Ambrosia - Aptos

Ok, here's a quick one. Met up with some buddies last week for lunch at Ambrosia in Aptos. This place has the best lunch buffet of Indian food around. Well worth the trip down Highway 1.

Ambrosia

The buffet is $9.99 and starts at 11:30am. We got there when the doors opened and there were a few other customers too. They keep things looking good inside - there's a full bar and a large back room. Even have cloth napkins, so you know you can take your mom. We got seated and then realized we were free to get over to the food asap. The plates are on the buffet table.

All the classics are here: Basmati rice, Butter Chicken, Fish Curry, Chana Masala (chickpeas with ginger and cilantro), Vegan Pakora (veggie fritters), Aloo Gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) and more!

Here's my plate after the initial visit. They had a new item: Jackfruit in a tomato curry sauce. It didn't have much flavor on its own. The texture was firm, but I could cut it with a fork. It reminded me a bit of very firm tofu. The yellow sauce on the rice was spiced lentils.

For my second trip (hey, who's counting?), they brought out some grilled veggies. Zucchini, red and green peppers, onions and broccoli all in aromatic Indian spices. Does it get any better?

They also had a fresh salad section on the buffet, My buddy Russell, a honest-to-Betsy vegetarian, was happy with all the options. I passed this time since I was getting my veggies from the other awesome dishes. The watermelon is a good contrast to some of the spicier food.

I will always make time for Ambrosia. Great flavors, clean decor, efficient staff. They were spot-on with water and Nan bread refills. I always wonder about tipping at buffet places. I guess if you got your money's worth (and I certainly did), then you give generously.

Scores out of 10:
Food: 8
Service: 7
Atmosphere: 8
Value for price: 8 (buffet!)
Overall: 7.75

Otoro Sushi SV

Howdy folks! It's been a while since my last food blog, but the "Best of" issue from Good Times came out and I was inspired. They claim the best sushi in Scotts Valley/SLV is Otoro Sushi. I was hungry and needed to do some research.

Otoro Sushi (Yelp page)

It's in a strip mall behind Taco Bell on Mt. Hermon road. Maybe not the greatest location for a sushi place, but let's not be picky. Good food goes where good food goes. I met my daughter there for dinner, since she never misses a sushi run.

Determining our appetites, she decided she wanted a full dinner, but I'd be good with a house salad ($4) and some sushi rolls. Maybe an appetizer too. First up, was the soup and salads. Kelly liked the Miso, but took one bite of the salad and pushed it away. I tried mine and it tasted a bit like dirt. It wasn't gritty, it just tasted bad. The dressing was sparse and only coated the top.

Next up with the Mixed Tempura ($6) with veggies and shrimp. Kelly really goes for the yams and I like the shrimp, so it's a good split. Crispy and not greasy, just the way we like it.

We got served two sushi rolls, Crunchy ($10) and California ($7). We had checked off another on the given paper list, but the waitress missed it. As it turns out, the food we ate was plenty. I'm not sold on the "mark the list to order" routine however. The Crunchy roll had shrimp tempura, avocado and crab with Panko crumbs on the outside. We both liked it very much. The California roll was good too, but I missed the cucumber crunch they usually have.

Bam! Look at the amount of food that comes with the Chicken Katsu dinner ($14)! My kid was stoked and quickly gobbled up the lightly-breaded, fried chicken and sauce. The Katsu sauce is like a tangy ketchup, but not very sweet. More salad was not that exciting. There were steamed carrots, mushrooms and broccoli on the plate too and they seemed out of place. Maybe because we were used to tempura veggies? The rice bowl was heaping and the fruit was a nice touch.

Service was good and the staff were friendly. I should have sent back the salad. I did like the decor - modern and spacious. Why was this place rated so high? I'm not convinced it's better than Rumblefish or Yamamori. Especially with the mega-whiff on the salad. They get docked a point on the food score for that.

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

(Compare with my review of Yamamori)

Little Tampico - Soquel

Aren't birthdays great? Another year older and a celebration for sticking around. In the case of my brother, it also included a lunchtime meal at one of his favorites, Little Tampico in Soquel.

