Local restaurants join forces for Soupline to benefit Santa Cruz Homeless Services Center

Soupline 2010 at the Cocoanut Grove

Soupline 2010 at the Cocoanut Grove

Eat a variety of delicious soup from more than 30 local restaurants on Thursday April 25, and you will benefit Santa Cruz’s Homeless Services Center.

The 14th Annual Soupline Supper and Benefit Auction is at the Cocoanut Grove at the Santa Cruz boardwalk, Thursday April 25, 2013 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. For $25 per person or $50 per family, you receive soup, bread, and dessert. The event is set up with different booths where chefs serve their homemade soup, so you can choose which ones to sample. Public officials, top executives, and other community leaders serve as “Celebrity Ladlers.” There are lots of tables set up in the dining room where attendees can relax and enjoy their soup and other goodies. Buy tickets and read more information online at the special Soupline event site.

More than 30 participating restaurants in this year’s Soupline include Sawasdee, La Posta, Manuel’s, The Buttery, Soif, Charlie Hong Kong, Walnut Ave Café, Zameen, India Joze, Crow’s Nest, Shadowbrook, and Aquarius. See full restaurant list.

The event also includes live music by local jazz duo NoNette, and a silent auction. Auction items include restaurant and spa gift certificates (such as Café Cruz, Linda’s Seabreeze Café, and Well Within), wine, performance tickets such as the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, and passes to places like Disneyland.

The Homeless Services Center is a community-supported non-profit organization dedicated to the coordinated provision of services for homeless persons. The goal of the Homeless Services Center is to provide both emergency and transitional services to homeless individuals that will enable clients to achieve self-sufficiency.

If you’re on Twitter, please follow me @santacruzfoodie.

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35th Anniversary specials at Mexican restaurant Tortilla Flats in Soquel through Sunday

Food from Tortilla Flats' traditional menu

Food from Tortilla Flats’ traditional menu

Soquel-based Mexican restaurant Tortilla Flats started serving a special menu today, Thursday, April 18, to celebrate being open for 35 years. The 35th Anniversary menu, available through Sunday April 21, features two favorite dishes from each of the many special events Tortilla Flats hosts throughout the year. During all of these events, the restaurant offers special menus but the regular menu is also available with savory dishes like Green Corn Tamales and Red Pepper Enchiladas.

Here are some excerpts from the April 18-21, 2013 menu; not all selections are available each day.

FRIDA’S FAVORITES
Frida’s peanut mole with chicken
Scallops and pescado in scallop shells with lobster, habanero saffron sauce

CACTUS
Nopales rellenos: tender cactus pads with fluffy egg batter and melted cheese
Cactus chile verde

YUCATAN
Basa cocohu’ut: Mild white fish baked in a coconut, lemongrass habanero sauce
Cochinita pibil: Pork carnitas with annatto sauce steamed in a banana leaf

HOT TAMALE
Tamales salmone: Fresh wild caught salmon served in corn husks
Tamale Oaxaca: Pork carnitas served in a banana leaf with mole poblano

CREPAS
White truffle crepes filled with shitake, oyster and huitlacoche mushrooms
Crepas del Mar: Buttery handmade crepes filled with lobster and prawns

OLE MOLE
Mole Manchemantales: Fragrant dark mole drawing its sweetness from plantains, raisins, pineapple, mango and rum
Mole Mirasol: A blending of two rare chiles from Oaxaca and Peru, served with chicken

 

If you’re a party of six or more, make reservations at (831) 476-1754.

Hours: 11:30 a.m.- 9 p.m. Mon-Fri and 11:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. Sat-Sun.

Location: 4616 Soquel Drive, Soquel

 

Follow me on Twitter @santacruzfoodie.

 

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Santa Cruz restaurant Charlie Hong Kong and Life Lab partner on Earth Day for kids

Kids at UCSC's Life Lab

Kids at UCSC’s Life Lab

For Earth Day 2013, Santa Cruz restaurant Charlie Hong Kong is partnering with UC Santa Cruz’s Life Lab for a fun kids’ festival and party. The theme is “We love veggies! We love our Earth!”

