I am spreading the word about Fusion Fare, an amazing Sichuan restaurant that opened in downtown Santa Cruz in January. I think the fresh, creative and affordable food deserves constant crowds and I am always surprised that I can walk in and order at the counter with barely any wait (I shouldn’t complain, but I also want Fusion Fare to stay in business!). It’s located next to the bar The Red Room. Long ago, it housed Planet Fresh.
Let me tell you about the dish I enjoyed last time I ate at Fusion Fare: Sesame Lotus Root Stir Fry with chicken. Like many dishes, you can order it with your choice of protein—I’m sure it would be equally delicious with tofu or something else. Of note: vegetarian and vegan selections are not an afterthought at Fusion Fare. The chef has thoughtfully and intentionally curated lots of plant-forward choices.
Back to the stir-fry: the vibrant flavors were spot-on but I must also commend the textures. With crunchy lotus roots, perfectly cooked herbs and vegetables, and tender chicken, the stir-fry really popped. Chef Hongmin Mo, who is a native of Sichuan, China, definitely knows what he’s doing! The entree was also colorful and beautiful, which made it even more enjoyable. And because it was a lunchtime special, it came with brown rice, salad, and a drink.
I have heard that the red oil dumplings and miso-ginger noodles, among others, are also standouts, but I haven’t had the chance to taste them yet. Next time!
Find Fusion Fare at 1003 Cedar St., 831-266-5834, fusionfarerestaurant.com. Follow the restaurant on Instagram @fusionfare_sc.
Recently, Pacific Foods kindly gifted me with a few product samples, including a couple varieties of its ready to eat soup. The business also mentioned it offers many plant-based items, and when I started exploring the website, I noticed many recipes. One that caught my eye is “3-Ingredient Creamy Tomato Basil Ravioli.” The flavors sounded intriguing, combining tomato soup with ravioli, and I’ll be honest: part of what appealed to me was the fact it only needed three ingredients and sounded really simple! Pacific Foods kindly gave me permission to reprint the recipe, which you will find below.
My husband started eating a mostly vegan diet about a year ago. I have eaten more vegan food in the last few months than ever before, and I’ve been exploring some vegan recipes. I noticed that although this recipe utilizes vegan soup, it features cheese ravioli and traditional Parmesan cheese, so the recipe is decidedly NOT vegan. So, I decided to make some simple changes and transform it into a vegan entrée. And I loved the result.
First, I bought a refrigerated package of plant-based spinach ravioli and used that in place of the cheese ravioli in the recipe. I chose Kite Hill, as I’ve had a couple of their products in the last year and find them to be excellent (side note: they are a Bay Area business that uses almond milk as a base for its plant-based selections).
Next, I discovered my husband already had a wedge of Violife “Just Like Parmesan,” which is 100% vegan, in our fridge. So, I grated a few tablespoons of that. I used the basic instructions of the recipe, and I also chopped some fresh basil to sprinkle on top with the vegan cheese. The dish was great; my whole family enjoyed it. I think this recipe is very adaptable, and I look forward to trying it with a variety of different pastas (vegan and non-vegan) and perhaps make it like the original recipe states, and also a version with Pacific Foods’ non-vegan tomato soup. I bet all will be terrific!
As I prepared to publish this article I looked to see if Pacific Foods has an Instagram account. They do, @pacificfoods, and there I found some yummy-looking pics and videos, some with quick recipes and some with links to recipes including tortilla soup.
You can learn more about Pacific Foods and check out a bunch of recipes at pacificfoods.com.
Add soup to a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer. Add ravioli cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until ravioli are cooked through. Serve ravioli with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Today I am providing details on a few holiday shopping possibilities at Companion Bakeshop. For more foodie gift suggestions, see Part 1 and Part 2.
A few weeks ago, beloved bakery Companion Bakeshop opened an expanded retail shop—Companion Market—which is connected to its 2341 Mission St. location in Santa Cruz (Companion also has a bakery in Aptos at 7486 Soquel Dr., 831-612-6655). This is a fabulous place to find holiday gifts for your foodie friends. There are some vintage items plus mugs, kitchen towels, aprons, cookbooks, baking supplies, wooden utensils, Chemex brewing items, coffee mills, and greeting cards. They have a variety of fun candles (like one with toast and a pat of butter) and carry Chanukah candles. Additional whimsical selections include food-themed post it notes (I’d personally love to find this in my stocking!).
