SANTA CRUZ
Harvest Festival this weekend at UCSC
The UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology and Life Lab presents the annual Fall Harvest Festival on Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the campus farm. There will be apple pie and salsa baking competitions, apple pressing, hands-on workshops, hay wagon rides and live music. Also, local grocers such as My Mom’s Mole and Fonda Felix have items for sale. Admission is $5 for the public or free for children under 12, UCSC and Cabrillo College students with a student ID, and members of Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden. See agroecology.ucsc.edu/news-events/events/harvest-fest.html.
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
New salad at Erik’s DeliCafé
The Castroville Queen Salad is a new offering at Erik’s DeliCafé locations across the county and will be available over the next few months. It includes sliced salami on mixed vegetables and romaine lettuce, along with artichoke hearts, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, red peppers, red onions, clover sprouts, sunflower seeds and balsamic vinaigrette. To find an Erik’s DeliCafe or for contact information, visit eriksdelicafe.com.
CAPITAL
Gayle’s is adding dinner
Gayle’s Bakery (504 Bay Ave., 831-462-1200, gaylesbakery.com) has a new multi-course dinner menu. In addition to the one “hot blue plate” that’s already available every night, Gayle’s has started making burgers, Reubens, and a few other things. You can find each week’s menu by visiting the home page and clicking on ‘Menu’ and then Hot Evening Menus. Pumpkin pie has also returned for the season.
In other news, Gayle’s is offering a Rosh Hashanah dinner (cold at 7am and hot at 4pm) for Sunday pickup. Order early; Quantities are limited. Also, on September 25-24 and October 4-5, they have a la carte selections such as matzo ball soup and rugelach for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
SANTA CRUZ
Advance ticket sales for the Bookshop Santa Cruz event at Soif
The Santa Cruz Bookstore and the Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce are hosting a performance by wine expert Karen MacNeil on October 13th at the Soif Restaurant and Wine Shop (105 Walnut Ave.). This celebrates the new, fully updated edition of MacNeil’s The Wine Bible, America’s best-selling wine book. Advance tickets are available for the event only or for the event plus a copy of the book. The program at 7:00 p.m. includes a book talk, autograph sessions and questions and answers. Wine and small plates are available for purchase. Visit bookshopsantacruz.com/wine-bible.
SANTA CRUZ
New chef at Bad Animal
Bad Animal (1011 Cedar St., 831-900-5031, badanimalbooks.com) announced that Lalita Kaewsawang of Hanloh Thai Food (visit hanloh.com or IG @hanlohthaifood) is their new “Culinary Artist in Residence.” Kaewsawang, who joins Bad Animal on October 6, is a native of Thailand whose work experience includes two years at the Manresa restaurant in Los Gatos. Most recently, she did pop-ups and catering. As we reported earlier this month, chef Katherine Stern and her company The Midway, which delivered food at Bad Animal last year, recently ended their stay. Bad Animal’s restaurant and bar will be closed through October 6, but the bookstore will remain open Wednesday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
From October 6th the restaurant/bar will be open on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 17:00 to 21:00 and from Friday to Saturday from 17:00 to 22:00.
WATSONVILLE
Mr. Z’s is adding weekend breakfasts
Mr. Z’s Crepes and Teas (45 Aviation Way, 831-228-1588, mrzsteas.com) just started serving weekend breakfasts only at its Watsonville location. Hours of operation for breakfast items like egg/cheese crepes with optional bacon or avocado are Saturday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. (and the creperie stays open until 9 p.m. both days). Mr. Z’s, also open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., serves açaí bowls, bubble waffles, smoothies and boba tea. There is a second location in Aptos (7518 Soquel Drive, 831-661-5167) open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm.
SANTA CRUZ
The brunch shift shows up at the aperitif
Chicken Foot chef Jessica Yarr recently introduced a new pop-up called The Brunch Shift. Their first appearance was at the Apéro Club (402 Ingalls St. in Swift St. Courtyard) last month. They make a second aperitif performance on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Menu choices include The Hot Mess (hash browns, peppers, cheese, kimchi, fried eggs and more), Rainbow Bowl (ingredients include quinoa, pickled red onions and avocado), homemade cookies with pork sauce, and gluten-free mochi donuts. Other upcoming performances include the Scotts Valley Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings on October 1st and 15th.
SCOTTS VALLEY
Food trucks at Skypark Friday
The monthly Scotts Valley Food Truck Friday series continues Friday from 5pm to 8pm at Skypark (361 Kings Village Road). Participating food trucks are Pana, Saucey’z, Epoch Eats, Cuevas Mexican Food, Cracked Cookies and Aunt LaLi’s. The Scotts Valley Educational Foundation is hosting a beer/wine garden to raise money for Scotts Valley schools. Cringe will play live music. Dogs kept on a leash are welcome. There are a few picnic tables for seating, or participants can bring beach chairs or blankets. Visit facebook.com/events/1018225268838894.
Quick Bites, compiled by Tara Fatemi Walker, is your weekly edition of Santa Cruz County dining, food and beverage news. Submit articles to [email protected] (Sunday 7pm deadline for this week’s column). Want the latest local food and drink news? Follow the Sentinel food crew on Twitter @santacruzfood.
