Solaire Restaurant + Bar

The Solaire restaurant is located in the hotel on Ocean Street that was started by two physicians. You know, a "pair of docs"? Forgive me for going for the easy pun. It's in the Hotel Paradox back around by the pool.

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We got there for happy hour on a Sunday at 5pm. They run Sun-Thu from 4-7pm. The pool was packed and Oscar, the maitre'd said the live music had just finished. Quite the happening place!

Happy hour prices was $5 for each appetizer, house wine and well drink. We thought the Moscow Mules were included, but they were not. Luckily, the management was feeling generous that day and we got the HH price. Score!

First up was the BBQ Chicken Wings (normally $12) and Roasted Cauliflower Gratin (normally $6). The wings had a good spicy sauce where you could taste the cayenne pepper. But only five were served - $1 each? Maybe more came with the non-Happy Hour serving. Other sauces were Sweet Chili, Teriyaki, Fire or Salt & Pepper. Our favorite was the gratin, with its generous melted cheese and sauce. We asked for a side of bread just to sop it all up!

Next was the House Ground Meatballs (normally $10), which had a forged mushroom daube with onions and celery in a stroganoff-type of sauce. It was very good and we fork-fought for each bite. Not really, but it was delish.

The coup de grace was this huge plate of fried calamari. It contained thinly sliced lemons, green beans and chopped basil on top. Normally, this was $13 on the menu, but what a bargain for $5! The dipping sauce was lemony and light - perfect for the crunchy, tender bites.

The hotel is really decked out. Artwork on the walls and nice tables and chairs. If you haven't seen the inside yet, you should check it out. It was a sunny day with pool people walking in and out by the bar. Cabanas are only $250 for four hours... be the rockstar!

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7
Service: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Value for price: (during Happy Hour) 8
Overall: 7.75

Sitar downtown SC

My brother Mike and I used to work for a company in Cupertino. The commute was a drag, but the cornucopia of restaurant choices was divine. An old stand-by we always loved was Indian buffet at the Bombay Oven on Stevens Creek. It's gone now, but the memory still remains. One similar Indian food option in downtown Santa Cruz is Sitar.

Website - Yelp

They are located right on the mall, a few doors down from Logo's. Lots of pay parking in the back, but be aware of the farmer's market on Wednesdays. Sitar has a vegetarian lunch buffet during the workweek for $9.73 a person. Mike and I will get our money's worth!

We grabbed a plate and fork and started on the right side with the rice. Need to build a good foundation! Many different veggie dishes with spinach, lentils, tomatoes and potatoes. Paneer, Marsala and Aloo sauces too.

Everything is fresh and they replace the empty trays very regularly. Also, note the good-sized sneeze-guard.

You can also use the metal bowls to help separate your meal. It all goes into the same place however.. the belly! The naan was good and chewy and plentiful.

They have water over by the soda fountain and also iced tea. The buffet selection changes from day to day, but there's so many choices, you can't go wrong. My favorites was the sautéed potatoes in saffron and herbs and the paneer sauce. It's the one with cubes of soft cheese with a tangy flavor.

They also have salad (just iceberg lettuce, cucumber and carrots) and mint and sweet sauces. The rice pudding dessert is over there too.

Two plates of food, more naan and then rice pudding makes for a great meal. You could do more damage of course, that's what buffets are all about. But we wanted to still be able to move in the afternoon. By the way, the chickpea stew was a bit undercooked. But that's the only slip in all the dishes we had.

They also have a to-go lunch box for $5, where you fill up one-trip from the buffet. It's a good lunch on the go.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8 (for veggie buffet)
Service: n/a
Atmosphere: 7 (average, but clean and lots of sunshine)
Value for price: 8
Overall: 7.5

Mint Cafe & Wine Bar

There are so many places to eat in SV (please note sarcasm), that's when a good one is found, it's worth talking about. Mint is tucked away along SV Drive - don't blink or you might miss it!

