It was just a matter of time before Santa Cruz joined the ranks of cities across the country celebrating local culinary talent with Restaurant Week. In New York, Boston, Los Angeles and San Diego, chefs were joining together for a week each year to entice diners out of their routines and into cosmopolitan restaurants where they might discover exotic new flavors and textures. And those cities are not the cradle of sustainable produce or home to unique viticultural appellations.
This was the topic of conversation one July afternoon at the Cellar Door Café in the Bonny Doon Vineyard tasting room, where Dan Pulcrano, president of Metro Newspapers, sat shooting the breeze with newly installed chef Charlie Parker. The two agreed that if those cities could do a restaurant week, Santa Cruz could too. It has the talent, it has the terroir (see profiles starting page 15). It’s becoming a dining destination in its own right as skilled chefs and winemakers set up shop, drawn by the local produce and wines. Parker suggested putting on a Restaurant Week sooner rather than later, Santa Cruz Weekly publisher Debra Whizin agreed, and a plan quickly began to form.
The first Santa Cruz Restaurant Week runs eight days, from Oct. 1 to Oct. 8, and features $25 prix-fixe menus from two dozen restaurants. That means that for a fraction of the price of three a la carte courses, diners can sample a trio of dishes and in the process maybe discover a new favorite restaurant or remember the charms of an old one. It’s a time to step out, experiment and push the boundaries—just like the talented chefs who are making this week possible.
For information about Santa Cruz Restaurant Week, Oct. 1-8, 2009, visit www.santacruzrestaurantweek.com.
