El Palomar Downtown

I asked my daughter where she wanted to go for dinner to celebrate the first day of the school year. It's always tough on the first day after a fun-filled, goof-off summer... El Palomar downtown was the choice, so away we go!

El Palomar

We had been coming to El Palomar for many years and consider it one of the best Mexican places in town. And we have our favorites. For Kelly, it's all about the chips, served warm with their tomato-based, spicy salsa (but not too spicy). They also like to stack the bowls for a Death Star of tortilla chips.

Kelly's other favorite food here is their Cheese Quesadilla ($8). Complete with tomatilla salsa, salsa fresca, guacamole and sour cream, you can't go wrong with this dish. Along with an extra generous side of rice, the offspring was very happy.

For me, the dish that "is" El Palomar is their sope ($13). You get two puffed-up corn tortillas filled with either meat or guac, cabbage, salsa and topped with sour cream. Major yum! I love crunching through the sides, digging for the delicious treasures inside. Along with rice and beans, I can't not order this! (Please pardon my poor, emotional-filled grammar...) I got one chicken and one guac.

Our server was friendly and attentive. Our waters were filled continuously. Our meal was perfect. The Palomar main room has a nice, tall ceiling and the place is pleasantly decorated. The cantina next door is a fun place for happy hour and appetizers. It's no wonder this place is a downtown favorite. Ole!

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Value for price: 8
Overall: A solid OCHO

Boulder Creek Brewery & Cafe

So I had reviewed Surfrider Cafe earlier this year that's down in Santa Cruz. They feature beers from the Boulder Creek Brewery up Highway 9. Now it's time to try the food there!

BC Brewery webpage (FB)

Walking in, there's the bar and huge brewing vats on the left and the main dining area with tables and booths on the right. My guest and I sat in one of the booths in the back. We were looking for a light lunch and some good brews.

Our waiter said he'd be right back after dropping off some menus. "Right back" was more like five minutes, which is a lifetime if you are thirsty! There were some Trivia Pursuit cards on the table, so we tested each other's useless knowledge until he came back. I chose the Red River Blonde ($5.50) to drink and she got a guest cider ($6).

When the drinks came, we ordered our food. The Four By Four cheese dip ($8.95) looked good with its secret recipe of four onions and four cheese, served with ciabatta bread. And we got the Santa Cruz burger ($9.50) with avocado, mushrooms and cheese. We paid a little extra to get garlic fries on the side.

So this dip was amazing! Caramelized onions were hiding in all the creamy cheeses... cheddar on top and cream cheese and mozzarella inside. Not sure of the other ingredients, but man, was it tasty! We were fighting over each bite!

The burger was good too and the fries were busting out all over. Big chunks of garlic and parmesan gave a strong, but wonderful flavor. The burger was well cooked and juicy and the bun was soft and chewy. I mixed some of the garlic chunks in with the cheese dip to knock it out of the park. Ooof!

Now the bad news... our waiter was distracted and slow the whole time. I asked him for the check and he said "okay, be right there....". Then we proceeded to help several other customers. It's not like we were hiding in the back, we were right on his path through the restaurant! I would forgive one mix up, but he was slow to give us menus too. No excuse for that.

This is the only brewery in Boulder Creek and the beer and food is good. Worth the drive up. But expect some slow service.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 7
Value for price: 7
Overall: 6.50

Auntie Mame's SV

Breakfast in Scotts Valley gives you several options. Only a few, however, give you biscuits and gravy. Auntie Mame's has that and we were hungry. Let's see how the old gal does...

Auntie Mame's website (Yelp)

Located at the corner of Mt. Hermon and SV Drive, Mame's has been serving the city for decades. They have a menu on the wall from the early 70's. It's cozy inside with barstools and tables.

My guest hadn't been here before, but I had and I love their biscuits. Topped with the Santa Barbara Pepper Sauce (at each table), it's a real winner. 

