄKSĒ BAR
Marianne’s Ice Cream produced with New Bohemia Brewing Co.
Monterey Bay Murals in partnership with The Ville
Mountainside Jewelry
Saucey’z
Solaire Restaurant + Bar in partnership with Venus Spirits
Stripe
This Tiny Ocean collaborating with Davenport Sea Glass
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Tickets available for Saturday’s Colectivo Felix farm dinner with Garden Variety Cheese and Beauregard Vineyards
Baby beet and carrot escabeche with seared sweetbreads and fried garbanzos from a May 13, 2017 Colectivo Felix dinner in Soquel. Photo credit: Tara Walker
Colectivo Felix, led by chef Diego Felix and his wife Sanra Ritten, is doing an on-farm dinner this Saturday, June 24, at Monkeyflower Ranch in Royal Oaks (near Watsonville). The meal will feature dairy and meat from Garden Variety Cheese and Monkeyflower Ranch, plus produce from Tomatero Farms and wine from Beauregard Vineyards. See menu below.
It’s part of a farm dinner series featuring local organic farms and pairings with local ciders and wines. Online tickets are $75 for food only and $100 with wine.
Diego, Sanra and their kids moved to Santa Cruz County last fall to help with the opening of HOME. Sanra’s sister is Linda Ritten, Home chef Brad Briske’s wife. Colectivo Felix utilizes HOME’s kitchen and garden for some of their events. Diego is originally from Argentina. Occasionally, HOME’s menu selections reflect South American influences (including a beef tongue empanada with green tomato chimichurri and plum chutney that I enjoyed during a December visit).
In May Colectivo Felix began a four-month dining tour (unique dinner parties in Washington, D.C., New York, SF and Santa Cruz/Soquel). I had the pleasure of attending a Colectivo Felix pop-up dinner at Soquel’s HOME Restaurant in May and meeting Diego and Sanra, who are gracious, humble and warm. The prix fixe meal was exquisite; chef Diego really knows his flavors. Highlights included goat cheese and peach filled torta fritas; baby beet and carrot escabeche with seared sweetbreads and fried garbanzos (an indescribably wonderful combination); and lamb empanadas with chimichurri aioli.
When Diego talks about how much he loves creating good food, his whole face lights up and his passion is contagious, making the dining experience even better. I hope to enjoy another Colectivo Felix meal in the not-too-distant future!
June 24 Farm Dinner Menu (Garden Variety Cheese/Colectivo Felix at Monkeyflower Ranch)
Welcome Drink
Yerba mate infused cachaça with citrus and muddled herbs
Passed appetizer
Ricotta + carrot & peach escabeche over quinoa bread
First
Aguachile (cold soup): lettuce + pinapple + cilantro + tomatillo + fish crudo + yam + California seaweed + cancha
Pinot Gris, Beauregard Vineyards 2014
Second
Tomatero spring greens + smoked hard goat cheese + aguaribay & strawberry vinaigrette + cauliflower and brazil nuts
Rose of Pinot Noir, Coast Grade Vineyard Estate 2015
Main
Monkeyflower Ranch goat + red chimichurri + roasted roots + kale salsa verde
The Lost Weekend, Beauregard Vineyards
Dessert
Panqueques: Baked strawberry + pistachios + lavender yogurt helado
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Annual crab feed Saturday at Saratoga’s Mountain Winery
Cold and hot crab, plus sauces, at the 2015 Mountain Winery crab feed. Credit: Mountain Winery
The Mountain Winery in Saratoga is offering its popular annual all-you-can-eat crab feed on Saturay, January 28. The cost is $105 for adults, $55 for kids 3-11, and free for kids under 3. Advance online ticket purchase is required. Parking is free.
The event takes place at the winery’s Historic Winery Building. Tickets include fresh local crab (choice of cold and/or hot) plus pasta, garlic bread, salad, and dessert. Beverages will be sold separately, and gratuity is not included. When buying tickets, attendees can choose a 4, 4:30 5, 5:30 or 6 p.m. seating. But that doesn’t mean you only have a half-hour or hour to eat. You can choose to have a quick meal or linger for a couple hours. The separate seatings and staggered arrival times are for the purpose of eliminating long lines.
I tremendously enjoyed this event in 2015 and 2016; in 2016, the winery brought in crab from Oregon due to the seafood being unavailable in the Monterey Bay area. How wonderful that local crab is back!
The Details
Crab Feed
Saturday Jan. 28, 4-8 p.m.
Mountain Winery, 14831 Pierce Rd., Saratoga
$105 for adults; $55 for kids 3-11
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