Website

I had read some Yelp reviews about the lack of a hostess stand and not knowing if you should seat yourself. When we walked in, Ed, the owner behind the bar, came over and said to sit anywhere. Problem solved! There were several TVs, some high tables and a dining room with arts and crafts for sale around the perimeter.

There's a comfortable bar with beers on tap, but Mint is known for its wine selection. Ed brought us over food and wine menus. He offered to let us taste something before we ordered. Plus one star for that! The wines ranged from $5 to $14 a glass. You can also get a half or full bottle. A good selection of reds, whites and bubbly's.

To go with our wine, we decided to get the cheese plate ($14 for two cheeses) with Irish Cheddar and Spanish Manchego along with sliced apple, toast, salted almonds and cashews. For $4, the Rocco Plate was sliced hot links with a honey mustard. The spicy sausage and creamy cheeses were great together. I would have liked more fruit on the plate, but it was plenty for the two of us.

They have an extensive menu of lunch and dinner items too, but we were only here for wine and snacks. There's Tri Tip Sliders (shown above), Lots'o Meat Lasagna, Stuffed Shrimp Avocado Salad and more. We will be coming back for sure...

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7
Services: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Value for price: 7
Overall: 7.5

Mint is in the same location that the Scotts Valley Tree Circus was many years ago. Some of the trees were moved to the Gilroy Gardens Park, but there's still a little sign showing the history there.

West End Tap & Kitchen

One of the best places to go in Santa Cruz is the West Side. A walk along West Cliff, a jaunt through Natural Bridges, a bike ride to Wilder Ranch... what could be better? Food! West Side has some fun, little places here and there and one of the most recent additions is West End Tap & Kitchen.

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Located in the Swift Street Courtyard, it's across from the SC Mountain Brewery and besides a couple winery tasting rooms. That's tall company to keep! How does it measure up?

My brother Mike and sis-in-law Diane met me there for lunch this week. Diane had been a couple times last week and wanted to go again. They have two large dining areas, a good-sized bar, a fireplace with comfy chairs and a small patio as well. We sat along the wall at some high tables.

It was cold and cloudy that day, so I started off with something to warm me up - a small French-pressed coffee from Verve ($3.50). It was strong and good, but I would have preferred it served in a smaller cup. It looked dinky!

After scanning the menu, we all decided on an appetizer, fried calamari with jalepenos ($9). It was served with homemade ranch and garlic oil. Yes, those are big slices of jalepenos battered up with the calamari. Yes, it was a crunchy, spicy sensation. We all dug in with happy smiles. The server said it's even better during happy hour (M-F 3-6pm) when it's only $5.

Diane said there's lots of things she wants to try on the menu, but keeps coming back to the bleu cheese burger ($11.95 + $2.75 cheese). It comes on a large tray with crispy french fries. Even though I consider a lunch burger and fries over $14 a bit expensive, she went on and on about how good it was. The bread was from Gayle's in Capitola (why not Kelly's next door?).

I got the Chicken sandwich with a side salad ($11). The chicken was buttermilk-coated and fried and was nice and flavorful. It had a tangy coleslaw and marinated onions on top, which was a good contrast to the slightly sweet bread and salty chicken. The side salad was just dressed with a mild vinaigrette, which was sadly bland. I should have gotten fries!

Mike's burger lunch came with bacon ($11.95 + $2.50 bacon) - how could you go wrong? It was gone in two shakes of a pig's tail. Man, that guy can eat!

So, West End is a nice place for a good lunch, but I would have like to have seen more choices on the menu. Sandwiches, burgers, flatbreads and salads are about it. Maybe there were daily specials I missed, but our server didn't mention any. The prices were a bit higher than I like to pay, but the food was quality. This place would be good to impress a date or your parents. Happy hour sounds like a deal too.

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

Bonus: Rogue Public House SF

Special bonus edition of the Santa Cruz Food Blog... coming to you from SF!

