It had been a minute since the last camping trip in Santa Cruz, so when a hard-to-come-by spot opened up at New Brighton State Beach – off we went!
This timing occurred during the date of another trip ‘round the sun, and I got to celebrate with an old friend in Santa Cruz I hadn’t seen in a while, and a surprise visit from other dear ones in Los Gatos. Plus, the weather was perfect, so all-in-all a fabulous trip!
Any journey to/through/near Santa Cruz has to begin (and often end, with sometimes visits in between) to Marianne’s Ice Cream. We typically go to the one on State Park Road, but all the locations open at 10 a.m. Don’t judge. If you can have yoghurt for breakfast, ice cream is pretty much the same thing, especially if you get a “fruit serving” such as blackberry or peach.
Gayle’s Bakery and Rosticcerie in Capitola has been around since 1978, but I’d failed to discover it until this trip. What a smorgasbord of yumminess! Dozens and dozens of freshly baked goods, prepared entrees, sandwiches, salads, soups, and even weeknight blue plate dinners abound.
I’ve become a fan of Humble Sea Brewing, so a trip to their Swift Street location on the Westside of Santa Cruz was a must. Little did I know that the surrounding area is a foodie mecca with all the major food groups within easy reach. In addition to the Humble Sea taproom, there’s also the Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing taproom, a butcher shop, coffee shop/roaster, a winery, a couple restaurants, New Leaf Community Market, and Venus Spirits Cocktails and Kitchen!
When you’ve got sunny weather, a picturesque wharf, and an old school seafood restaurant on said wharf, then bloody Marys and fish-and-chips are certainly in order! We settled into a table at the aptly named Wharf House and ordered it all up — the perfect seaside sips and snacks.
Tortilla Flats is a longtime local Mexican restaurant in Soquel with some fun twists on their menu, such as poblano relleno with goat cheese, green corn tamales, and (my choice) Durango enchiladas with a Peruvian aji chile cream sauce. And, when the server suggested that the three of us get a pitcher of margaritas, who were we to argue?
Plus a Trip to Los Gatos!
Got the wool delightfully pulled over my eyes by my scheming friends, which was all coordinated around a trip to Loma Brewing Company in nearby Los Gatos. Given the brewery’s lineup of stellar IPAs though, I think I was a pretty easy mark. Between us, we managed to try the full IPA lineup, and the Jew-jitsu New England Hazy seemed to bubble to the top as the crowd favorite.
After our delightful time at Loma, as we were strolling around Los Gatos, we noticed one of our party had gone missing! Turns out that the naughty, generous lad had ducked into Fleur de Cocoa and picked out some amazing tarts from their patisserie selection. We were able to enjoy them on the patio of Out of the Barrel as long as we got something to drink. Again, who were we to argue with that? No way to decide a favorite tart, though the passion fruit one was pretty high on my list.
I’m looking forward to return trips to both Santa Cruz and Los Gatos. Pretty sure I have more “research” to do!