The Naglee Park Garage is the kind of neighborhood restaurant that you want located a short bike ride down the street from your house.  There is a small interior space with a few bar stools and some tables with the kitchen wide open and the grill right there.  In any case it is located very close to San Jose State University, hence the 7-11 right next door.  It was featured on Triple D’s, which is how we found out about it, but I’m not sure that it is a typical Triple D’s pick, it is maybe a bit on the hip divey side, so OK, it works for that.  You order your food and a beer (Allagash White – A traditional Belgian Wheat Beer on Draft) at the counter and can grab a seat inside or if it is nice enough you can sit out back at a picnic table in the beer garden.  The menu is not what you would expect from an order at the counter joint.  The fare includes interesting seasonal California foods such as salads including their classic Picnic Salad with beets, blue cheese, and bacon or a seasonal salad with apples, pears, endive, and goat cheese as well as tasty burgers and interesting main dishes (Ribs, Trout, Lamb Meatballs).  My choice for tastiness (and a great date night place to sit at the bar) is to split the burger and order a small salad and an interesting side … oh, as well as what I would consider the best item on the menu, their Chocolate Bread Pudding with whip cream and candied pecans (or vanilla too) for dessert.

I’ve been to Naglee Park Garage at least five times now and my friends from out of town dig it.  They do have breakfast (mmm… tri-tip hash), although I’ve never tried it and they also cater local backyard family-style events which sounds interesting and you can check that out on their website.

Do you need to pretend you are among the ladies who lunch, even though you have to head out on the one day of the weekend that you don’t actually have to work?  This is California right … everyone works.  The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards is your spot for a ladies who lunch outing.  Wente is also a good place for dates with your honey, hubby, or daddy too (we saw all of the above).  The complimentary lunch valet also makes you feel like your out-for-lunch aka on vaca.  You even get to head out of town a bit for a nice drive in the country to get there, an SF Bay Area Day Trip for sure, without having to go all the way to Napa or Paso Robles.  It is about a 45 minute drive from Mountain View and from Oakland to get out to Livermore, CA.  As you get closer to Livermore you will find fruit stands along the road.  We bought cherries along the way and had a cherry spitting contest, FYI, not at Wente (don’t get yourself kicked out).

We liked snacking on: Cayenne Spiced Roasted Nuts, Maple, Garden Herbs & Warmed Nicolau Farms Goat Cheese, Herbed Bread Crumbs.

We liked sipping on: SEASONAL COCKTAILS such as the Lavender Martini and local wines.

• Livermore Valley Wine Country

Their coffee is even good. You got it, not your typical diner. Seriously, my only problem with Silver Spur is, as their sign states, “Breakfast and Lunch 6am-3pm – Closed Sundays!” It is just open for breakfast and lunch and not on Sundays!  Why can’t there be a high quality restaurant with great comfort food like Silver Spur that is open for dinner too in Santa Cruz.  I mean, some evenings call for a blue plate special reminiscent of any American’s childhood favorite comfort foods (Meatloaf, Pork Chops, Mac & Cheese with a quality twist).  Yes, this is one the best, top breakfast spots in Santa Cruz and frankly, in the Bay Area.  The food is of a high quality with unique touches and an atmosphere that reminds me of great western breakfast spots from New Mexico to Montana.  The western feel and often tex-mex inspired dishes (South of the Border Scramble, Corned Beef Hash, Huevos Rancheros) are delicious, particularly with the accompaniment of their homemade salsa. Silver Spur always has specials written up on the board often featuring their yummy orange poppy-seed pancakes as a special and of course their daily muffin selection.  When you don’t think you want to the daily muffin special with your meal, get the cinnamon roll (pictured above).  Another perk, while you wait for your table (as you know, all awesome breakfast spots have a wait) you can drink the great coffee outside in the sun and read the paper.  My favorite dish is the South of the Border Scramble (has nice large pieces of avocado) and John’s is the Corned Beef Hash.  Alright, uber-critical types, find something wrong with Silver Spur besides the wait and the weight, you’ll add to your thighs.

36 Hours in Santa Cruz – from the NYTimes

Lots of Santa Cruz folks wrote-in comments on this article with their picks for their favorite restaurants in Santa Cruz.  One person said the NY Times list of restaurants was a bit outdated.  This got us thinking about our favorite restaurants in Santa Cruz and has also inspired us to try a couple of reader recommended spots that we haven’t been to yet.

Our Favorite Breakfast Spots in Santa Cruz:

• Cafe Brasil - Banana Pancakes, Acai Bowl, & Feijoada (long waits on weekends).
• Zachary’s - Best Burger in SC (Gourmet Burger w/ Avocado & Bacon), Mike’s Mess, Sourdough Pancakes, & Fresh Baked Goods.
• Silver Spur – South of the Border Scramble (get their homemade salsa on the side) & Daily Special Baked Muffins (not Open Sundays).

Best Splurge in Santa Cruz:

• Cellar Door Cafe – Awesome small plates (Smoked Fingerling Potatoes & Brussel Sprouts with smoked Chevre and Cider) & nightly Prix-Fixe Dinner – all local and daily changing seasonal menu.
• Ristorante Avanti - Great California-Mediterranean inspired local and seasonal menu (such as Dungeness Crab Cakes OR Manchego Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms & Homemade Pappardelle and Baked Marin Sun Farms Meatballs).
• Soif - Nice Wine Bar downtown with tasty small plates (Piquillo peppers stuffed w/ Manchego cheese).

Casual Spots:

• Dynasty – Mandarin/Szechuan Cuisine in Capitola (not the village).  We order the Mushu Pork and Beef with Zilan and the complimentary peanut celery appetizer is good too.
• El Palomar Taco Bar - Freshly cooked meat for tacos in Downtown. Check out Taco Tuesday.

• Tortilla Flats Located in Soquel, is inspired by French and Mexican Cuisines, and has been a local favorite for over 25 years.
• Smoqe – A BBQ and Wood Fired Pizza restaurant just off the freeway, south of Santa Cruz in Aptos.
• I will add more spots onto this as I think of them!

Best Coffee:

• Verve – Superb light roast coffee made by an award-winning Barista. Also try the Bowl of Soul Tea (Tea steeped in steamed soy milk and honey). Great vibe too.
• Casalegno’s Coffee Bar w/ Ugly Mug Coffee – If Chris is working ask him to make you his coffee specialty!

Favorite Desserts & Bakeries:

• Chocolate - Downtown Santa Cruz – LOVE their dark chocolate gelato hot fudge sundae – for Chocolate Lovers, you will LOVE it!
• Penny Ice Creamery – Organic Ice Cream Shop with very unique flavors that change almost daily.  Many of the flavors are often reflective of Santa Cruz (Verve Coffee Flavor, SC Brewery, Organic/Local Fruits).
• Marianne’s Ice Cream – This is a nostalgic, classic ice cream shop with lots of flavors on your way to or from the beach in Santa Cruz. I like the Macapuno, Creamy baby coconut ice cream which is not an ice cream I would have ever thought I would like (it’s not chocolate).
• Gayle’s Bakery - Located in Capitola – Love their Princess Cake for Birthdays (Three layers of vanilla genoise cake ~ layers of pastry cream, raspberry jam & whipped cream inside ~ pastel marzipan shell outside ~ sprinkled with powdered sugar ~ topped with a fresh rose)!
• Kelly’s French Bakery - Love their Macaroons.  Great area to hang out in over in Swift Street Courtyard.  There are wine tasting rooms, the Santa Cruz Brew Pub, Bonny Doon/Cellar Door Cafe, a Clothing Shop, Knitting Shop etc…)

Favorite Spot for Cocktails:

• 515 Kitchen & Cocktails – Love their Signature 515 Pomegranate Margarita (cazadores tequila, la pinta tequila, lime, pama liqueur, patron citronge liqueur, sugar rim)! 515 is kind of loungy and a great spot to enjoy cocktails with friends or lovers.

—

These are favorite restaurants mentioned in the Comments about the NY Times Article:

A new place was mentioned in the NY Times Article in downtown that we have not tried yet:

• Laila - A stylish Afghan Restaurant – 101B Cooper Street; 831-423-4545

Lots of people mentioned:

• Tortilla Flats in Soquel, is inspired by French and Mexican Cuisines, and has been a local favorite for over 25 years.

A Blogger in the comments recommends:

• My Thai Beach in Capitola Village at 207 Esplanade

AtlasCo, who recently moved from NY to SC, Recommended These:

• The Cellar Door at Bonny Doon Tasting Room. A Michelin-starred chef, small plates, local, fresh, delicious, in a cool space. Must reserve.
• Soif downtown is a good choice for a wide range of local wines and bites.
• Oswald downtown is great.
• Ristorante Avanti on the west side is good.
• Penny Ice is the best ice cream shop in the lower 48!

Cicero’s Pizza opened in San Jose, CA (Cupertino, CA to be exact) in 1968 which has given it thirty years and three different locations to build a local following.  We’ve tried so many pizza joints around San Jose from A Slice of New York (we like the garlic knots and cannoli’s @ Slice of NY) to Rosie’s New York Pizza, Pizza Chicago, Pizza My Heart, Thunderbird, and few others.  Cicero’s feels the most like a neighborhood joint, that you would go to after a softball game or swim meet, even though it is located in a a Safeway strip mall in its current location.  It is a comfort zone where you can wear your sweats and feel nostalgic for your hometown pizza place like my beloved Pizza Villa that I grew up frequenting every Wednesday night in the summers.  Local folks seem to stop by Cicero’s to pick-up pizzas on Friday nights on their way home from work to take to the family.  Cicero’s also has a decent size dining room (please don’t modernize it) where you can order at the counter and take a seat at a booth or table and sip on a draft Sierra while you wait.

Our favorite is the shredded Italian sausage, very fine crumbs, topping on Cicero’s thin crust pizza (crust is not so crispy that it is like a cracker, just not deep dish).  Lots of people suggest the Belly Buster but once we found the crumbled sausage pizza, we were hooked.

Cicero’s Pizza
6138 Bollinger Road
San Jose/Cupertino
408-777-0690

I met Serena of GrassRoutes Guides (Oakland, CA) at a Food Blogging dinner in SF and quickly wanted to know when she would come down and write a guidebook about Silicon Valley/South Bay because we are not the ugly step sister of SF.  I really liked Serena’s energy and optimism about Oakland in particular.  Now we have a ton more spots to check out in our often frequented Oakland (and then some spots from her other guides on SF, Wine Country, Portland, & Seattle).  Serena told me that Eco-Tourism should not just be for the exotic travels to such locales as Costa Rica but that even urban places in the Bay Area, that are Eco-conscious, can enrich and enlighten our travels and explorations at home.

The Oakland/Berkeley Guidebook page online has lots of restaurant descriptions and suggestions for places to eat in Categories such as:

• Do Lunch (Bake Sale Betty – Famous Fried Chix Sandwich)
• Casual Night Out – (One pick we’ve tried is – Dona Tomas – Great Cookbook and Creative, Upscale Mexican Spot)
• Coffee Time (Blue Bottle of course! – Don’t miss it!)
• Dress Up
• Farm to Table
• International Grocery
• Sweet Tooth
• Imbibe (Need to add Beer Revolution & Friday at Drakes Brewery to the list (I know it is in San Leandro but it is so worth it))

Last night we joined three other food bloggers and two PR execs from the Bay Area for a dinner at Maya in SF.   The occasion was a reveal of a new menu and decor for the eleven year old restaurant in SOMA.   The bar is known for its large array of Tequilas including blancos (aged 0-2 months), reposados (2-11 months), and anejos (aged at least 1 year).

Style: White linens surrender to … creative cocktails, zebra wood tables, tasty tacos & striped dishes. Upscale Mexican cuisine is the mainstay.

Our Favorite Picks Include:

• Their Happy Hour Deals after work!
  

• Drink: Big Nose Goes to Mexico $12! (Blanco & Repisado Tequila w/ Guava Puree, Hibiscus Salt on the rim and a Lime half floating on top w/ 151 rum in it, then they light it on fire … see our photo! *not on the happy hour menu)
• Guacamole: Chile Toreados $8.5 The house guac was good too but we liked the creative toasted Pepita (w/ pumpkin seeds on top).
• Ceviche: Mahi Mahi $12 (w/ pica de gallo, & a sweet and spicy tomato-chili broth) It had a great sweet and spicy mix with a little kick!
• Tacos: (Apps, Entree $14-16 for 4, OR Taco Tuesday Happy Hour – $2 each): Langosta Taco (Lobster, avocado, black bean puree, chile de arbol roullie, cilantro) & Rajas con Papas “Deconstructed Chili Rellenos Taco” (poblano, potato, queso fresco, salsa verde, crema fresca)
• Desserts: Empanadas de platano $7 (turnovers filled with bananas, walnuts & crema fresca/ strawberry sauce/ coconut ice cream) & Capirotada agavero (Bread Pudding) $8 (agavero tequila liqueur bread pudding/ fresh blueberry tequila sauce/ raspberry cabernet sorbet)

The warm approachable decor of the new dining space is contrasted by the hipper vibe of the bar and lounge area.  You could meet your friends for cocktails and $2 tacos at Happy Hour in the bar and then have your parents to dinner in the restaurant (or even better a company meal or event in a private room when they are footing the bill).  The restaurant was comfortable with well-spaced tables but without the zing of the lounge with bar tables and chairs (although the dining tables were beautifully made from something that looked like zebra wood).  The dining room made me think of spots you might grab dinner before a show, ballet, or opera in NYC so you could definitely have multi-generational dinner with family (maybe not young kids but parents and grandparents for sure).  We loved the large red spiral plates mixed in with the over-sized white plates too. There was a touch of fun to them in the contrasting dining room.  There are dinner specials every night but the main menu entrees and tacos were our faves (mole was very good, chili rellenos, salmon).

The Guava/Tequila “Big Nose” cocktail (note: this one is not on the $5 happy hours list) was fabulous.   For my birthday, light me up a Big Nose Cocktail and serve it to me with a Banana Empanada. Then throw me in a serenity pool somewhere on the Yucatan Pennisula!

Happy Hour Specials @ Maya (Everyday, $2 tacos, $5 drinks, $3 beers)

Nice Dinner Special: $18 soup or salad/ 1/2 entree or tacos/ sorbet  +$5 margarita/ mojito/ house wine

303 2nd st. between harrison & folsom, san francisco ca 94107
415.543.2928 ~ fax 415.543.6679

- Read here for a fellow food blogger’s review of Maya from the same dinner!

Can you really judge a restaurant by eating there once? As a food blogger, love at first site only happens on special dining occasions, and then I often wonder if it was just lust.  Love at first site didn’t happen at Chill Out. In past dining experiences at Chill Out I must have wanted to make it more of a long term affair with substance to our relationship.  The first four times or so I felt like I had become familiar with Chill Out’s appearance and good offerings but I wasn’t in it for the long run.  This is because I hadn’t found my go-to menu item quickly enough to build a craving for the seldom times when on I’m on a diet.  So I decided to put more effort in this weekend with an invitation to join a breakfast birthday celebration at Chill Out.

I discovered two menu options and one dining note on my fifth visit to Chill Out.  What does this mean?  When you order too close to # 0-5 Breakfast Burrito options on the menu board, you are going to get an egg filled burrito that is too dry and straight up boring.  I like a lot of sauce and a kick of spice in the form of at least salsa and (sorry purists) sour cream and/or guacamole on my breakfast burrito, particularly because there isn’t meat inside like el pastor or even bacon to spice it up.  So I made my way to Burrito option #20 and bingo!  So choose wisely and patiently.  Then I walked out back to meet the already present party of eight breakfast-eater friends chilling at a huge picnic table and saw that our cousins had ordered these large plates filled with eggs, hash browns, a side of spicy cream cheese topping, and other stuff.  This was the discovery of desirable menu item #2 (not to be confused with #2 on the menu) that happened to be a breakfast burrito without the tortilla (for the gluten-free types)!  I already mentioned the other cool part of Chill Out that I discovered on this visit and it has to do with the ability for ten of us to sit together at a back picnic table with additional chairs for a huge, inexpensive brunch of friends and family (Note: it can get chilly out back on those cold Santa Cruz mornings).  Oh, the fresh squeezed orange juice is money too but grab your coffee from next door at Verve Coffee Roasters (featured in another BITF Review) cause’ it is also money and award-winning!

860 41st Ave
Santa Cruz, CA 95062

Where do you go to get your favorite burger?

The Hamblogger has blogged about some great burgers in Northern California and given them 5 stars!

We haven’t tried them yet, but these three SF locations earned 5 stars:

• Roam Artisan Burgers, 1785 Union Street, Sf
• Buckshot Restaurant, Bar & Gameroom – 3848 Geary Street, SF
• Don Pistos, 510 Union Street, SF

Burger Joints The Hamblogger has rated in Santa Cruz & San Jose Area:

• Burger, Santa Cruz (fairly new spot) – 4 stars
• Burger Pit, San Jose – 3.5 stars

My two favorite burgers in my area:

• Zachary’s - Santa Cruz (open for breakfast & lunch only) – Gourmet Burger:  on homemade herb bun, w/ avocado & bacon!
• The Naglee Park Garage - San Jose
• Seabright Brewery – Santa Cruz (Zach & John’s Favorite) – Ring of Fire Burger

A Foodie in Quebec City Summary:

• Maple Products @ the Old Port Market – Marche du Vieux-Port: Maple Syrup, Maple Sugar, Sugar Pie, Maple Ale, Maple Wine, Maple Salad Dressing, Mini Maple Cones, Maple Candies, Maple Butter, Maple Spread, Maple Tea, Maple Beer from Boreale Beer … (A great brand of Organic Maple Products: Biodélices Organic Maple Syrup)
• Ice Cider, Cider, & Ice Wine Tasting Day Trip (just outside the city): Isle d’Orleans
• Classic Canadian Food: Tourtière = Meat Pie, Poutine (Canadian Quebec Style) = French Fries, Cheese Curds & Brown Gravy, Sugar Pie (Quebec City Sugar Pie with Thick Cream)= Maple Sugar Pie, Caribou Stew
• Drinks: Cheese Plates, Beer, & Sangria – Two spots to grab drinks before dinner: One in Upper Town is Bar L’inox - a 21 year old microbrewery, with 11 delicious beers, also pitchers of Sangria and happy hour specials + sausages in baguettes for a snack to split. *See below for rue Saint-Jean spots such as Pub Nelligans & La Ninkasi.

La Rue St. Jean Area (rue Saint-Jean - A Street beyond the city walls on the west end was a very cool area that seemed less touristy.)

• J.A. Moisan Epicier, a Gourmet Food Store (oldest grocery store in North America), with many Canadian products, prepared gourmet foods, and interesting selection of cheeses, chocolates, candies, and beer/wine.  La Rue St. Jean is located in the Upper town close to some really interesting shops such as The Chocolate Museum and a clothing shop on a street I liked so much, rue Saint-Jean. A pub that we would like to try next time: La Ninkasi is the best place to have a large choice of Quebeckers beers and see a variety of shows.  Pub Nelligans, was great but we had too many people to fit inside because it was raining and we were there on the Tuesday night jam session of Irish music, which seemed really cool.

Wandering lustfully in search of the unique and delicious was the beauty of our trip.

In researching our visit to Quebec City online we found it quite hard to find the local spots as I assume the local food blogs are all in French. This made us realize that it may be difficult to have an Anthony Bourdain-type of locals experience in Quebec City. Luckily we did have help from our friends from Maine who had visited Quebec City quite a few times because of their interest in their French-Canadian heritage. So we knew our first visit was going to entail wandering, talking to locals, and exploring.

What we discovered about Quebec City:

We found the people in Quebec City to be very friendly from the man who gave us the mead to taste at the market and told us where to eat Poutine to the waiter at the restaurant who served us Poutine and told us where to drink next. The city had a very cool blend of modern and classical architecture where the new and old city met. There were many smaller shops instead of huge, mega-stores meaning you could find some unique items that you don’t often find in other cities without infinite exploration. There were many sidewalk-dining areas at the restaurants to dine and drink el fresco putting people together on the streets without glass separators. We discovered unique food and drink in our three day stay and the ability to eat it by walking constantly.

Great Food & Art Suggestions for Quebec City:

• Casse Crepe Breton Great Breakfast for Crepes in the Old City Quebec (There is always a line but the crepes are worth it.) Also try their half-coffee/half-hot cocoa with ice cream drink!
• Restaurant La Nouvelle France Great restaurant for traditional Quebec food such as Yellow Pea Soup, Poutine, Meat Pie, Caribou Stew, and Sugar Pie for Dessert (A Prix Fixe Dinner for about $20, not including drinks).
• The Market in Quebec City had great local goods and produce and was very worth a visit but make sure you have room for snacking – Le Marché du Vieux-Port de Québec
• A Contemporary Art Gallery in Quebec City – Galerie Lacerte Art Contemporain located near the Market in the Old City is worth taking a look in if you appreciate contemporary art.
  

Isle de Orleans: A Quebec City Day Trip

The Isle de Orleans was an interesting sustainable agricultural community. There were cows next to a small field of corn beside a fromagerie and orchards by vineyards and so on. All of these entities seemed to be sustaining everyone in the community as opposed to a monoculture. Many of the products they were producing were world class such as the Ice Wine and Ice Cider. As we entered the island by car from Quebec City (about 15 minute drive) we stopped on the right at the information center to grab a map of the island ($1) and to figure out where we wanted to go. We found some great wineries, cideries, a fromagerie, brewery/bar, and farms. Some tasting rooms have minimal fees of $2-3 and some are free.

Suggested Food & Drink Tasting on Isle de Orleans:

• Blackcurrant Liqueur & Blackcurrant Wine = Mixed together make their Sangria Recipe which we really liked @ Cassis Monna & fille Economusee de la liquoristerie This winery had a great outdoor patio to hang out on after sampling their products in their tasting room downstairs.  We loved the design and aesthetics of this place!
• Ice Wine @ Vignoble Isle Bacchus ($35 for 200ml bottle & $3 for wine tastings, classy spot)
• Ice Cider @ Cideries
• Blackcurrant Framboise @ La Ferme de Liz Ouellet (made by a local woman and a Frenchman from the Dijon Region of France had just come by and said her products were as good if not better than those found in Dijon)Maple Butter
• Duck Terrine, Mustards, Jams, & Cider Tastings for $3 @ Domaine Steinbach Ciderie et Relais Gourmand – Great spot for an entire range of tastings. (I liked the onion preserves and the blueberry and apple jam)
• Cheese, the very first ever made in North America (in 1635) Samples @ Les Fromage de l’isle d’Orleans