Silver Spur

Howdy pardner, saddle up and hitch a wagon to the Silver Spur restaurant for a rootin', tootin' breakfast! This place is a Santa Cruz favorite and has been here a long time. I was meeting the folks last week for some morning eats - let's see how we liked it.

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Closed on Sundays.

Every Saturday, there's a line out the door, so be warned. They are one of the nice places that put out cups and coffee while you wait. Just add your name to the list inside the front door. But Mon-Fri is a lot better and we got a table lickity-split.

The inside has many old west images, which gives it a homey feel. The menu is extensive with scrambles, omelets, pancakes, biscuits and gravy and more. They also have a sizable lunch selection if you are so inclined. They also run different specials every day. We got coffee ($2.50) as soon as we sat down, which is always nice. Our server came quick even though the place was busy. Thank you!

I ordered the Pesto Scramble ($10.50) with tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese. It came with toast and home fries. It was rich in flavor and tasty. The potatoes could have been more browned for me, but they were cooked through, so I just added hot sauce. A big plate of food!

Mom got the French Toast half order ($6.50), which had two slices. Plenty for a filling meal. She said they were good - light and fluffy. I forgot to ask for a bite since I was enjoying mine so much.

Dad got his custom scramble ($10.50) with egg whites, cheese, mushrooms and green onions. Add a fruit cup and you are eating healthy! He was all smiles - he gets this every time and it's a winner.

Things I look for at breakfast places: variety, good portions and delicious food. Silver Spur delivers on all three. No wonder this place is always packed. Santa Cruz is lucky to have this and Zach's downtown. It will get you ready for that dusty trail of a day ahead of you...

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Value for price: 8
Overall: Solid 8

Maharaja Downtown

Meeting old friends is always fun and this trip, I met Rhoda, Paula and Joel at Maharaja downtown Santa Cruz. Well okay, not "downtown" downtown, but just over the bridge by CVS. It was the Royal Taj for years, but recently changed names.

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This is one of the few Indian restaurants in SC and they have a lunch buffet that is very good. Let's see how they are at dinner.

The interior is a little nicer than before with cloth napkins and new tables now. They added new decorations around the walls that make you feel the Indian vibe. We took a window booth and they quickly filled our water glasses. Rhoda was late (that NEVER happens), so Paula and I ordered a Maharaja pilsner beer ($3.99). It was light, cool and refreshing.

We browsed the menu and found all the buffet items and more. Either a la carte or add $3.95 for the dinner plate, which came with rice, naan, raita (spiced yogurt dip) and salad.

Side note: One thing that bugs me is when you are chatting with your friends and the waiter interrupts about your order. Not the first time of course, but like 2-3 times after that. It was a long wait for us I know since Rhoda came after we were seated, but the place was not full. They didn't need our table. End rant.

Rhoda ordered the Chicken Vindaloo ($10.95 + $3.95 for the dinner) - a chicken and potato stew with a spicy sauce. Making it a dinner gives you lots of food with the main course served in its own bowl. It was spicy but not hot, so you could enjoy every morsel.

I ordered the Aloo Gobhi Mattar ($9.95 + $3.95 dinner), which was cauliflower, peas and potatoes in herbs and spices. The cauliflower was cooked just right - not too raw and not mushy. And you can see the huge naan pieces they kept bringing. Soft and warm, it's the best thing about Indian food. So you can sop up all the delicious sauces!

We also ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala ($11.95), which is clay oven roasted in a mild sauce, but I forgot to take a picture. There's a fine line between having the camera out and ready and being starving. The good news is it was up to the level of the other dishes - all delicious.

The new decor was nice, but the food prices went up a bit - maybe to pay for it? The lunch buffet used to be $7.95 and is now at $9.95, but that's still reasonable for a buffet. French for everything your belly can hold. The dinner price of adding $3.95 is worth it since I wouldn't be happy with just the entree. Next time I'll order one dinner per two people and split it.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 7
Value for price: 7
Overall: 7

Rosie McCann's Downtown

Another beautiful day in Santa Cruz. Not 100 degrees like earlier in the week, but a nice 82. Jim and I found a spot to park a little ways from the restaurant, but didn't mind the extra walk.

