{"id":1988,"date":"2015-06-18T21:49:58","date_gmt":"2015-06-19T01:49:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/santacruzfoodie.com\/?p=1988"},"modified":"2015-06-18T21:49:58","modified_gmt":"2015-06-19T01:49:58","slug":"a-santa-cruz-foodies-carmel-getaway-hofsas-house-rio-grill-5th-ave-deli","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/santacruzfoodie.com\/?p=1988","title":{"rendered":"A Santa Cruz foodie’s Carmel getaway: Hofsas House, Rio Grill, & 5th Ave. Deli"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Breakfast<\/a>

Breakfast at Hofsas House Hotel in Carmel<\/p><\/div>\n

A piece of pork belly that tastes so sweet and addicting, it\u2019s no wonder the appetizer is named after a legendary candy. Feeling heat beaming up through the floor tile, warming my bare feet. These are just two highlights from my recent overnight getaway from Santa Cruz to Carmel.<\/p>\n

First, the lodging: I highly recommend Hofsas House Hotel<\/a>, a Bavarian-inspired boutique inn. I stayed in a spacious, wonderful ocean-view room with a king bed, fireplace, and kitchenette. The room (#45) had quaint, pleasant furnishings and I was delightfully surprised at the size of the bathroom. The next morning, I toured several other guest rooms and they looked very comfortable. There are accommodations, even dog-friendly ones, ranging from a single-queen-bed room to cottages and a two-bedroom suite. Some of these are perfect for groups, whether it\u2019s a couple families traveling together or a girls\u2019 getaway. Hofsas House offers fun packages for family reunions and other group events, as well as a la carte selections like massages or local wine\/cheese pairings.<\/p>\n

The very reasonable room cost includes refreshing bath amenities like chamomile clove orange blossom bath gel, which I liked so much I tracked down where to buy a larger bottle for my own home.\u00a0 There is complimentary continental breakfast, too. You can eat this in the hotel lobby\u2019s cozy sitting area, or take food back to your room or to an outdoor deck. Breakfast features French Roast coffee, yogurt, fruit, orange juice, and pastries from Paris Bakery in Monterey. These baked goods, which include yummy, buttery croissants, are delivered fresh every day.<\/p>\n

Hofsas House is walking distance from lots of restaurants, cafes\/bakeries, and wineries. It\u2019s also close to a park, the beach, and many other attractions. The hotel features dry saunas and a heated pool, which I didn\u2019t get the chance to try, and lots of easy off-street parking. Only a few rooms have that luxurious heated bathroom floor I mentioned, but owner\/general manager Carrie Theis says that as she renovates various rooms, the plan is to add more of these.<\/p>\n

After relaxing in the hotel room, we decided to get in the car and drive to Rio Grill<\/a> for dinner. There were many great-sounding options within walking distance, but I had tried Rio for a delicious lunch a few months ago and was excited to taste Chef Cy Yontz\u2019s Southwestern Cuisine-themed dinner creations.<\/p>\n

We had the privilege of being waited on by manager Joe Valencia, a consummate host who regaled us with entertaining stories and food recommendations. Thank goodness we listened to his suggestions; the thought of not getting to try the \u201cCandied Swine Jolly Rancheros\u201d makes my heart ache. It was THAT good. It\u2019s a very popular appetizer that Yontz makes with pork belly. He\u2019s a talented man with a smoker; the restaurant\u2019s most popular entree is house-smoked half chicken with chile butter (the meat has been rubbed with annatto oil, garlic, and herbs, and smoked for four hours). My favorite dish from dinner, that I ordered based on Joe\u2019s suggestion, was duck breast with tortilla-squash chilaquiles, Oaxacan mole rojo, and duck confit tamale. Every bite was nuanced with layers of flavor; you won\u2019t be disappointed if you order this entr\u00e9e! It\u2019s no wonder that Yontz\u2019s accolades include getting the award for 2015 Monterey County Celebrated Chef of the Year from the American Culinary Federation Monterey County Chamber.<\/p>\n

The next morning, I enjoyed talking to Carrie Theis and learning more about the hotel\u2019s history. She is a very gracious host who cares deeply about her guests\u2019 comfort. Hofsas House has been in Carrie\u2019s family for more than 60 years, and it\u2019s obviously more than a job to her. Her grandmother, Donna Hofsas, established Hofsas House in the early 1950\u2019s; at the time it was just a few cottages. Donna completed the first expansion in 1957, adding 25 rooms and a pool. As a child, Carrie spent summers in Carmel and got to help her grandmother behind the hotel\u2019s front desk. Her journey has come full circle, as she returned to Hofsas House a few years ago and realized it\u2019s her true calling.<\/p>\n

After a leisurely morning in Carmel, we decided to stop and get sandwiches to go so we\u2019d have lunch taken care of upon our return to Santa Cruz. Carrie recommended 5th Ave. Deli<\/a>, and now I\u2019m heartily passing that recommendation on to you. The service was extra-friendly, and the menu had something for everyone. Next time I visit, I plan to buy a few things before taking a picnic to Point Lobos. Delectable highlights from this lunch included edamame salad, and sandwiches with curry chicken salad and teriyaki salmon.<\/p>\n

I had a wonderful time in Carmel, and I definitely suggest you visit this relaxing and beautiful town soon\u2014it\u2019s full of great food, friendly people, and so much more!<\/p>\n

For more information:<\/strong>
\nwww.hofsashouse.com \/ 831-624-2745 \/ San Carlos St. between 3rd & 4th Ave., Carmel
\nwww.riogrill.com \/ 831-625-5436 \/ The Crossroads, Highway 1 at Rio Rd., Carmel
\nwww.5thavedeli.com \/ 831-625-2688 \/ 5th Ave. between San Carlos & Dolores, Carmel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A piece of pork belly that tastes so sweet and addicting, it\u2019s no wonder the appetizer is named after a legendary candy. Feeling heat beaming up through the floor tile, warming my bare feet. These are just two highlights from … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1049,325,493,1052,1048,1051,981,1050],"class_list":["post-1988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-restaurants","tag-5th-ave-deli","tag-carmel","tag-carmel-restaurants","tag-hofsas-house","tag-hofsas-house-hotel","tag-paris-bakery","tag-rio-grill","tag-southwestern-cuisine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/santacruzfoodie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/santacruzfoodie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/santacruzfoodie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/santacruzfoodie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/santacruzfoodie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1988"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/santacruzfoodie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1988\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1990,"href":"https:\/\/santacruzfoodie.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1988\/revisions\/1990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/santacruzfoodie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/santacruzfoodie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/santacruzfoodie.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}