A sunny day in San Francisco! Will wonders ever cease? We also found an all-day parking lot with an attendant for $15! No, I'm not telling you where...

After exploring the Ferry Building (which deserves a whole blog post by itself), we were ready for a nice cold one. There are some good beer places in the city, but the closest one was in North Beach.

Website (FB)

The Rogue Public House on Union and Powell doesn't brew the beer there, but gets their supply from the brewery in Oregon. We arrived during the Argentina/Belgium World Cup game, so the place was hoppin'!

They have the beer list written on chalkboards on the wall. Quite the selection, so why not try a sampler?

For about $7.37, you get a taster tray of four different beers. I like to start with lighter brews, so I got a pilsner, brown ale, pale ale and hefeweizen. Dat's good!

For lunch, my guest got the Kobe Bleu Balls ($9.95), which is a meatball sub with homemade chips. The meatballs have bleu cheese in them - yum! She said they were good and didn't have filler like breadcrumbs in them. I really liked the tangy marinara sauce on it.

I went with the Irish Nachos ($9.95), a big helping of waffle fries with horseradish cream sauce, corned beef, cheddar and green onions on top. Talk about a great pairing! I needed another Hazelnut Brown Ale ($6.44) to go with it. The cream sauce just gave a hint of horseradish, which is probably better than a stronger bite. The fries did come out just warm though.

Rogue Public House is worth a visit for all beer fans out there and is a lot closer than a drive to Oregon. The food was a bit better than normal pub food. Our server was friendly and attentive. It was noisy and crowded during the World Cup game, but it wasn't uncomfortable. We will definitely be coming back.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7
Service: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Value for price: 7
Overall: 7.25

Kao Sook Thai

It's been awhile since I wrote up a restaurant review - sometimes life can get in the way of what you like to do. Some friends of mine have been going through some tough times, so I dedicate this blog entry to them. When the going gets tough, the tough go out for Thai food!

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I have been to some good Thai places all over town like Sabieng, Thai Orchid and Sawasdee, so I like to think of myself as an expert. This place in Scotts Valley is small and hidden in a strip mall across from the Kings Village shopping center. Is it worth it to search out?

My dining companion was excited to try it too. You walk in and it's one big room with tables and the kitchen in the back. I liked the decorations they had at the front.

We started with a traditional Thai appetizer, Chicken Satay ($7.25) and what a feast for the eyes! I love those grill marks on the chicken, which was cooked through and still juicy (not dry). The peanut sauce had a nice zing to it and I think I hogged all the cucumber onion salad. It was a great way to start out meal.

Next up, Tom Kha or coconut milk soup ($9.95). There were lots of chicken, mushrooms and onions all floating around the bowls. The soup serving bowl is so cool with its volcano-like tower and the Sterno flame underneath. We wisely put aside the pieces of lemongrass - too tough to eat, but gave a nice flavor.

Our main dish was the Pumpkin Curry ($11.45), which was served in a neat fish-shaped bowl. The blue trim and the orange sauce made for another visual pleasure. There were very generous portions of beef and veggies including the nice chunks of pumpkin. As a curry, I was expecting more of a punch, but I didn't specify any hotness. Still, the flavors were good and not too sweet. My guest said she liked it too.

We also got the Chicken Fried Rice ($5.95) to go with the curry. It too had generous pieces of chicken and chopped veggies. The rice was cooked just right, not too sticky or dry, but the chicken itself was plain. I would have preferred it grilled or better seasoned. Still, it was fresh and not dry at all, but I'll rate it as average.

I need to mention our smiling server who made us feel right at home. It's funny how a smile can make you feel welcome and our waiter certainly did. He was always available and seemed proud to deliver to us all the delicious food.

Kao Sook is truly a good place to eat. I would include it with the other good Thai places I mentioned above.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Value for price: 7
Overall: 7.50