The event is Saturday, April 20 from 10:30 a.m. – noon at Charlie Hong Kong. Kids ages 4-11 are invited; adults are invited only if they are accompanied by a child. The party is a benefit for UCSC-based Life Lab, which has worked for 30 years to teach children and educators how to care for themselves, each other, and the world through farm- and garden-based educational programs.

On Saturday, Life Lab will provide fun activities and there will be face painters, music, and “kid-sized tastes” of food from Charlie Hong Kong. There will also be “roaming veggies” for photo opportunities (!). Tickets are $8 and required for admittance to the festival. Purchase tickets by visiting the events section of Edible Monterey Bay’s web site.

Carolyn Rudolph, who owns Charlie Hong Kong with her husband, is very excited about this first-time event. “I’ve been wanting to acknowledge all the children I see eating at CHK and I’m a big supporter of Life Lab, so for Earth Day this seemed like the perfect opportunity,” she shared. For more info, contact Carolyn at carolyn@charliehongkong.com or leave a message at (831) 471-2609.

Even if you aren’t attending the festival, you can do your part for farm- and garden-based education on April 20 by eating at Charlie Hong Kong: during the entire day and evening, CHK is donating a percentage of its sales to Life Lab.

If you’re on Twitter follow me @santacruzfoodie.

Location/Hours: Charlie Hong Kong, 1141 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz (831) 426-5664, Open 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. daily.

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Organic Santa Cruz AgroEco coffee events at New Leaf Market & Swanton Berry Farm

Participants at the 2012 AgroEco / Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company cupping event at New Leaf Community Market

Participants at the 2012 AgroEco / Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company cupping event at New Leaf Community Market

Santa Cruz’s CAN (Community Agroecology Network) supports small-scale coffee farmers in Nicaragua and Mexico; when you buy products like AgroEco coffee (roasted by Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company) you are helping CAN fulfill its mission.

CAN has brought 14 youth from Nicaragua, Mexico, and Costa Rica to Santa Cruz to take part in the 3rd International Youth Exchange for Food Security and Sovereignty (April 8-16, 2013). There are several free public events (read more) that both educate and enable people to meet youth from the communities that grow the coffee that CAN sells as Agro®Eco Coffee.

Two of the events are at New Leaf Market (Westside Location) and Swanton Berry Farm.

 

  • Sat, April 13 at Swanton Berry Farm, Highway One in Davenport: From 1 – 4 p.m. there will be a “Fun Farm Fundraiser” for CAN’s International Youth Network. Activities include coffee sack races, art, music, coffee tasting, and farm tours. It’s billed as a good activity for kids, and of course there will be plenty of strawberries.
  • Sun, April 14 at New Leaf Market, 1101 Fair Ave: From 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. you can learn about AgroEco® Coffee from cooperative representatives, who will share insights into the impact of AgroEco® Coffee on their communities. Also, Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company’s Sarah de Sousa will lead a “cupping,” which means you can learn to taste coffee ‘like the professionals.’

More information: The mission of international organization CAN is to sustain rural livelihoods and environments by integrating research, education, and trade innovations. CAN’s vision is for a global economy where people, healthy food systems, and the environment come first. CAN International Youth Network for Food Security is a two-year initiative that targets the youth population of rural communities in Mexico and Central America, giving them skills, techniques, and knowledge to create locally-owned businesses that will provide support to CAN’s ongoing agroecology-based food security projects. AgroEco®Coffee is the product of a collaboration among small-scale coffee farmer cooperatives, coffee roasters, university scientists, and CAN. Through this collaboration, farmers receive technical support, ongoing ecological monitoring, and evaluation of sustainable farming practices.

On Twitter? Please follow me @santacruzfoodie.

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Monterey Salmon Stravaganza starts April 6 and includes restaurant specials

Monterey commercial fisherman and sport fishing guide on the Monterey Wharf after a good day fishing salmon, Circa 1895

Monterey commercial fisherman and sport fishing guide on the Monterey Wharf after a good day fishing salmon, Circa 1895

Monterey Salmon Stravaganza starts April 6, 2013 and includes restaurant specials. This event celebrates the legacy of salmon fishing in the Monterey Bay.