Also, they have helpful signs highlighting local artisans if that’s important to you. For example, there are Big Sur Salts jars, Happy Girl Kitchen jam, Santa Cruz Bee Company honey, and Fifth Crow Farm heirloom beans just to name a few.
Want to purchase something yummy for your own holiday meal or as a hostess gift for wherever you’re headed for the holidays? Signs describing these two caught my eye during a recent visit: Holiday Cookie Tins (cookies, candies, and more, $48) and a giant Cranberry Blondie ($28). The blondie, filled with cranberries and chocolate chips, is topped with cream cheese icing, pistachios, chocolate palmiers, candied cocoa nibs, and candied orange peel. See picture above for what’s inside the tin. Happy Holidays!
Contact info for Mission St. bakery & retail shop: 831-471-8378. For both locations, visit companionbakeshop.com, Instagram @companionbakeshop.
Hope you enjoyed Part 1 of the guide a couple days ago. Here is the next installment with more last-minute gift ideas; these are restaurant gift cards currently discounted for holiday shopping.
Poke salad at Pono Hawaiian Kitchen & Tap (ordered with “no tomatoes or wontons”) photo by Tara Fatemi Walker
Downtown Santa Cruz’s Kianti’s Pizza & Pasta Bar is offering $50 of gift cards for $40. The offer ends Dec. 24. Customers need to purchase in person at the restaurant, not online. Gift cards cannot be used the same day they are purchased. I always enjoy dining at Kianti’s; they celebrated their 20th anniversary this year and continue to offer consistently delicious food. Contact info: 1100 Pacific Ave., 831-469-4400, kiantis.com, Instagram @kiantis.
Wonderful seafood restaurantJohnny’s Harborsidehas the following promotion: Buy a $50 gift card for a friend, you get a $10 card for yourself. Buy one at $100 for a friend, you get a $20 card for yourself. Call or stop by the restaurant. The offer is valid through Christmas. Contact info: 493 Lake Ave., 831-479-3430, johnnysharborside.com, IG @johnnysharborside.
I have been a fan of Pono for many years; these days I go to the newer of the two locations, Pono Hawaiian Kitchen & Tap in Capitola, because that’s closer to my home. I love having poke bowls or poke salads, and the menu is so broad there is something for everyone, like Hawaiian-style tacos, burgers, coconut shrimp, and teriyaki tofu. For the Pono gift card deal, you need to visit Costco. Our local warehouse (220 Sylvania Ave.) currently has Pono gift cards at a huge discount: only $69.99 for two $50 cards. The regular Costco price is $74.99, but there is a $5 manufacturer’s instant rebate (the rebate portion expires Dec. 22). Cards are valid at both locations. Contact info:Pono Hawaiian Kitchen & Tap, 3744 Capitola Rd., 831-476-7458. Pono Hawaiian Grill, 120 Union St., 831-621-7448, ponohawaiiangrill.com, IG @ponokitchenandtap and @ogponohawaiian.
Fantastic local business Living Swell Kombucha is offering a 10% discount on gift cards through the end of December. You can find them at these farmers markets: Saturday Westside Santa Cruz (Dec. 21), Saturday Cabrillo (Dec. 21 and Dec. 28) and Sunday Live Oak (Dec. 22 and Dec. 29). I always love tasting their new seasonal flavors before deciding which ones to buy; the staff are friendly and generous when handing out samples to customers. Contact info: livingswellkombucha.com, IG @livingswellkombucha.
Spontaneous Confections Mini Tart Trio (apricot pistachio, fudge brownie, lemon meringue) purchased at a June popup photo by Tara Fatemi Walker
It’s the official week-until-Christmas warning; if you’re like me, you are behind in shopping! Here is my first of a few “last-minute gift suggestion” posts.
Pastry and confections business Spontaneous Confections has gift certificates available in $20 increments. Contact them via email at baked@spontaneousconfections.com or via DM on Instagram (@spontaneousconfections). They are also accepting holiday pre-orders for custom tarts, Dubai chocolate bars, and more until Dec. 22. I highly recommend this business; my family and I have bought and enjoyed their tasty treats at popups including the Live Oak Sunday farmers’ market.
Santa Cruz residents Justin and Stephanie Lenorovitz launched Spontaneous Confections in 2023 and quickly gained a large following. Signature items available year-round include Chocolate Chunk Cardamom Cookie, and Fudge Brownie with a honey lavender ganache and real 24K gold garnish. Learn more at spontaneousconfections.com. Justin, a military veteran, is the pastry chef. His education includes attending the Institut Culinaire de France, a Bordeaux pastry school. Justin’s wife Stephanie’s roles include event planning, operations, and graphic design.
