Jack's Hamburgers

How could I have a food blog with Santa Cruz in the name without having reviewed Jack's? Today, I rectify this predicament! Jack's has been around downtown SC for decades. The story I heard is when the original owner was going to sell in the 90's, the printers at the Sentinel newspaper bought it. They had been going there for years and didn't want to see it closed. Thank you, printers!

Jack's (Yelp)

I met Big Al for lunch here and he texted me there was still a few spots in their little parking lot around back. It's right on the corner of Lincoln and Walnut, so there's other (paid) parking all around.

You go in to order and it's your standard burger menu. Burgers, shakes, fries. But there's always specials posted on the wall too. I've gotten a good tuna sandwich there when I wasn't feeling like a burger. But burgers are where they shine. They call your name and you pick it up at the outside window. Lots of tables outside to soak the sun. Bring shades.

Big Al got the Cheeseburger Basket ($7.25) with a coke. Is there anything more American? It's served in a coffee filter (brilliant!) and the burger is wrapped up too. The fries are crispy outside and soft and fluffly inside. They are sized in between a shoestring and a steak fry. And they go great in ketchup. Lettuce, tomato slice, pickles and red onion round out the hearty sandwich.

I went with the Mushroom and Swiss Special Turkey Burger Basket and a drink ($8.50). These take a bit longer, but so worth it. I added some mustard and enjoyed it to the last bite. It did get a bit sloppy at the end, but who doesn't love that? Good to the last drop.

Who like deals? This is a late lunch or early dinner deal, but look at the value! They also have a sweet deal for the kiddies = hot dog and a drink for $4. That one is for anytime. They are closed Sundays and there are no bathrooms, so plan ahead.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: n/a
Atmosphere: 8 (sunny), 6 (cloudy)
Value for price: 7
Overall: 7.5 - one of the better burger joints in SC!

DeLaveaga Lodge Restaurant

Nestled up above it all, in the woods north of Branciforte, is the DeLaveaga Golf Course. This is where I spent my youth searching for golf balls and getting poison oak. Well, not my whole youth, but one fateful day that I won't soon forget. But what does this have to do with food? There's also a restaurant upstairs above the Pro Shop.

DeLaveaga Golf & Lodge

I met my folks one Saturday morning, up at the DLGC for breakfast. The parking lot was full of hopeful birdie players and many golf carts were zipping around. I didn't see a sign clearly stating the restaurant upstairs, but just take the steps up and you're there. It was mostly full at 9am on Saturday, but we found a table. You could also eat at the bar.

The coffees were filled quickly and the menu is good-sized with pancakes, omelettes and waffles. Yes, the oatmeals and cereals are there too, but who gets that at a restaurant? I scanned the list and chose a personal fave.

The Chili Omelette with hash browns was served with a side cup of sour cream.  Looks good, right? It was good, but my surprise was that the omelette had just cheese inside. The only chili was scooped on top. Psych! It was still good to eat, not greasy and filling. But c'mon man! Where's my chili?

Dad got the Scrabbled Egg Whites and Chicken Apple Sausage. It think that's applesauce in the little cup above. It's his stand-by and enjoys it very much. Not sure why his hash browns were flattened compared to mine.

Mom got the French Toast with a side of bacon. "Want some, honey?" Aren't moms the best? It was crispy and chewy - always a sign of a cook who knows his way around a kitchen. This is also her stand-by and was happy.

You know the theme song to the TV show "Cheers"? Where everybody knows your name... My folks knew like five people hanging out up there. And they don't golf! So, if you are looking for a causal breakfast joint with fairway views, you could do a lot worse than DLGC.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7
Service: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Value for price: 7
What can I say? Solid 7s - better than average. Not as good as Pebble Beach!

El Burro - Campbell

This week, one of my best friends, Dan was in town. He used to live here, but now calls San Diego home. When he visits, we use it as an excuse to dine out at our favorite places. This time we wanted to hit up some record stores in San Jose, so El Burro in Campbell was the choice.

El Burro (Yelp)

Take the Hamilton exit from Hwy 17 and turn left, then left again on Bascom. El Burro is in the Pruneyard Shopping Center and has been there for years. It's a magical place, if you like Mexican food. Big wooden doors greet you as you walk in.

It's dark and authentically decorated. Deep reds and iron bars make you feel south of the border. We sat in one of the many back rooms (this place is huge) and our chips and salsa came quick.

The salsa was fresh and definitely had a kick. The over-sized menus had dozens of choices. For huge appetites, try the Nina, Pinta or Santa Maria platters! Dan and I enjoy a filling meal, but we're not in high school anymore.

But before the main course, they serve a small salad with dinners. There are two choices for the dressing: oil & vinegar or 1,000 Island. Ha! When's the last time you were only given those options? They were not much to write home about, except for the slice of beet included in each.

Dan got the Carnitas Plate ($14.95) which came with rice, beans and salsa fresca. It's a favorite and he made short work of it all. The beans were very tasty, not runny and the rice was fluffy. I'm not sure if he squeezed the lemon on there.

I went with the Pollo Fajitas ($14.95) and it came with onions, peppers and sour cream and guac. But that guac was really "green" sour cream - no avocado flavor. But what big portions! The chicken was succulent and slightly charred. Just the way I like it. I couldn't finish it and got the perro bag.

Authentic, homemade Mexican dishes - not fancy like El Palomar in Santa Cruz. Just great tasting food at huge sized plates for a good price. Check it out if you are hungry or at least, want great leftovers the next day. Muy bueno!

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: 7
Atmosphere: 9
Value for price: 9
Overall: 8.5

Tampico Kitchen + Lounge

Game night! The Santa Cruz Warriors were playing last Saturday night in town, so we needed food close to the arena. Tampico Kitchen, located at Pacific and Maple Avenue, fit the bill. It's been around forever and I've been a few times, but not for awhile. Let's try it out and write it up!

Tampico Kitchen + Lounge

Alan and I were looking for a filling, hot meal since it was like 40 degrees outside. Not typical Santa Cruz weather! Some rice and beans in our bellies should keep us happy as we watched the game.

We sat in the main dining room as opposed to the bar lounge area. The place was packed for a Saturday night and I didn't see an empty table. And they didn't have the playoffs on, so the dining room was it for us.

Our chips and salsa came quick, which was great. Not a full basket, but they offered free refills. The salsa was thin, but packed a punch. I'd rate it a 6 out of 10 since it did spice up the food, but not spectacularly. And why so little in the bowl?

Alan got the Killer Quesadilla (($12.95) - he had heard it was pretty good from others. His pint of Negra Modela draft was $4.50. Well, I thought quesadillas were flat with two tortillas and everything squeezed in between. Not here! He said it looked more like a big soft taco. The chicken inside was good-sized and plentiful. But he was sad the rice and beans were cold.

I got the Chicken Mole ($12.95), which also came with rice and beans. My domestic bottle of beer was $3.50. The chicken was tender and had a mix of breast and thigh meat. A few bits of gristle didn't deter me from enjoying the dish. The mole sauce was decent, but not amazing. I did like the flour tortillas that came with it to roll my own.

So if you said "Mexican food downtown", I'd still pick El Palomar over Tampico, but it's a decent second place. And it's a shorter walk to the Arena.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 6
Service: 6
Atmosphere: 7
Value for the price: 6
Overall: 6.25