{"id":2488,"date":"2016-10-13T13:38:08","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T17:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/santacruzfoodie.com\/?p=2488"},"modified":"2016-10-13T13:38:08","modified_gmt":"2016-10-13T17:38:08","slug":"santa-cruz-restaurant-week-started-yesterday-and-includes-restaurant-assembly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/santacruzfoodie.com\/?p=2488","title":{"rendered":"Santa Cruz Restaurant Week started yesterday and includes restaurant Assembly"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\u201cFresh

\u201cFresh off the boat\u201d seafood stew is one of Assembly\u2019s prix fixe entr\u00e9e choices for Santa Cruz Restaurant Week 2016<\/p><\/div>\n

Santa Cruz Restaurant Week started yesterday, and continues through Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016. Downtown Santa Cruz restaurant Assembly<\/a> (1108 Pacific Ave., 831-824-6100) is one of the nearly 40 participants from across the county that have created special three-course prix fixe dinners that cost $25 or $35 depending on the venue. These SCRW menus typically include three options for each course: appetizer, entr\u00e9e, and dessert. Customers choose one selection from each course.<\/p>\n

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For its $35 special menu, one of Assembly\u2019s \u201cstarter\u201d selection choices is Kabocha squash soup with brown butter saut\u00e9ed apples, cr\u00e8me fraiche and fried sage. When chef\/owner Kendra Baker owner Zach Davis were planning the menu, Baker was thrilled to see that Route One Farms’ Kabocha squash would be here in time for Restaurant Week. \u201cI love sharing my favorites of the season,\u201d said Baker. \u201cThese Japanese Pumpkins have a lovely chestnut-like sweetness and make the most velvety soup.”<\/p>\n

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Two of Assembly\u2019s SCRW entr\u00e9e selections are seafood stew and braised chicken leg.\u00a0The stew, described as \u201cfresh off the boat,\u201d is served with potatoes, chard, zucchini, creamy polenta and a tomato-saffron broth. \u201cAs the seasons are changing my taste buds were longing for a soul-satisfying brothy seafood dish,\u201d said Baker. \u201cWorking on developing this stew I\u00a0envisioned\u00a0the earthy notes of tomatoes with the saffron, oils of lemon zest, fennel and white wine being the perfect partners for the bounty of seafood we have available to us.”<\/p>\n

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The chicken entr\u00e9e includes caramelized leeks, brussel sprouts, gigante beans and fried bread with a lemon butter caper sauce. There\u2019s also a vegetarian option available. \u201cDeveloping the braised chicken recipe for restaurant week, I had my father’s newfound love for capers at the age of 63 in mind,\u201d said Baker. \u201cHe never ceases to surprise me. For the better part of my life I have known him as the iceberg lettuce and garbanzo bean salad with blue cheese dressing kind of guy.”<\/p>\n

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Baker\u2019s partner Davis also has a new caper fan in his family. \u201cMy daughter discovered capers a couple days ago at the age of two and loves them,\u201d said Davis. \u201cI’m very excited to have her try this dish!\u201d<\/p>\n

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Dessert choices for the SCRW menu include caramelized apple pie with brown sugar oat streusel and whiskey custard ice cream, and Penny Ice Creamery sorbet trio. Baker and Davis operate The Penny Ice Creamery<\/a>, Picnic Basket<\/a> and POPUP<\/a> in addition to Assembly. In fact, a couple weeks ago they started offering some of their Picnic Basket selections at POPUP (a small storefront connected to Assembly at 1108 Pacific). These include sandwiches and cookies and are available Monday-Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.<\/p>\n

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I will post a few more SCRW highlights in the next couple days.<\/p>\n

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Restaurants that are participating in SCRW, in alphabetical order:<\/strong><\/p>\n