Services for Restauranteurs

Today, Aug. 9th is my birthday. Two lovely ladies, one my wife, took me to lunch at The Chaminad. I had not been in years, and remembered those wonderful buffet’s of seemingly endless tables, all piled high with tasty options. Yes, the view of the bay was great, but the food…..wow. OK, fast forward to 8-9-10.

We arrived at 12:30 and were a little shocked to see that while they still have valet parking, there were no valet’s to be found. None. The valet check-in desk was empty. I parked my own car, and upon walking up to the doors was greeted by a very nice lady with an automobile claim check for the valet. I pointed out there were no valet’s, and she said something like, we’ll see about that. Later, as we returned for the car, two very nice young men were only too happy to run for our car. Who knows, maybe a bathroom break….en-mass?

OK, we were seated at once.The place was empty save the five or six tables reserved for conventions. We were told about the Buffet, and we dove in. OK, maybe not dove. In years gone by the buffet was MUCH bigger, many more and upscale hot foods, and in general a much better offering, for the 15.95 plus drink. Yes, three greens were in chilled bowls for salad making. There were a handful of topping, including crumbled blue cheese, but no blue cheese dressing. Strange. The breads were three as always, but the cold cuts and cheese, not cheese’s, seemed less than exciting. Now to the soups and hot offerings.

OK, soup, just one. Five hot foods, but two were fish, one chicken, and two veggie. NO BEEF! NO OUTDOOR BBQ! No other options. OK, many people like the veggie options, and I am told by my wife the vegetarian they were very good. The chicken may have been good, but looked so dried out I did not even venture a taste. I did try the fish, and it was OK.

The Chaminad was once a truly great lunch spot. I know the economy has taken it’s toll, and I don’t blame them for counting every penny. That said, the overall lunch experience was a letdown. The old days are gone, and I can only look back with fond memories. Oh yes, all of this does not in any way take away from the fact that my wife’s office mate Julie treated all of us for my birthday. That did, really and truly, make it all special!

Today, in a hurry for lunch, I wandered into my local Subway. Yeah, I am not much on fast food chains, but Subway has made real improvements over the past few years, so I gave it a try.

I ordered a 6 inch Tuna, on Italian Bread. To my shock, the bread was just out of the oven, still warm and really good! The Tuna, while a little heavy on the mayo was full of flavor, and the serving size was perfect. The fresh vegetables were cool and crisp, and even the oatmeal raisin cookies that I am sure are required by law to be purchased with lunch were tasty! All in all it was a very good meal. Now, the real plus…….it all cost about 6 bucks including beverage and chips. WOW…..that’s a deal.

Subway is doing it not only better, but MUCH BETTER than many of it’s fast food competittors. Try it……

While the point of this Blog is to enlighten, educate and entertain I must say a few words about your money.

Yes, it’s true things are tough. The lack of new jobs for those out of work is troubling. It’s not easy to dine out, given  the cost, and while most restaurants are hurting, in the coming months some will close. That said, it’s possible to dine out, even with a family and not spend more than you can really afford. Let’s first consider how often you go out to eat. If once a week is normal, great! But perhaps now that is a stretch. Here’s a thought. Downgrade. Not the quality of what you eat, just the amount of money you spend. Example: If Denny’s or a family style restaurant is the norm, and a check of about 60$ is part of the deal how about a big bucket of chicken and all the trimmings at KFC? A family of four should be able to eat A LOT, and do it for about 35$. The second idea might be to enjoy the Denny’s type meal every other week, and on the odd week enjoy a different ethnic food. One week it could be the bargain priced Taqueria Vallarta at any of it’s five locations. Really good food at a price anyone can afford.

I often dine out, but even I find habit wins out, and I need to be open to new places. Last week, when you were driving home from work, you passed a place that looked good, and you thought about trying it. Well……it’s not too late.

Dan

Last week I finally had a chance to try the new location of Betty’s Burgers, on 41st Ave in Capitola. Wow, it was a nice new location. The outdoor dining area was clean and filled with sunshine. The indoor dining area was inviting, and large. The Staff while seeming tired, were busy and still friendly. All went very well until I received my food. Then…….

The draft beer while cold was served in a plastic cup, and seemed a little too PacBell Park for me. This was after all a dining room. The beer should be in a cold glass. The burger however, was the real issue. The bun was toasted, but seems stale. The meat was warm, not hot and I know it had been cooked earlier, and placed back on the fire. It was not juicy, and had little flavor. The slab of Cheddar I added to the bill was not melted, not even wilted on the meat. This is after all a burger place, not a taco bar with a burger at the bottom of the menu. If Betty’s is to do really well, and it may, the burgers will have to be FAR BETTER than mine. At 10 bucks for a Burger and a Draft, it seemed way over priced, and not at all well presented. Just a thought……I hope they will do better.

This past weekend my wife and I decided go out. This may seem mundane to many, but we get too few chances to go out and we choose the wonderful Johnny’s HarborSide in Santa Cruz Harbor. Wow!  As always, it was something.