 

Monterey Bay Fisheries historian and author Tim Thomas, F. E. Booth (a pioneer of the modern sardine industry) was in the salmon business along the Sacramento River before moving to Monterey around 1896 due to the large salmon landings then being made by mostly Japanese fishermen. Booth ended up in the business of both salmon and sardines. Many of today’s Monterey restaurant owners and Wharf merchants have many generations of family in the local commercial fishing industry. Historian Thomas leads monthly Monterey “Wharf Walks” on the first Saturday morning of the month at 10 a.m.; the next one is April 6 – the same day the local recreational salmon fishing season kicks off (commerical season starts May 1). Learn more about the Wharf Walk and many Monterey Fisherman’s Wharf events here.

 

You’re invited to visit Old Fisherman’s Wharf to discover the salmon entrees that several restaurants are adding to their menus to celebrate Salmon Stravaganza. Here is a sampling:

 

  • Rappa’s Restaurant (featuring Chef Alfonzo formerly of Napa’s Mustards Grill Restaurant) – Salmon Strudel: Filet of Salmon in Puff Pastry with Fresh Cranberries, Wild Greens, Onion and Swiss Cheese, and a Beurre Blanc Sauce on top. Served with a Red and Golden Beet Salad featuring Goat Cheese, Walnuts, Blood Oranges and Organic basil olive oil
  • Old Fisherman’s Grotto – Pesto Parmesan Salmon: Wild Salmon baked with a Basil Pesto Parmesan Cheese crust, served with sautéed organic Vegetables and caramelized Onion Risotto
  • Café Fina – Local king salmon, cooked over mesquite charcoal then topped with a basil cream sauce and served with orzo pasta plus home grown vegetables from their own garden in Los Banos
  • Paluca Trattoria – Grilled salmon with the Secret Sicilian Sauce and Salmon Picatta and Spaghetti with Salmon. The restaurant is also serving a special soup: Smoked Salmon Chowder
  • Isabella’s Italian Seafood Restaurant (Chef Tene Shake) – Salmon and Figs with sweet potatoes, white rice and salsa

 

Also of note: the Wharf has recently launched a free promotional card and coupon offer that includes many restaurant discounts; click here for details.

 

Follow me on Twitter @santacruzfoodie.

 

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Restaurants for Easter in Santa Cruz and San Jose

Brunch at Johnny's Harborside in Santa Cruz

Brunch at Johnny’s Harborside in Santa Cruz

Hard to believe but it’s already Easter 2013; if you haven’t made plans for dining out this Sunday, here are some restaurants in Santa Cruz and San Jose with special offerings.

 Santa Cruz Restaurants

Hindquarter Bar & Grille

Hindquarter is open on Easter Sunday. From 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m. it will be featuring a special brunch menu with “savory and sweet selections plus luscious libations.” From 5:30-9 p.m. it will be serving its full dinner menu special appetizers, entrees and desserts for Easter. Call (831) 426-7770 for reservations.

303 Soquel Avenue, Santa Cruz

Johnny’s Harborside

Santa Cruz restaurant Johnny’s Harborside is offering a special Easter brunch menu from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (last seating at 2:15 p.m.). Dinner service begins at 3 p.m. with a few specials in addition to the regular menu. Easter brunch specials include a variety of Eggs Benedicts (such as a crab cake variation for $16, traditional for $12), a lobster omelet with asparagus and havarti cheese ($16), and a proscuitto breakfast sandwich ($11). Call (831) 479-3430 for reservations.

493 Lake Avenue, Santa Cruz

 

Chaminade

The Chaminade offers its annual Easter Brunch Buffet from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; the price is $49.95 (adults), $17.95 (kids 6-12), and free for kids under 6. Selections include prime rib, honey baked ham with Jack Daniels glaze, rosemary and garlic encrusted lamb leg, a seafood bar with teriyaki salmon, peel and eat prawns, fried calamari and more, omelets made to order, and Belgian waffles with fresh berry compote. Additional highlights: several salads, roasted vegetables, cheese ravioli, a chocolate fountain, and a sundae bar. There will be Easter egg hunts for the kids at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m, and 2:30 p.m. Call (831) 475-5600 for reservations.