Local baker TspVanilla has created a special Holiday Cookie Box. Varieties include espresso chocolate chunk, miso churro, gingerbread and orange pecan rosemary shortbread. You receive eight cookies for $18, 12 for $26, or 16 for $34. Order at shop.castiron.me/tspvanilla-1/shop and pick up in Soquel or arrange delivery. Another festive selection is Holiday Cake. The seven-inch single layer treat has a choice of three flavors: vanilla and spiced apple compote, brown butter gingerbread, and bourbon pecan. TspVanilla, also known as Shelby Aszklar, regularly offers custom orders of cookies, cupcakes, and cakes. She also often makes sourdough bagels, and this is what I have personally enjoyed from her—they are fabulous! I look forward to trying her sweets one day soon; I’m sure they are also fantastic. Follow TspVanilla on Instagram at tspvanilla.ca.
I recently had the opportunity to taste a wonderful vegetarian appetizer, Eggplant Basil, prepared by Avanti. I wasn’t at the actual Westside Santa Cruz restaurant, but the version I enjoyed—at a Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County benefit—is the same one served at the restaurant.
The dish includes layers of roasted eggplant, fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil. The flavors, and the texture of layers, come together beautifully. It can be challenging to cook eggplant to the right texture without losing its flavor and quality, and Avanti is successful!
I do plan to check out the actual restaurant someday soon; it’s been a while since I dined there. Glancing at the menu online, I am enticed by many dishes including appetizers like spice-roasted cauliflower (with dates, arugula and pickled onions) and lamb meatballs (with grilled polenta, red bell peppers and sweet onions).
Find Avanti at 1917 Mission St., 831-427-0135. Follow the restaurant on Instagram @avanti_santacruz.
How could I forget about this restaurant? Shame on me: I hadn’t been to Westside Santa Cruz’s Bantam in a long time, and I went last weekend. Wow, what I’ve been missing! The fried chicken was out of this world. When I ordered it, the server said “just so you know the chili butter is very spicy tonight” and as I told her, that is a-ok by me (and it was yummy). I highly recommend you get this the next time you dine at Bantam.
Also, I shared a small piece of the chicken (with accompaniments of course) with one of my dining companions, and she kindly shared a small piece of her Margherita-with-added-rocket-and Calabrian chiles with me. This wood-fired concoction was delightful.
My husband ordered the Little Gems salad and gave me a few bites — I will definitely eat one of these in the future. Very fresh ingredients, including local radishes, all enhanced by a delicious vinaigrette.
Find Bantam at 1010 Fair Ave., 831-420-0101. Follow the restaurant on Instagram @bantam1010.
Salatim at Laser Wolf, photo by Tara Fatemi Walker
My friend Amy, who lives in Philadelphia, has been telling me for years that as a fellow foodie I need to come visit her and partake in the city’s many amazing restaurants. In late February, I finally took that trip, and it lived up to my expectations and beyond. Here is a recap of my wonderful meal at Michael Solomonov’s restaurant, Laser Wolf.
I arrived on a Thursday evening, and after unpacking my bag and changing my clothes, we headed out to the first of many gourmet outings that would transpire over the next 48 hours. Amy had tried to get us a table at Solomonov’s flagship restaurant Zahav. Even though she was ready at her computer the exact second that reservations opened up, she wasn’t successful. As she puts it, “I swear bots hover over Zahav’s website.” Reservations are released “8 weeks to-the-day, at 11 am ET, in advance of the reservation date and opening one day at a time in a rolling fashion.”
Anyways, no matter—Laser Wolf was fantastic! The friendly service, the attention to detail, the exquisite food…everything. When the staff found out it was our first time there, they were quick to explain the unique way the menu and ordering work. Each customer picks one selection from “The Grill” section. There are meat choices like Chicken Shishlik and Koobideh, fish, and vegetables like Eggplant, each priced differently.
Appetizers and dessert are included with the meal. With the appetizers, you don’t do any choosing: it’s an assortment called “Salatim.” It’s a beautiful, large variety of dips and salads; served in small containers with homemade pita bread, these rotate but always include signature homemade hummus which is creamy and delightful. My favorites that night were Kale Babaganoush (so unique and wonderful), Braised Fennel with Orange, and Mushrooms with Swiss Chard & Sour Cherry (who would think to put all of those together? Unusual and brilliant). My friend and I both loved the Gigante Beans with Castelvetrano Olives. Oh, I almost forgot about the Smoked Beets, which had a wonderful depth of flavor. And the best part? As we ate these delectable snacks, our server came over and said, “Just let me know which ones are your favorites and we will bring you more of those.” Uh, YES PLEASE.