They were busy when we arrived Saturday early eveing, and so we sat at the bar. We ordered two drinks and watched as bartender Pat did his job. Both my wife and I were mezmerized by his work. Despite being slammed, he never missed a beat. No matter what drink the staff ordered, he came through and in amazing time. Seeing him work was worth the visit.  As we sat, we ordered an appittzer, and as always it too was wonderful. The Shrimp Lettuce Wraps at $11 were enough for two and great! Owners Jeff and Sheri Moise have not only a great location, but unlike many Harbor eateries, they also have really GREAT FOOD. I won’t name other Harbor restuarants we have visited, but lets just say many are all about the view, and nothing more. Johnny’s  has both, great views and great food. In addition, the crowd at Johnny’s was friendly, and like us, having a really good time. Each patron at some point will find themselves asking a total stranger ” wow, what did you order it looks great”

We did not have enough time for a full dinner, but will return soon. I know Johnny’s must be doing well, and why not with the job they do, but if you have not yet been in, stop by. Trust me, it’s worth every penny. One last point, you will need Quarters for the many, many parking meters in there prking lot.

Johnny’s Harborside  479-3430

This past weekend I visited family in Simi Valley, California. Ok there, it’s out. Yes, I did once live in the L.A. Area. Sorry.

It was Sunday morning and my brother suggested we have breakfast out. He offered to buy so I said, ” point me to the car”. He warned me it was a hole in the wall Dive named Jerry’s. In all fairness, he did warn me.

Jerry’s gives new meaning to the word casual. In fact, if you are wearing shoes, you are over dressed. That said, we were promptly seated in a real wooden booth and handed menus. The server also suggested we look at the Specials. The Specials are on printed eight and a half by eleven pages of paper, scotch taped to the walls. All the walls. There may be more Specials than items on the printed menu. OK, we ordered off the menu and waited for food. While waiting I noted the photos of famous people on the walls. Michael Landon filmed Little House near by and a signed photo was displayed. Abe Lincoln may have used a paper napkin from this very Dive to write the Gettysburg Address, and if so, he was no doubt sitting in the very same booth we were.

Fast forward ten minutes and the food arrived. The pancakes were VERY, VERY GOOD! The diet coke outstanding. The bacon…..OK, let’s NOT go there. I have enjoyed crisp bacon for more than fifty years, and never had a piece this undercooked and full of fat. Jerry as it turns out was a women who died years ago, and the owners are now a very nice and dearly hard working family from Korea, or perhaps Vietnam. All gave us very good service and while I strongly advise against the bacon, the rest of our meal was really good.

In summation: Jerry’s on L.A. Ave. near Tapo in Simi Valley is worth a visit. The food, except for the bacon, is good, and ask to sit in Abe Lincoln’s booth.

OK, so you already know about the newest location of PizzaMyHeart. Yeah, rite at the 41st Ave off ramp of Hwy 1. ( it was Armadillo Willie’s until last month ) I was intrigued by the location. Most locations I have been to are small, cramped and while I always liked the pizza, I wanted a Beer with it. Well, guess what???

BEER IS HERE!!! Finally, a big slice and cold bottle of suds. I am informed draft will be coming soon. I ordered a slice of ……what else Pepperoni and a cold one. The dining area is huge, and comfortable, and as I ate, drank and watched the occasional car drive by ( some 75,000 a day on 41st ) I really felt good. I was relaxed, enjoying my favorite kind of food and at peace. PizzaMyHeart…….nice job!

Last week, I felt the need to treat myself to breakfast out. I don’t do this often, and after you read the following, you too may be dining out for that most important meal of the day far more often.

I  went to my old standby, Mollie’s in Scotts Valley.  The owner Marc was there as always, greeting one and all as they dined. My real problem was what to eat. Do I go for the huge breakfast bar, all you can eat, or just be bold and actually make a decision from the rather long and full menu? I chose to order off the menu. Lets me just say, if you like bacon, eggs, cheese and a touch of onion, and who doesn’t , the scramble of the same name was out of this world. The eggs done exactly as ordered, the bacon plentiful and crisp, the cheese carefully blended throughout. Even the onion, often too much or too little…. perfect!. Did I mention the serving size? Yeah, it’s a meal even without the hash browns and real sourdough toast. Life does not get much better. So, if breakfast is a treat for you too once in a while, and if a McWhatever etc. is getting old, and if REAL FOOD sounds good, Mollie’s is a must! Open seven days.

If you have not yet tried SmoQe, the new BBQ joint in Aptos, it can only be because you have been living in a cave somewhere in the black hills of Kentucky. To say that owner Aaron Duncan has opened just another BBQ joint  is like saying Michelangelo’s David is just a hunk of stone. SmoQe not only have the best tasting BBQ I have ever had, but in addition offers brick oven cooked pizza to die for. The crust melts in your mouth, and is even offered in gluten free! Oh, yes two words of advice: 1. weekends will be BUSY, so expect a wait. 2. If you order any dessert you won’t be disappointed, however, the Carrot Cake should come with a Federal Warning: Caution this product WILL be habit forming. Stop by SmoQe, ENJOY!!!

Yesterday I stopped at my favorite Coffee Cat for a cup and discovered a wonderful GLUTEN-FREE cookie. Under the YUM brand, and made locally here in Santa Cruz these peanut butter cookies are amazing!  I bought several and handed them out to many who I knew to be on Gluten Free diets. OK, yes they were a hit. ( if you have had most gluten free baked goods you know to expect that homemade sawdust taste) The real shock came when I gave them to those NOT on any special diets, and without exception, everyone raved!  It turns out that a young woman named Jennifer Carlson thought why not offer really GREAT tasting products for those on special diets. Bravo…….Jennifer! Stop by any Coffee Cat and be AMAZED!!!