One Chaminade Lane, Santa Cruz

 

Ideal Bar & Grill

Ideal Bar & Grill is serving special Easter Brunch selections, plus a regular limited brunch menu, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. and dinner from 4-9:30 p.m. The Easter Bunny will be at the restaurant from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Brunch specials include Crab Benedict ($15) plus Pancetta-wrapped Pork ($15) marinated in rosemary, thyme, and garlic, served with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. Call (831) 423-5271 for reservations.

106 Beach Street, Santa Cruz

 

The Point

The Point is serving special Easter dishes for brunch (8 a.m. – 2 p.m. and dinner (4 p.m. onward). Brunch specials include Cajun Blackened Salmon ($12) with avocado and asparagus benedict, and dinner specials include Bleu Cheese and Prosciutto Stuffed Pork Chop ($16) and Crabmeat and Lobster Lasagna ($21). Call (831) 476-2733 for reservations.

3326 Portola Dr, Santa Cruz

San Jose

Left Bank

Left Bank on Santana Row is serving Easter Brunch special dishes in addition to its regular menu. One selection is Quiche a la chair de crabe dormeur et asperge local ($14.50), which is 
Dungeness crab meat and local asparagus quiche served with organic mixed greens, honey, and passion fruit vinaigrette. Call (408) 984-3500 for reservations.

377 Santana Row, Suite 100, San Jose

Other local restaurants doing Easter meals include Café Cruz in Soquel (dinner begins at 4 p.m.; call (831) 476-3801) and Faz in Sunnyvale (brunch from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. plus easter egg hunt; call (408) 752-8007).

 

On Twitter? Follow me @santacruzfoodie.

 

 

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Eat dinner at Scopazzi’s in Boulder Creek and benefit Hospice of Santa Cruz County

Scopazzi's in Boulder Creek

Scopazzi’s in Boulder Creek

You have the opportunity to support Hospice of Santa Cruz County while eating delicious Italian food at the restaurant Scopazzi’s in Boulder Creek – and even if you can’t attend the event, you can buy raffle tickets for great prizes.

The 15th Annual Dining for Hospice is Wed. Mar. 27 from 4 p.m. onward. Order food off of the regular Scopazzi’s menu, and the restaurant will donate a generous portion of your bill to benefit Hospice programs. Make your reservation or get more information by calling (831) 338-4444. Dinner reservations begin at 4 p.m. Hmm, fried calamari, Caesar salad, whole roasted garlic with blue cheese and toast, seafood linguini, gnocchi, rack of lamb, filet mignon, scallops with saffron risotto, cedar plank salmon, tiramisu, cherries jubilee for two… will you order some of these Scopazzi’s treats, or something completely different?

There will also be a raffle at the dinner, but you don’t need to be present to win. To purchase raffle tickets before the dinner, contact Adrienne Meier at ameier@hospicesantacruz.org or (831) 430-3066. You can choose which of four prize packages you want to buy tickets toward (see details below; each is worth approximately $500). Tickets are 1 for $5, 5 for $20, 10 for $40, or the “Sweet Ticket Special” is 15 for $60 and includes a bag of homemade “Lucky Mountain Crunch” candy.

Prizes

“One Lucky Gal” package:

The Inn at Depot Hill Certificate for 1-night stay in Capitola

(valued over $300), A Chaminade Spa Certificate

(Valued at $100), A custom made Ladies Spa Comforter, A Box of  Handmade

Mackenzie’s Santa Cruz Chocolates, A Boulder Creek Flowers

Gift Certificate, One Bottle of Italian Wine and A pair of Wine Glasses from Zinnia’s

“One Lucky Guy” package:

1/4 Cord of Wood from Furlanic Firewood, 4 Cases of Premium Firewood from OSH,

1 Fire Wood Rack from Scarborough (holds one cord of wood), 1 Pair of Premium Work Men’s Gloves (size XL), A $25 Gift Certificate from Batteries Plus (When the lights go out and you have to build a fire and need batteries for the flashlight!), 1 Six Pack of Wood Chuck Beer (To enjoy in front of the fire when the lights go out!), 1 Gift Certificate to Subway Sandwiches (To enjoy with the beer!) and a 1 week supply of “Lucky Mountain Crunch Candy”

“One Lucky Dog” package:

One Medium Size Dog Bed from Pet Pals, One Cozy Pet Blanket, A Custom Water Color Portrait of Your Pet ($450 Value), and Assorted Dog Treats and Toys

“One Lucky Kid” package:

One Red Flyer Wagon, A Cozy Child’s Comforter (for the wagon) The Red Wagon (Child’s Book), 2 Tickets to Roaring Camp Railroad, 2 Tickets to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and A Baskin Robins Ice Cream Gift Certificate!

