Recommend a Santa Cruz area restaurant....

     
   El Palomar also has a place at the harbor near the Crow's Nest on the east side, faces the volleyball courts catamarans and harbor beach.
   If you want to try some  Med. (Turkey, Greece, Mideast) food in a nice but casual atmosphere, family run, at reasonable prices, try Zameen's in Aptos - take State Park Exit off of Hwy 1 toward the hills, turn left (toward SC) on Soquel -it's in an upscale small shopping center on the bay side of the street.   We've never needed reservations(not sure they make them), but we tend to eat early - 5 or so.   Seems to have something everyone can enjoy.     I like the flat bread ("pizza") spread with fig paste, topped with pieces of prosciutto, goat cheese and uncooked baby spinach. 

http://www.zameencuisine.com/news/1     

Italian:              Lillian's    On Soquel DR.
Japanese:          Totoro     On Mission
Less expensive    Carpos     In Soquel
Pizza                  Kianti's     Santa Cruz Mall
Italian                Bocci's celler   Out by Costco


There are others, but these will get you started.   

I've heard great things about Lillian's.  Local family using grandma's recipe.  Outtta nowhere, Cinderella story, largely unknown.

Allen

ps I may go eat there myself this week!

Looks like we'll be headed for Italian for sure, so it's a toss up between Lillians and Ristorante Italiano. Given the early morning we'll have after getting up to drive from Vallejo to MBK on the day of the tournament, and another early day ahead of us Sunday morning, I think we'll be having an early dinner. Hopefully that means it woun't be too crowded wherever we end up.

Thanks for all the advice! BTW, I'm a huge fan of Mexican food, so El Palomar is on my list someday. 

Looks like we'll be headed for Italian for sure, so it's a toss up between Lillians and Ristorante Italiano. Given the early morning we'll have after getting up to drive from Vallejo to MBK on the day of the tournament, and another early day ahead of us Sunday morning, I think we'll be having an early dinner. Hopefully that means it woun't be too crowded wherever we end up.

Thanks for all the advice! BTW, I'm a huge fan of Mexican food, so El Palomar is on my list someday. 

if you got to ristorante, get the stuffed mushroom caps.   

'nutha good Mex joint is The Whole Enchilada in Moss Landing. Especially if the specials menu still has the Enchiladas Adobadas (dungie crab enchiladas smothered in chipotle lobster cream sauce) ....soooo rich yet soooo good!
Edited: Nevermind! Shadowbrook is cool so I edited this comment. 

Oh, and I don't support Shadowbrook because they have a history of dumping pollutants into the creek that runs through their property (and feeds into the local watershed). Ironically, the creek is one of the main attractions at this place...yet they continually get caught destroying it.

Are you thinking of Brookdale Lodge?
Brookdale was cited by F&G for dumping soap into the drain that leads to the creek in the dining room-it killed a bunch of little steelhead-as well as getting a series of health citations for keeping stacks of full garbage bags alongside the building for days. Just dumb and Yicky all around.
Brookdale does have a ghost too though.....

D'OH!
My bad: Shadowbrook is the fancy one w/a trolley ride and is quite nice. Brookdale is the one who has been repeatedly cited for dumping/polluting...don't go to the Brookdale Lodge. 

Got this recommendation from a friend. She lives in Los Gatos but the place is in Santa Cruz called Cafe Cruz.

http://www.cafecruz.com/

yeah El Palomar has a restaurant in monterey too but i was disappointed with it
 but i think i might drive up to sc for some el palomar soon now that ive mentioned it
whole enchilada has good food, though ive never been in the restaurant one of my friends had a country band that played at the bar next door every thursday night which served whole enchiladas food.
cool little bar, called the Moss Landing Inn dollars nailed up everywhere all sorts of old crusty tug boat drivers and what not.

Indian (REALLY GOOD): Royal Taj on River St.
Dinner/Breakfast: Santa Cruz Diner on Ocean St.
Desert: Marianne's Ice Cream on Ocean St (Sooooooooo Awesome!)

I have yet to go to Lillians but I hear it's good. Whatever you do, don't go to Restorane Italiano. There are so many other great places to get Italian food in SC. If you want some great food with great service and a fun environment then go to Cafe Lucio. It's on the corner of Ocean St. and Soquel Ave. Off the freaking hook!!

-FF

I have yet to go to Lillians but I hear it's good. Whatever you do, don't go to Restorane Italiano. There are so many other great places to get Italian food in SC. If you want some great food with great service and a fun environment then go to Cafe Lucio. It's on the corner of Ocean St. and Soquel Ave. Off the freaking hook!!

-FF

whats wrong with Ristorante?

whats wrong with Ristorante?

I guess that came off a bit strong. For me.....it's just not that good for what you pay. We have some really great italian places here in SC and Ristorante is near the bottom of the list of good italian restaurants for me. Ristorante Italiano is like Olive Garden..........I dunno. I don't have anything really bad to say about them....but nothing really good either.

Cafe Lucio is the bomb!!!! Get the crab canaloni in tomato cream sauce  OMG I could just sit there with a loaf of bread and a bowl of that tomato cream sauce and be perfectly happy.

-FF

whats wrong with Ristorante?

I guess that came off a bit strong. For me.....it's just not that good for what you pay. We have some really great italian places here in SC and Ristorante is near the bottom of the list of good italian restaurants for me. Ristorante Italiano is like Olive Garden..........I dunno. I don't have anything really bad to say about them....but nothing really good either.

Cafe Lucio is the bomb!!!! Get the crab canaloni in tomato cream sauce  OMG I could just sit there with a loaf of bread and a bowl of that tomato cream sauce and be perfectly happy.

-FF

no problems, just wondered if you knew something I didnt.   

Ristorante Italiano is like Olive Garden..........

aaaaaand what's wrong with olive garden???