On to the entrees: my friend chose the Chicken Shishlik and gave me a bite—it was tender and well-seasoned, would definitely order again. With all the marvelous-sounding grilled options, I was indecisive. When I asked the server for advice, she recommended the Whole Dorade from the fish section. The idea of “whole fish” didn’t sound appealing, but she explained it was served as butterflied filets and that it was excellent. To say I am glad I went with her suggestion is an understatement: I was in food heaven. This amazing dish featured butterflied Dorade filets atop a base of black grape tzatziki. The sauce that covered the fish included grape molasses and “schug” which is a “Serrano chile salsa verde.” The layers of flavors, the textures, in a word: Wow.
Amy and I each chose a drink from the “Zero-Proof” menu: mine was Laser Lemonade with lemon, cardamom, orange blossom and Butterfly Pea flower. The verdict? Refreshing and delicious—not to mention beautiful. Amy was equally satisfied with her Passion Fruit Cooler. Laser Wolf offers a nice selection of wine (includes sparkling & white, rose & orange, and red, with vintages from France, Italy, Lebanon, Israel, and more) plus beer (mostly local) and Arak. The latter is a distilled spirit made from grapes and anise seed.
There is a small a la carte section on the menu, where you can pick things to add to your dinner. The menu always includes French Fries with Tehina Ketchup and usually includes a version of Tuna Tartare. Amy ordered the French Fries, and they were crisp and tasty.
For dessert we had a choice of Brown Sugar Soft Serve and Lime Coconut Sorbet (the menu rotates and always has one soft serve and one sorbet). Amy asked me, what do you think, one of each? I replied, “Of course!” We shared these sweet treats with smiles on our faces.
When we received the bill, I was surprised at how reasonable the total was—especially considering we even had some leftovers. Laser Wolf will definitely be a stop when I return to Philly one day.
Attention all Santa Cruz foodies: There are a couple promotions going on, and they are both time-sensitive.
Barceloneta: The popular tapas and paella restaurant in downtown Santa Cruz is currently offering a deal on E-gift cards. Shoppers receive a 15% discount through Nov. 28. You have to use the code THANKS23 at checkout. You can buy a $50 gift card for $42.50, a $100 gift card for $85, etc. This holiday season, your gift card recipient (or maybe yourself?) will undoubtedly enjoy some Jamón Croquetas, Patatas Bravas, signature Ibiza Hippie Salad, and/or seafood paella, and don’t forget the scrumptious churros with hot TCHO chocolate for dipping! Plus, the restaurant has a renowned cocktail and wine selection. Visit Barceloneta’s site and click on gift cards.
Pizza My Heart: Go to this special Pizza My Heart link to order gift cards and receive a bonus. If you buy $50 in cards, you get a free $10 gift card; if you spend $100 you get a free $25 card. These sound like great stocking stuffers. Who doesn’t love a giant, savory slice of Big Sur or Little Sur, or the pizzeria’s always-satisfying salads and fresh-baked Kook-ies? This promotion was originally supposed to last until Dec. 15 (which, according to a staff member, gives PMH enough time to process and mail orders so people have them by Christmas). However, they have gotten more orders than anticipated, so there’s a chance it could end sooner. Better get some now if you’re interested! Note: this promotion is only valid online. Although you can buy gift cards at brick-and-mortar PMH locations, you won’t get the free bonus cards.
If you missed my recent post about other local promotions, check it out here.
This Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, it’s Small Business Saturday. At Kianti’s Pizza & Pasta Bar, customers can pay $20 and receive $25 worth of gift cards. You can call 831-469-4400 or stop in to purchase these cards.
Starting this Saturday, and going through the following Saturday (Dec. 2), there is a fun promotion/contest through the Downtown Association of Santa Cruz: The Golden Envelope. And there are lots of retailers participating including several related to food or drink.
There are 500 Golden Envelopes scattered throughout various downtown businesses, so if you do some holiday shopping or enjoy some pizza, wine, cookies, or ice cream, you have the chance to win a prize. Each envelope contains something different: it could be a $10 gift card to one of the businesses, or a voucher for a free hot chocolate, or even $100 in Downtown Dollars. The Association has gathered thousands of dollars of prizes.
Here are the current retailers participating, as of 11/21:
