How yummy and amazing does this look? I want it right now! One morning in Rockridge (Berkeley area) we headed to Crepevine, a perfect breakfast destination with sweet and savory crepes, and lots of other delicious concoctions like this dish, called The Mission. It was filled with some amazing black beans, scrambled eggs, soy chorizo, salsa, and guacamole. And of course, topped with lots of fresh avocado. The fact that everything in California has avocado on most dishes made me really really happy, and so did this breakfast.

While we were in California we were lucky enough to drive up classic Route 1 from Santa Cruz to San Francisco, in a bright red rental car no less. The drive was unbelievable— scenic is an understatement. It started off hilly, driving through the farms just outside of Santa Cruz. One of favorite stops along the whole trip was at this point, at Swanton Berry Farm. We had tried some Swanton strawberries at a farmer’s market on the Embarcadero, and they were berry delicious. And after seeing a classic pickup with a big berry on it and a “you-pick-em” sign… we kind of had to stop in.

Inside the quaint front door…

Just a ton of strawberries. Big, red, ripe and juicy berries, perfectly delicious and waiting to be eaten.

The farm also had every berry treat imaginable, jam tastings (strawberry citrus, yum oh yum), and an honor system for paying. There were chocolate covered strawberries, strawberry rhubarb buckle (that was really good!), granola with dried strawberries, mini pies and scones— any strawberry treat imaginable!

The rest of the drive? Cliffs, beaches, and surfers. It was a pretty sweet ride.

One of my favorite days in Santa Cruz, CA was Wednesday, their weekly farmer’s market. Located in the middle of town, the Santa Cruz farmer’s market was one of the absolute best I’ve ever been to. The fresh produce was abundant, colorful, delicious, and beautiful. Vendors were friendly, helpful, and offered lots of free samples. To top it off, there were several sections that had (awesome) live music, including some banjo and mandolin. I was a little bit in love with Santa Cruz, right at that moment.

These edible flowers were my favorite of the fresh and local offerings. Another thing we tried that was to die for was some local sorbet:

Slip and I shared the strawberry shortcake and the coffee almond:

I can’t really explain how amazing this was, because I’ve never ever tasted sorbet like this before. It was creamy and rich and delicious. I fell in love with the strawberry shortcake and totally ate all of it, but Slip was nuts for coffee almond. Next time I’m in Santa Cruz I better be there on a Wednesday so I can get more sorbet!

Another thing at this farmer’s market you don’t see around Philly farmer’s markets? Lots of fresh fish. There was even an oyster bar:

We decided to pick up some fresh fish (black snapper), lots of fresh veggies, and a loaf of bread, to make some dinner at the beach. 

Once we got home I seasoned everything with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and fresh rosemary. We walked down to the beach and somehow, luck of all luck, obtained a fire pit as another group was leaving. Our friends met us later with our farmer’s market bounty and we built a beautiful fire, grilled it all up, and enjoyed our dinner with some beers, the sun setting, the sound of the ocean and Eric playing the guitar. A perfect night and perfect way to end our time in Santa Cruz.

Last Saturday we landed in San Francisco just on time to feel super hungry for lunch. We headed into Chinatown, with absolutely no knowledge of where to go, but decided an definite must was Dim Sum. So, how to choose a good place in Chinatown? Oh, of course, look for the ducks in the window:

I honestly can’t tell you where we were— a small place, I think on Washington Street, in San Francisco. But they had Dim Sum, and that’s what we were there for. Servers crowded our table with trays and trays of different dumplings, buns, and cakes. We had hot tea to go around and an array of intensely spicy sauces.

Including what’s here on this lazy susan (greatest big table invention), we had pork potstickers, shrimp and chive dumplings, parsnip cakes (how I love them), crazy shrimp rolls, taro cakes, sesame balls, pork buns, and steamed sponge cake (it sounded weird, so we ordered it— and it was delicious).

My favorite thing was definitely the sesame balls:

Light and warm, filled with sweet and simple black sesame paste, these were absolutely delicious and a perfect end to a perfect first meal of our California vacation. Dim Sum is one of my favorite weekend outings— now to find a great dim sum place in Philadelphia!

Santa Cruz is a beautiful place to spend a week, and if you’re headed for a California vacation I highly recommend it. From the adorably classic boardwalk (you can hear the rollercoaster screams from blocks away), to the beach, to the restaurants on the wharf, and the gorgeous 2000-acre UCSC campus, you can find something new to do everyday, and something new to eat every night. We enjoyed running and biking along the cliffs, kayaking in the ocean, and hiking nearby in Redwoods Big Basin State Park. Totally fascinated by the banana slugs, I loved hiking amid some of the oldest (and biggest) trees in the world, as I sprinted up the trails excited to get to the next view. Each day ended with a feeling of contentment, worn out by the many physical challenges we undertook and full with the yummy fresh seafood/Mexican food/pizza or other local places we tried. And, more to come on this, but Santa Cruz is home to the absolute best farmer’s market I have ever visited. Can’t wait to go back!

Exploring and enjoying some Northern California beautiful outdoors, spending the week in Santa Cruz and San Francisco. Expect to hear about Chinatown, Tapas, lots of fresh fish and lots of local wine, upon my return. In the meantime, look for some fresh recipes this week!