The Cellar Door Cafe

Right after kickboxing on Saturday I showered and we all piled in the car to drive over to Santa Cruz for lunch at the Cellar Door Cafe. I figured I had burned enough calories between the 2 hours of weight training and then the hour of kickboxing. David, Lauren and Cooper are at the kitchen bar, our favorite place to watch all the action as we eat.


Below is a large chalkboard on the wall with the list of the producers and suppliers of the ingredients that day, all the farms. Lauren, being a very clever young woman asks "Is the boy happy because the girl is dirty?"


Ha! Smart girl!

The Chef, Jarod Ottley sends out a complimentary dish of fried Brussels Sprouts with smoked chevre. We also ordred Smoked fingerling potatoes with aioli and a fantastic pizza. It was Lamb sugo pizza with sheep's milk ricotta.  My plate is below, I had only one piece but could easily have eaten half the pizza.


Cooper and Lauren said it was the best pizza they had ever eaten in their lives (yes I know they are only 17 and 18, but they eat a lot of pizza!).

David then had Santa Cruz abalone, winter roots, castelvetrano olive and pickled carrot. I had a similar version of this last visit, it is amazing.

I typically order any seafood because it is so fresh and unique here. I had Eureka sand dab. Monterey squid, white beans and cippollini. Heaven on my plate!

Both Cooper and Lauren had the same thing: seared skirt steak, warm cabbage salad, fried farm egg. The moans and groans from the two of them were never ending. Cooper said it was the best steak he has ever eaten. I explained they use great local meats- but he said it wasn't just the meat, it was HOW it was cooked.

Oh, I finished my plate....could have even eaten the skinny little bones I guess! 

We ordered some cookies, but the server brought over a huge platter of desserts, including my favorite Dark chocolate cookies with caramel mascarpone. I explained that we hadn't ordered that, and she turned to look at Jarod, who just nodded his head, instructing her to place the platter in front of us.

Dessert was on the house. Lauren took one bite of the cookie and I thought she might try to whisk mine away from me! David and Cooper thoroughly enjoyed the date cake with maple and walnut.

Jarod come over and chatted about the upcoming holiday, the restaurant would be closed for a couple of weeks (good for them, bad for us). Lauren and Cooper expressed their pleasure with the whole experience and we vowed to return again soon.