I ordered the basic two eggs, potatoes with B&G ($6.75). Little pools of butter were on the overeasy eggs and the fries were half crispy. The star was the biscuits of course, with a thick creamy gravy on top. I asked the waitress what was in it and she said bacon and sausage. Mmm!

My guest got the same dish but with bacon ($8.25). It was cooked well and crispy. She said her potatoes were too salty, so I tried them. Mine were the same, so I guess I didn't mind it as much. To each their own!

I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a hearty breakfast. They have fruit instead of potatoes, if you're going the healthy route. But why would you do that?

Scores out of 10:

Food: 7

Service: 7

Atmosphere: 7

Value for price: 7

Overall: 7

Malone's Grille SV

The best burger in Scotts Valley? I aim to find out, so we are starting with Malone's Grille. They have been around since 1980 and is always full of locals at night and on the weekends. Let's see how their lunch is...

Malone's website

We met at noon and we walked into the outdoor patio. It's nicely spaced out with tables, umbrellas and chairs. The waiter said we could sit wherever we'd like and then asked what we'd like to drink. Two iced teas later ($2.50), we were scanning the menu.

They have fish & chips, pasta, chicken, French Dip, etc. but we were there for the burgers. The Cobb Burger ($10.95 - half is $2 less) with bleu cheese, bacon and avocado. I found my target in the Italian Burger ($13.95) and we chose fries for both.

Big steak fries! As you can see, the burger is topped with many nice things and a soft Ciabatta roll. The bleu cheese was enough for some in every bite. Even at half, it was a good sized portion.

Mine also had tons of goodies: arugula, mozzarella cheese, bacon, tomato and pesto. It wasn't too oily and every bite was very flavorful. Now I know I will get some flack for saying this, but I don't think the Italian burger needed bacon. I know, I know, bacon is good with everything, but I mean the other ingredients held their own. The cheese was smooth and creamy and the arugula gave a nice peppery crunch. The fries were done well and weren't greasy.

The place was about half full on a weekday for lunch, so I guess people know about them. We didn't make it inside where the bar is, but they have karaoke and wine tasting in there during the week. Check out their website for more info. This was a good start to find the best burger in SV!

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Value for price: 7
Overall: 7.75

**BONUS - BURRITO BLOG!**
http://scburritoquest.wordpress.com/
My buddy Jeff is on a quest to find the best burrito in Santa Cruz! Join him.

Mission St. BBQ

I'd been meaning to get over to Mission St. BBQ for a blog post, but I knew I needed an expert to help with the review. There's nobody else close to my son Chris when it comes to a love of BBQ.

Website (Facebook page)

We got there late for dinner around 7:15pm, but the place was busy. There's menus on the shelf when you walk in and they have all the standard meats and sides for a BBQ place. This place has the same owners as Aptos St. BBQ, so if you've been there, it's the same menu.

This place used to be a KFC and then it was an Italian place. Since I work close-by, my co-workers and I were very happy to see a BBQ place move in. Lots of tables inside and few on the patio too. They also have an extensive beer list with several taps. Check out Wednesday for a $5 pint night. We ordered and then got cups for the soda machine ($2.49 each).

Chris went with the Pulled Pork dinner ($9.99) with 2 sides (beans and potato salad). It also came with toasted bread and hog wash. What's that, you ask? Hog wash is a vinegar/pepper sauce if you like your meat tangy. It's a nice extra. He was happy with the hearty meal and didn't even finish all the beans.

I went with the Westside Combo ($8.99), which is a choice of three of their meats and bread and a side. I got the tri-tip, pulled pork and a beef rib. I was a little sad when it was brought out to me... was this going to fill me up? The tri-tip was very tender and flavorful, but I wished I had more. The pork was great, but the rib had barely any meat on it. Good thing I could finish Chris' beans!

There's not another BBQ on the Westside of town, so this is it. Luckily, they fill the bill with good quality food, but I would knock them for the portions. I guess when you are the only one around, you can charge what you want.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7
Service: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Value for price: 5
Overall: 6

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.

Website

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