Greek Spot - Sunnyvale

Hello kittens and kaboodles! It is time for another installment in the Santa Cruz Food Blog. I've been driving all around the South Bay these days and found a new place to write up. If you ever are in Sunnyvale and are feeling Mediterranean, you should try the Greek Spot!

Website

On the corner in a strip mall, you will find them at El Camino Real and Mary Ave. Julie and I were looking for a quick bite before a comedy show at Rooster T. Feathers, which was just up the street. We both like Greek food and Yelp said it was good. Let's put it to the test!

All the classic Greek dishes were represented. I appreciated the pictures of the food listed hanging below the menu. Julie opted for the Lamb Gyro and I wanted the Special Plate with chicken. As a treat, we also got the Spanakopita appetizer. You order at the front counter and then they bring you the food at your table. Everything inside was blue and white with pictures and souvenirs from Greece.

The Spanakopita ($5.99) came out first and looked good, but was too hot to eat right away. When I finally did tempt fate and take a bite, thankfully it was manageable. The crispy outer layer was perfect with the spinach and feta cheese interior. I wished there were more in the basket.

The Lamb Gyro ($7.49) was plentiful and big. Red onion, lettuce, tomato were all there and some French fries too! Julie thankfully offered me a bite, which I took whole-heartedly. Wonderful!

My Special plate ($10.99) was very full with a chicken skewer, rice, pita bread and a nice salad. A little Tzatziki sauce on the side filled it out, but the container was too small. The chicken was nicely cooked. The best part was the salad, which had cucumbers, olives, onions and feta. Not bad!

The place was about half full on the Saturday night we were there. It was mostly clean, but we noted the floors were a bit dirty. Maybe they don't sweep up during the day? The food was good quality, so maybe next time, we'll get it to go. There's not much to make you want to eat in.

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

Heavenly Roadside Cafe

Hello and we're back! It's been forever since a new review, but I had a yummy breakfast last weekend and found some time to write about it. No guarantees for many more coming up, but you never know - a man's got to eat!

Heavenly Roadside Cafe (Yelp page)

After a dump run (thanks Russ!), we were two tired, hungry hombres. This roadside cafe was right on the way back and we stopped for much needed fuel.

There was a bodacious menu of all good things to eat for breakfast and lunch. It was around 11am, so we felt we could go either way. The onion rings looked like a nice starter - did I mention we were starved??

Aw yah! This is what I'm talking about - they were huge! Lots of crunchy batter - maybe double-dipped? The sauce was cool and slightly spicy and was a perfect complement to the hot, crispy rings.

Russell got the Avocado Benedict with fruit on the side. How great does that look? He was one happy puppy has he devoured his meal. I was going to ask how he liked it, but already knew the answer.

I was feeling like some avo as well and got the California Omelette. It had cheddar cheese and bacon inside. It was very tasty, but the eggs were a bit overdone. That didn't stop me from finishing off the plate!

Heavenly is a great spot for a morning or lunchtime meal. They had burgers and salads on the menu as well. The service was friendly and efficient. Inside is nice and sunny. We will be back even without a dump run.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7
Service: 6
Atmosphere: 6
Value for price: 7
Overall: 6.5 very good

Assembly Santa Cruz

Hello all local food lovers, I am back with another quick review. This time it's a downtown eatery that has materialized some buzz of late - Assembly. Farm to table, yo.

Assembly webpage

After some fun rounds of bowling, our group of hungry adventurers decided to converge here. The warm autumn night allowed us to relax at an outside table and watch the downtown activity. Only once was our meal interrupted by some kids yelling "Cioppino" out of their car window. And we weren't even on the wharf.

We picked a few appetizers from the menu - Chickpea Fries ($5) and the Meat Snacks ($12). Both were very well displayed, but underwhelming. The fries were shaped into long blocks and came with a red pepper sauce. Even with that, however, they lacked flavor. Spencer said he was reminded of cigarettes, but I didn't think they were that bad. A little salt would have helped, but there was none on the table. The meat was served on a wood plank with toast, apple slices, stone-ground mustard and pickled cauliflower. The selections were cotto ham, sliced steak and sausage. It was good, but not $12 good. More would have been welcome.

