The famous Boardwalk, the roller coaster, the beach…like any other kid who grew up on the central California coast, I know Santa Cruz pretty well. Or at least I thought I did.
So when I signed up for the Santa Cruz Food Tour last week, I knew I’d have fun, but I wondered if they could possibly show me something I hadn’t seen before. I was in for a pleasant and tasty surprise.
The Santa Cruz Food Tour is a walking adventure, combining a discovery of the history, architecture and culture of downtown Santa Cruz with noshing at five delicious — as well as interesting — eateries. Instructed to arrive hungry, I met the group at the Center Street Grill, where we began our two-hour trek with Asian salad, pizza with spinach and caramelized onion, and an eye-full of local art. The restaurant is part of the Center Street Art Center, where all businesses share a dedication to supporting the arts community; works here are on rotation, so there is always something new on display.
Fortified and ready for a little exercise, our group next walked up the hill to Mission Santa Cruz (1791), where our guide regaled us with stories from the city’s earliest days, from Native Americans to missionaries and gold miners. Before the city became known as a beach resort in the late 19th century, it had its share of wild times, and our guide seemed to have inside information.
Next stop was the Penny Ice Creamery, featuring seasonal organic ice cream made entirely in-house, from scratch. This is unusual; we learned that most ice cream shops that tout “home-made” start with a pre-made base, to which flavors are added. But at Penny Ice Creamery, even the base is made on the premises. The ice cream is dense, similar to gelato, rich but light, with only 15% air in the formula (50% is common). Flavors include creative concoctions like Pepper Cheesecake. I had my Hazelnut Praline in a waffle cone, the serving vessel of choice here. With a goal of being a no-waste business, Penny Ice Creamery avoids using plastic utensils and paper cups. The owners were honored last year with seats in First Lady Michelle Obama’s box during the State of the Union Address.
We admired charmingly restored Victorian buildings en route to our next tasting site: the True Olive Connection. Here we sampled strawberries dipped in balsamic vinegar, and sipped a refreshing drink of Perrier with cherry balsamic vinegar. Unusual, yes…and absolutely exquisite.
More anecdotes about the downtown area accompanied our jaunt to the Surfrider Café. The freshest burger buns I ever tasted (baked here throughout the day, every day) encased the organic beef and Gorgonzola cheese sliders we were served.
Our tour ended at the Malabar Restaurant, where the Sri Lankan owner tantalized us with his vegetarian, east-west fusion menu. We sampled roti with curry sauce, put the fire out with banana lassis, then sat back in a satisfied stupor. When I go back, I’m going to try the vegan ice cream.
Four Sisters Inns’ West Cliff Inn began offering a Santa Cruz Food Tour package just last month, melding a stay at the inn with this tour. Now I know why guests are raving about it. The traditional Santa Cruz attractions will always be fun, but I’m adding the Santa Cruz Food Tour to my list of must-dos when friends come to visit.