Rosie's has been in downtown since 1996 and has serving Irish favorites and many drinks since then. They are always packed on St. Patrick's Day and most Happy Hours too. We decided on lunch there since I had a Groupon. (Seriously, I couldn't afford all these restaurants without a little discount here and there!)

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Right on the Pacific Garden Mall, you enter and walk up a staircase to the second floor. There are beer signs all the way up and then you see the long bar with 25 taps and all the bottles. But we're here for food!

Lots of tables and booths to choose from and the windows look down upon the mall. Very cozy. On the other side are some dartboards and flatscreen TVs to watch your favorite games.

Jim and I scouted the menu and he went with the Basic Burger ($9) with one choice of cheese (mozzarella) and one topping (bacon -- is there any other?). He asked for it medium well and said they delivered.

I was thinking more traditional (when in Ireland...), so I ordered the Shepard's Pie ($9) and side Greek salad ($6). The prices here for lunch were really good!

The Pie came with some greens in a balsamic dressing, which went well with the savory meat stew. The potatoes were a bit bland and I would have liked more on top, but the stew underneath was very good. I liked the fresh peas in there too.

The "side" salad came on its own plate and was huge. Generous with the feta cheese, I had to ask Jim to help me out with it. Between that and the main dish, I was happy and stuffed, but not like I couldn't move. Just the right amount to still be functional at work later.

One knock against our visit was the slow service. There was one waitress and she was constantly moving between the tables, but there wasn't a huge crowd. The bartender helped bring out the food too, but it seemed the kitchen quickly fell behind. You should be in and out of a place during the lunch hour, not over.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 6
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 6
Value for the price: 8
Overall: 6.75

Laili's Downtown

"Why haven't we reviewed this place before?" asked Natasha, my dining companion for the evening.
"It's one of our favorites!"

Laili's, a Mediterranean restaurant with an Afghan twist, sits in the middle of Cooper Street, downtown Santa Cruz. It's across from where the Cooper House used to be before the '89 Earthquake. You wouldn't know from the outside that this place has a big main room and kitchen with a great patio garden dining area too.

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We asked for a table outside, since it was a beautiful, warm evening. They had tower heaters set up all over in case it wasn't. Lots of trees and flowers everywhere. A few petals dropped on our table while we ate - extra fiber.

Since we were outside, can you think of a better drink than a Sangia ($7)? Cold and sweet with many chunks of fruit bobbing inside, Natasha took a sip and smiled.

We have both eaten here before and have our favorite dishes. Normally, I like to start with the Mantoo appetizer ($10), beef dumplings in yogurt sauce, but I wanted to try something new. Natasha suggested the Kadoo boranee ($8), chunky butternut squash in the same sauce. It comes with their flatbread and garlic oil.

It was cool, sweet and creamy and we couldn't get enough of it. The sauce is tangy and rich. We asked for another flatbread, since the first was gone and we wanted to scrape the last bits. I recommend this to all my vegetarian friends.

For her main dish, Natasha got the Chicken Kabob ($16), which comes with saffron rice. Tender and flavorful, we both agreed it's one of our favorites. I was going to order this too, but realized it would be a shorter review. So I went with the Lamb Kabob ($25).

Feast you eyes on this masterpiece! It's like a rainbow of deliciousness! Most of the lamb pieces were tender enough to cut with a fork. One or two were not, but it didn't miss by much. My rice had carrot strings and raisins on top. The three sauces were the cool yogurt (from the appetizer), a sweet apricot and a spicy cilantro. The side veggies weren't much to speak of - some okra, grape tomatoes and sliced potatoes. Watch out for squirting tomatoes!

We were very happy after our meal and agreed that this is a good place to bring out-of-town visitors. Or even in-town ones.


Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: 7
Atmosphere: 9
Value for the price: 8
Overall: 8

Side note: I've gotten some feedback on how most of the reviews in SCFB are positive. This is because we like to eat at mostly good places! When some place is not good, you can believe I will post it. We just live in a great city with great eateries. Send me your suggestions if you have some.