Spencer ordered the Pork Shoulder and Pork Loin plate ($20), which was abundant with peppers, beans, kale and squash. They happily dug in, but again, the lack of salt for the pork loin made it lack the needed flavor. It seemed to be a nice mix of flavors and textures. I was going to ask Spencer what he thought of it, but his dish was already empty!

Jesse and I both got the West Coast Burger ($13) and what a plate it was! I got extra avo ($2.50), but it didn't even need it. The burger was cooked very well and was juicy and delicious. The small brioche bun held up well to the stack and the pickled onions were a nice touch. The fries were firm and tasty - I'd definitely order this again.

Too full for any dessert, we thanked our friendly waiter and he offered to split the checks for us. Sometimes waitstaff will roll their eyes at you when you ask for this, but our guy was very good about it.

I think they struck out on the apps, but made up for it with the entrees. I had higher hopes, but still was satisfied and will go back again.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7
Service: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Value for price: 6
Overall: 6.75

Falafel House Santa Cruz

Lunch in Downtown Santa Cruz is always a hard decision. So many good places! My buddy Seth from work listed a few of his favorites and one stuck me as perfect - The Falafel House. Located on Walnut Ave., across from 99 Bottles, we drove over on a beautiful summer day.

Falafel House website

There were only a few others inside when we got there at noon, but I hear at dinner it can get crowded. There's a huge menu over the counter and specials listed on the side. I like how you can see back into the kitchen area.

Not many decorations in this place besides some travel posters on the Middle East and some plants. The front windows bring in all the sunshine you will ever need. And the tip jar was clever.

We ordered our food and both elected for water to drink, which was provided for free. They give you a number and you pick it up when it's called.

Seth went with the Veggie Combo ($7.99) and requested the yogurt-free tahini sauce. It's great they offer that he was happy with the generous portions on his plate. Falafels over a salad, tabbuli and hummus with lots of vegetables.

I went with the Shawerma Combo ($9.99), which had grilled chicken shawerma over salad, hummus and babbaganough (which is fun to eat and say!). Both plates included pita bread. Babbaganough is made with cooked eggplant, tahini and spices and this version was good. Not spectacular, but good. The hummus was better than what I get from the store, so I rate it better than average. The chicken was plentiful and cooked well. No grizzle or hard parts.

We were satisfied with our lunch, so we didn't consider any dessert, but they offer Baklava. I've had better Middle Eastern food elsewhere (like Laili's also downtown), but the Falafel House offers a quick, adequate meal.

Score out of 10:
Food: 6
Service: n/a
Atmosphere: 7
Value form price: 7
Overall: 6.75

Sushi Garden SV

Guess who's back? Back again. The blog is back. Tell a friend. This time we are trying the new sushi place in Scotts Valley that replaced Yamamori. That was one of our favorites (see its review here from last Spring), so how does it compare?

Sushi Garden SV

Around the corner from Starbucks at the north end of SV, Sushi Garden just opened a few weeks ago. It was sad to see the former sushi place replaced, but we were willing to give this new one a try. We being my teenage, sushi-obsessed daughter and me.

Inside, they kept mostly the same layout for booths and tables, but brightened the area with lighter colors, tablecloths and walls. It was a nice contrast with the new darker chairs. Our friendly server asked where we wanted to sit. Coming from a long line of booth people, our choice was easy.

What to get? I enjoy the salads that Japanese places serve with its Miso dressing, so we started on that. I didn't even look up the price, since how much could a small salad cost? If you guessed $4.50, you'd be right. It was way too much for wet lettuce, cucumbers and carrots served with a scant amount of dressing. Off to a bad start!

The sushi, however, was much better. First up was the Golden California Roll ($7.50), served deep-fried with sweet sauce. This was a great value and the crab and avocado tasted spot on. I liked the purple flower too (didn't check to see if it was edible).