Hospice of Santa Cruz County is the oldest and only non-profit hospice serving Santa Cruz and northern Monterey counties. The organization provides compassionate care while “recognizing that individuals and families are the guiding force in their own end-of-life experience.” With hospice care, a trained and experienced professional team of professionals provides support to an individual or family and their loved one who is seriously ill. This can happen either in a private home, or in nursing homes and residential care facilities. Read more, or call (831) 430-3000.

Event location: Scopazzi’s Restaurant & Lounge, 13300 Big Basin Hwy, Boulder Creek

 

If you’re on Twitter, please follow me @santacruzfoodie.

 

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Celebrate lamb during March 2013 at Lark Creek restaurants in San Jose, SF, & other Bay Area cities

Marin Sun Farm Lamb Duo of Loin and Shoulder at Lark Creek Steak

Marin Sun Farm Lamb Duo of Loin and Shoulder at San Francisco’s Lark Creek Steak

If you’re a lamb fan, you have 11 remaining days to participate in this fun event: during March 2013, Lark Creek Restaurant Group is partnering with the American Lamb Board to bring unique spring lamb dishes at seven of its Bay Area locations. These selections, made from lamb that is fresh and sourced directly from local farms, will be available through the end of March.

  • Thinly Sliced Lamb Tongue served with lamb’s lettuce, Asian pear, and puffed quinoa from Chef/Partner Mark Dommen at One Market Restaurant in San Francisco, 415.777.5577 (I have sampled Chef Dommen’s food at a festival; it was truly divine)
  • Marin Sun Farm Lamb Duo of Loin and Shoulder (see photo above) served with brioche, almonds, roasted cauliflower, and a pomegranate glaze from Chef Ismael Macias at San Francisco’s Lark Creek Steak, 415.593.4100
  • Moroccan Lamb Meatballs served with crispy spearmint, chickpea hummus, and tomato sauce from Chef Aaron Wright at The Tavern at Lark Creek in Larkspur, 415.924.7766
  • Slow Roasted California Leg Of Lamb Sandwich served with arugula and sundried tomato mint relish from Chef/Partner Scott Wall at Lark Creek Walnut Creek, 925.256.1234
  • Lamb Polpette with pecorino and a spicy tomato sauce from Chef Marc Tennison at Cupola Pizzeria  in San Francisco, 415.896.5600
  • Spiced Lamb Carpaccio with roast peppers, feta cheese, kalamata olives, cumin scented breadstick, and micro arugula from Chef Chad Greer at Lark Creek Blue on Santana Row, 408.244.1244 (I had a fabulous, memorable meal at this restaurant in January; read about a few of the dishes and see one photo in this article)
  • Braised Spring Lamb Shoulder Panini with house made hummus, spicy harissa aioli, and preserved lemon from Chef Jonathan Hall at Parcel 104 in Santa Clara, 408.970.6104.

Learn more about the American Lamb Board at the ALB web site. You’ll find nutrition info, statistics, recipes, events for lamb lovers, and more.

Follow me on Twitter @santacruzfoodie.

 

 

 

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Food & drink highlights for St. Patrick’s Day in Santa Cruz includes special flavors at The Penny Ice Creamery

Two ingredients in The Penny Ice Creamery's St. Patrick's Day Irish Coffee ice cream

Two ingredients in The Penny Ice Creamery’s St. Patrick’s Day Irish Coffee ice cream

Lots of local restaurants are offering St. Patrick’s Day specials and The Penny Ice Creamery is offering limited edition flavors for the holiday.