Tacqueria Vallarta - Mission Street

Just a quick one today - lunch with my brother, Mike and sister-in-law, Diane.
We've been going to Tacqueria Vallarta for years and they have multiple spots all over the county. This day, we hit up the one closest to our work, Mission Street.

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This place has cheap, fresh food that is served quick. There's quite an extensive menu with many different ways to put rice, cheese and beans together. It was Cinco de Mayo, but there didn't seem to be any special items or events going on. Lunch is lunch, I guess.

The place is very open with tables and booths and the windows let in the bright sunshine. The menu has pictures of the items on it, so it's easy to get an idea of what they have. I ordered a small drink ($1.25), which comes with endless refills. They have ice teas, juices and aqua frescas too. You get a number when you pay and they bring your food out to you. The booth I chose had a loose back, so sitting against it was a bit distracting. Next time, I'll bring some duct tape.

The salsa bar is good with four different kinds as well as peppers, radishes and lemon slices. The green one is a tomatillo sauce and the deep-red one is very peppery. The chunky salsa has tomato and jalapeno pieces in it, so watch out! And I don't even try the orange one - muy calente! You can fill up the little plastic cups and take it with you. They even have lids for to-go orders.

I got the Taco Salad ($5.85), which layers rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream. lettuce and tomatoes in a deep-fried tortilla bowl. I went veggie, but adding meat is $1.80 extra. Every order comes with chips and they are crunchy and good. You know how a chip can bubble up when it fries? Mike loves to crack the bubble and fill it full of salsa. Even little brothers can teach you something.

Diane got a combo plate with a Carne Asada taco and cheese enchilada ($6.85) with rice and beans. They are known for their excellent Carne Asada, which I highly recommend. She seemed happy with her lunch.

Mike got the same thing as me, the Taco Salad, because it's one of the best deals on the menu. They really fill that bowl up with ingredients and you can easily fill it to the top with salsas. Always looking for value at lunch and this place serves it up!

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7
Atmosphere: 6
Service: n/a
Value for price: 8
Overall: 7

Lago di Como

Time for another food blog entry (entree?) - how about Italian?

Lago Di Como means Lake Como (it's in Italy) and it's also a nice restaurant on East Cliff Drive.

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Many years ago, it was Black's Beach Diner, but Lago opened in December 2012. There were still a few spots open for parking at 7pm on Saturday. The hostess greeted us as we walked in and confirmed our reservation. OpenTable.com is great. When you book with them, you get points and then can redeem them for dining gift certificates. I'm sold!

Inside, there's one big room with the bustling kitchen visible in the back. It was about half full. I liked the chandeliers and the bar looked good too. We were seated and our server, Matt (or Matteo) came over. Bread, dipping oil and drinks came quickly as we scoped out the menu. We saw burrata ($9.50) on the specials board when we walked in, so that was happening...

If you've never tried burrata and like cheese, you need to order this asap! It's a soft, silky version of mozzarella that melts in your mouth. So rich and creamy. They served it with fresh tomatoes, basil and Prosciutto ham. What a way to start a meal!

We also decided on the Artichoke and Fontina Raviolis with a light butter/sage sauce ($14.75). It was magnifico! The pasta was tender and allowed the cheese flavor to shine through.

My dinner was the Scalloppine di Pollo alla Modo Mio ($15.25), which sounds like an opera aria, but is really a fantastic chicken dish. Lightly breaded and topped with spinach and melted cheese, I was in heaven. It also came with a salad with cous cous and olives and roasted potatoes. I can not type the correct words to explain how delicious this was.

Now you are asking, how can we top that? With dessert, of course. We chose Mascarpone with Chocolate. Have you ever eaten a cloud? That was sweet and creamy? There was solid chocolate pieces underneath, which we fought over. Here are the results:

There's a vicious rumor going around that somebody actually licked the bowl afterwards. Guilty! You can't take me anywhere...

We are adding Lago di Como to our list of go-to places. It's not for every week, but a nice treat once in a while.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Service: 9
Value for price: 9
Overall: Solid 9s across the board.