Next up were two rolls: one with pork Gyoza ($6.50) and one with Yam Tempura ($5.90). Both were tasty, but my daughter preferred the Yam one. It had a nice fresh flavor and a small crunch.

One more deep fried roll to try: the Regulator ($12.50), which came with Unagi, spicy Tuna, cream cheese and a sweet sauce. It was another winner that we both very much enjoyed.

It looked like all the guests were given a free dish, probably since they had just opened. Ours was some deep-fried Hamachi (Yellowtail), but it didn't have a strong taste. Just a mild fish flavor covered in crunchy tempura. Free is free.

I'm sorry to say that overall they didn't measure up to the previous restaurant. Maybe they are still working out the kinks? I think it is good enough for your "go-to" north-end sushi place. Hopefully, they can improve on a few things.

Scores out of 10:

Food: 7 (knocked down by the salad)

Service: 7

Atmosphere: 7

Value for price: 6

Overall: 6.75

Aroma Indian Bistro

Hey people! I'm back with a couple new reviews. This one is for the new Aroma Indian Bistro that moved into where the Kyber Pass and Himalayan Kitchen used to be on Pacific.

Aroma Indian Bistro (Yelp)

I met my brother for the lunch buffet last week and it was a reasonable $9.99. Does anyone else get excited by the term "all you can eat". My older self realizes now that this is not a challenge, but a value-driven marketing term.

The interior has stayed mostly the same with the big front windows letting in plenty of sunlight and tables in the middle and the open kitchen along the left side.

Look at all the silver domes of Indian food goodness! Some of them were tricky to open and close with one hand since you balance your plate in the other. I got better during my second trip.

There's a mini-salad bar as well with veggies, mixed greens and watermelon as well as several tasty sauces and dressings. The bro especially liked putting the mint sauce on cucumber slices. Crunch!

Slightly charred, but fluffy naan bread came with the buffet. The lemon in the ice water was a nice touch. Both were refilled many times during our meal.

How can you go wrong? Butter Chicken, two kinds of Masala (Chicken and Chana), Dal (lentils), Chicken Tandoori and steamed rice filled my plate. The Masala was a bit heavy on the tomato flavor, but still very good. My bro liked the garlic in the Chana one; it was chickpea-abundant.

My second trip was for the salad, Zucchini Pakora and more Butter Chicken on rice. The yougurt dressing was kind of bland and the sliced tomatoes had no flavor. This is the only bad thing I can say about the buffet. Otherwise, it was all thumbs up. I wish I could have taken a nap afterwards - always a good sign. We will be returning.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: 7
Atmosphere: 6
Value for price: 8
Overall: 7.50

Phoenix Asian Restaurant

Cheap eats? I have a good one this time. Out on Mission, there's a Chinese place called Phoenix. It has a great deal for lunch. $5.99!

Phoenix Asian Restaurant

Jim said he'd never been in there before, so we went to lunch last Friday. It's right across from Ferrell's Donuts if you want some dessert afterwards.

It's nice enough inside. They recently updated the tables and chairs and you've got to love the good luck cat on the counter. We were there early around 11:45, so we had our choice of spots.

The lunch special is $5.99 from 11am to 3:45pm. For UCSC students with ID, they can get that deal all day (except weekends). It includes rice, appetizer, soup of the day and a fortune cookie. Good deal! The soup was Hot and Sour and it had good size pieces of mushroom, tofu and bamboo all swimming inside. It had a kick from the pepper.

Jim got the General Chicken, which is his "go to" for new Chinese places. Two crunchy wontons came with it and the plate was full. He happily finished it off.

I ordered the Sweet and Sour Chicken and was not disappointed. The chicken pieces were cooked well and the coating was still crunchy, even in the sauce. Nice chunks of green peppers and carrots with it too.

Scanning the menu, they run all the traditional dishes including seafood, chicken, pork, beef, rice and noodles. Even Foo Yung and Mu Shu. This place was tasty and worth checking out!

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: 7
Atmosphere: 6
Value for price: 9 (lunch menu)
Overall: 7.5