See my March 14 article for information on additional St. Patrick’s Day special dishes and highlights.

 

The Penny Ice Creamery is creating four small batches of special ice cream on Saturday, to serve on Sunday at its two main locations (Cedar St. and 41st Ave.). Co-owner Zach Davis shares that “repeat favorite Irish Coffee features a heady dose of Jameson Whiskey and ‘Buena Vista beans’ from Verve.” Shamrock is made with foraged wood sorrel; Pot of Gold has flecks of real gold; and Brown Bread is a traditional Irish ice cream recipe “bequeathed by a Penny regular.” Flavors will be available for a limited time. On Sunday The Penny will offer these four plus Tahitian Vanilla Bean, two other ice cream flavors, a seasonal fruit sorbet, and Dark Chocolate Sorbet.
913 Cedar St., Santa Cruz and 820 41st Ave. Capitola, (831) 204-2523

 

Capitola-based The Quail & Thistle Tea Room is serving an Irish tea and lunch from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. The $28 cost includes items such as Stout beef stew mini-pies and corned beef reuben finger sandwiches.

911 Capitola Ave., Capitola, (831) 477-1798

 

Paradise Beach Grille has a Reuben with french fries or cole slaw at lunch ($14) and corned beef with cabbage, baby carrots, and fingerlings at dinner ($20). Drinks include Guinness ($3) and Jameson ($6).

215 Esplanade, Capitola, (831) 476-4900

 

Zelda’s is serving corned beef and cabbage for $12.95 from 12 p.m. onward. Drinks include $6 Bushmills and $5 Guinness pints.

203 Esplanade, Capitola, (831) 475-4900

 

New Leaf Community Markets has a special Green Plate: corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots for $9.99.

Locations include 1101 Fair Ave., Santa Cruz, (831) 426-1306

The Hindquarter is offering corned beef and cabbage all day plus Guinness and Irish coffee specials.

303 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, (831) 426-7770

 

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St. Patrick’s Day Weekend in Santa Cruz & nearby plus Bonny Doon Vineyard’s move

Tarpy's Roadhouse in Monterey

Tarpy’s Roadhouse in Monterey

Many local restaurants and bars are offering St. Patrick’s Day specials this weekend; I’ll post some today and more in the next couple days, and I want to also share the news about Bonny Doon Winery’s move.

You may recall that Le Cigare Volant, the restaurant at Bonny Doon Vineyard’s Westside Santa Cruz tasting room, shut down at the end of 2012. Now the winery has announced it is moving its tasting room to Davenport (the winery first moved to Santa Cruz from Bonny Doon in 2008). The new location will open in late spring in the former site of Davenport Gallery at 450 Highway One. Meanwhile, Bonny Doon Vineyard’s Swift Street Courtyard tasting room will be open until at least May.

St. Patrick’s Day in Santa Cruz & nearby

Aptos restaurant Bittersweet Bistro is offering food and drink specials including corned beef and cabbage and Irish creme brulee. Bar and outdoor patio opens at 3:00 p.m. Dining room service starts at 5:30 pm.

787 Rio Del Mar Boulevard, Aptos, (831) 662-9799.

 

Yacht harbor restaurant Crow’s Nest is offering live music by the Irish Rovers from 4:30-7 p.m. in its upstairs lounge, which serves lots of delicious affordable food and has a full bar.

2218 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz (831) 476-4560

 

Westside Santa Cruz butcher shop el Salchichero is selling grass-fed corned beef for all you do-it-yourselfers. Hours are Tues-Sun from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

402 Ingalls St, Suite 25, Santa Cruz (831) 423-MEAT

 

Monterey-based Tarpy’s Roadhouse is serving a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner and offering a special Tipsy Tarpy cocktail (includes Jameson’s, Apple Pucker Schnapps, and pineapple juice).  If you wear green, you get a free dessert.

999 Monterey Salinas Highway, Monterey, (831) 647-1444

 

Scotts Valley restaurant Malone’s Grille is serving corned beef and cabbage all day on both Sat. Mar. 16 and Sun. Mar. 17. On Sunday, it will also offer live Irish music.

4402 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley (831) 438-2244

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