Little Tampico

This place sits right next to the Soquel river and actually has a nice deck in back where you can watch the waters roll by. We were a group of 9 (a gaggle? a pride?) and as soon as the chips and salsa hit the table, they knew they had better keep the food coming! As it turns out, our waitress was wonderful and brought drinks and more chips/salsa the whole time.

Two kinds of salsa - a chunky Fresca and a thinner, spicy red. Both were awesome and we needed "mas" refills. Next came the Nachos Tampico ($11.50).

This was one of the best nachos I have had. The chips were crispy and not too thick. The beans had a good consistency - not runny. The toppings were generous - lots of black olives, jalepenos, cheese, guac and sour cream. And the steak was succulent and juicy!

Kelly got the Chicken Quesadilla ($7.95) and it was huge! Big chunks of chicken inside a well-cooked tortilla with lots of melted cheese. A side of lettuce and tomato finished the dish.

I got the three item plate of Taco, Enchilada and Chile Relleno ($10.95) with rice and beans. Wow, that's a lot of food! After the nachos, I should have ordered smaller, but at least I got a to-go box. The taco was very fresh with lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. I would have preferred cabbage to the iceberg lettuce, but that's a minor knock. The enchilada sauce was flavorful with its spices. And the relleno was also buried in it. Yum!

Bro got the Otila's Plate ($11.95), which had mini-versions of all the classics: taco, enchilada, flauta, tostada and relleno. He likes to pretend he's Gulliver, I guess. All the fun that fits on one plate!

Diane got the Killer Quesadilla ($11.95), which adds steak, mushrooms and grilled green onions and a Sombrero salad. She loved the green creamy herb dressing. I think this wins as the most healthiest meal ordered today.

Dad got the Especial ($9.95), which is tortillas, meat (chicken), onions and peppers covered in sauce and cheese. Quite a plateful! He said he liked it, but there was too much chicken, which unbalanced the flavors. Also, another to-go box was needed.

Mom got a Flauta ($7.95) with rice and beans and correctly picked the right size for a good lunch. The flauta is a rolled up, grilled tortilla with chicken and she liked it very much. I would've wanted to wave it around like one of Groucho's cigars, but she's more classier than me.

Abundant portions, great flavors and spicy salsas - no wonder this place is one of my brother's favorites. Next time, I think I will stick with the steak, since it was heads and tails above the chicken. They also have a full bar with TVs, so you can get your margaritas on. I would put Tampico third after Casa Rosita's and Palomar (see my other reviews of them on here).

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7.5 (generous)
Service: 8 (great for a big party)
Atmosphere: 7 (cozy)
Value for price: 7.5
Overall: 7.5

O'mei Chinese - Westside

One of the great things with catching up with friends is reliving the funny stories from our past. They usually start with "do you remember..." and end with both of you laughing. Paula is one of those friends to me and we met at O'mei Chinese Cuisine last week for some Gan Pung and some giggles.

O'mei Chinese Cuisine

The front entrance to this place is very nondescript. I wonder why they don't spruce it up a bit? Well, they have been here since 1979, so they must know something. We got there at 12 noon and there were plenty of seats.

I liked the decor inside, a bit minimalistic, but tasteful. Our starter soup came a few minutes after we sat down.

I asked the waitress what was in it and she said sauerkraut and pork. It was sort of watery, but still had flavor. Sweet and sour is what they were going for, but didn't quite make it. And there were little red rings of fire (spicy pepper) hiding between the cabbage.

Speaking of peppers, I ordered the Gan Pung Express, which came with steamed rice ($8.95). This has been a favorite of mine for years and I always have to order it. Chunks of breaded, fried chicken, water chestnuts, green onions and peppers in a sticky, sweet and tangy sauce. If you bite into one of those peppers, you win a fire-mouth prize! Needless-to-say, I pushed them to the side.

Paula got the Lemon Chicken Express ($8.95) with brown rice ($1 extra) and liked it very much. Not too sweet, like some I've had, and a nice natural lemon flavor. It was on some shredded cabbage and veggies.

The lunch express menu says it's smaller portions and cheaper versions of their normal menu, but the food was still plenty for us. I was at that point where I was full, but there wasn't enough left to take home. Oof, one more bite then!

A nice touch was the orange slices at the end of the meal. Reminded me of playing soccer as a kid and loading up on these at halftime. It was juicy and fresh.

Over 30 years and O'mei is still going strong. For the dinner service, they turn the lights low and make it more of a fancy place. But lunch is a better value. Good quality Chinese - you owe yourself a trip if you haven't been.

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

Parish Publick House - Westside

Over on the Westside of Santa Cruz is a British pub called Parish Publick House. It's has too many windows for a real British pub, but they have a lot of beer and mixed drinks for your imbibing celebrations. They also have food, but since this was a workday lunch, no drinking for us!

Parish Publick House

Jim and Seth joined me for this meal out and it's a short drive to the Mission St. Safeway parking lot. Watch for tight corners and slim spaces as you drive through. Better yet to just park on the street.

We grabbed menus at the front and chose a window table. Most of the seats are by a window. All the pubs I went to in England were dark, but cozy places. This place is still cozy, but at least it was foggy outside. It usually is on the Westside.

Our waitress came over quickly and asked about drinks. Then she came back to deliver them and take our order. The place was wasn't very full, so she was prompt and pleasant. My iced tea was a bit soapy (an unrinsed glass?), but she offered to replace it for me.

Jim ordered the Irish Dip with fries ($13). It was a take on the classic French Dip, but with Irish cheddar, Irish stout mayo and Jameson Irish Whiskey added to the au jus. That's a lot of Irish! It was a hearty plate of food, which he enjoyed.

I got the Almar Shuffle, which was turkey, avocado, Swiss cheese and grilled mushroom on sourdough ($13). Served with a salad, it was good and filled me up. You don't see mushrooms on hot sandwiches very often, so I always go for it. Thumbs up! Also, they put raw, chopped onions on the salads here - I like 'em, but some folks don't!

Seth got the Side Door, a veggie burger with fries ($11) and had all the toppings on the side. I'm in support of this, since you get to make it as you like it. He piled on all the goodies and drove in. He also gave it a thumbs up. You gotta love the throwback, crinkly fries.

As with all British pubs, the standards are here: Bangers and Mash, Shepherd's Pie, Fish and Chips. There's a pool table in the back and big TVs all around to watch sports. During football/soccer season, you can bet they are all tuned in. It is the European sport of choice after all. Happy hour is 4-6pm and all day Sunday if you want to get your drink on.

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

Zameen's Foodtruck UCSC

Ever get hungry on campus? You know the one. Famous for little yellow slugs and 420 celebrations. Picking are slim up there, but I got a new way to stuff your pie hole if your tummy's rumblin'.

Zameen's Foodtruck

My bro and sis-in-law met me down by the Digital Arts building on a beautiful sunny Santa Cruz day in January. Unusually high temps make you love living here and there's good eats too! This truck, which is an offshoot of their restaurant in Aptos, shows up here from 11-2:30 weekdays.

Gyros, falafels. salads, burgers, chips and fries - you can't go wrong. Everything's so tasty and spiced up so well. We all got gyros and the garlic fries. They have sodas and waters to drink and sauces to pour over everything.

The gyro had the wonderful slices of beef and lamb that melts in your mouth. Also in the wrap was lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions and Tzakziki sauce. I'm used to raw chunks of red onions in my gyro, so the grilled onions were a nice change and made the meal a little bit sweeter. The green sauce was fresh and flavorful. A little zing, but mild. Parsley and cilantro?

Mike's gryo got the red sauce treatment, which was a spicy concoction. You can see the pepper seeds in it... Zowwee!

Here's a bit of the ocean view with a side of fries. More Tzakziki dip too! They were greased up with the garlic oil and a few chunks here and there. Make sure you get a drink to wash them all down.

Glad to see the campus getting into the food truck craze with this eclectic choice. Zameen's got taco trucks beat for sure. Next time I'm getting their falafel and will report back!

Scores out of 10:
Food: 7
Service: n/a
Atmosphere: 8 (lots of benches around)
Value for price: 7
Overall: 7.5

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!