by Rick Brown

In lieu of a recipe this issue I’ve decided instead to review the restaurants from our recent trip to the San Francisco Bay area. I highly recommend this area as a travel destination and I hope my comments here…and in this issue’s travel piece…are helpful to anyone who may be considering a visit.

Restaurants

Santa Cruz

Carniglia’s Seafood
49A Municipal Wharf
Santa Cruz, Ca.
Food * * * * Service * * * *

The best thing about Carniglia’s is its location…right on the wharf in Santa Cruz. After an afternoon at the boardwalk or a visit with the local sea lions, this is a good place for a relaxing lunch or dinner. Casual/formal it offers a great view of the Pacific, decent service and good food. Entrees may on occasion seem not exactly what you ordered…but that can sometimes be a pleasant surprise.

 

Napa Valley

Tra Vigne Restaurant
Food * * * * * Service * * * * 1/2
http://www.travignerestaurant.com

Calling too late for reservations we ate at the bar…, which turned out to be a great experience…plenty of ambiance. Upscale, yet casual, Tra Vigne offers a good representation of California cuisine.

Pinot Blanc
Food * * * * * Service * * *
http://www.patinagroup.com/pinotBlanc

Right in the heart of Napa wine country this restaurant has a lovely patio to compliment its dining room. The food here is quite excellent…but being one of several restaurants in a “group” the service is what I’d label “tag team”. By that I mean several people…instead of one server…wait you on in waves. So the service is impersonal. But the incredibly delicious food might just make up for it.

 

Sausalito

Scoma’s Sausalito
Food * * * Service * * * * *
http://www.scomassausalito.com/scomassausalito/index.htm

With views of Angel Island and/or San Francisco, this eatery has views that are hard to beat anywhere. And the service is superb. But the cuisine is old school surf and turf and pales in comparison to restaurants in the immediate area.

Angelino
Food * * * * * Service * * * * *
http://www.angelinorestaurant.com

You can’t get any more genuine Italian than Angelino. The food, the wait staff, the ambiance, and the attitude combine to make a memorable experience. It’s like a two-hour trip to Rome…which is where our server was originally from. The dinner was incredible from salad to a post meal toast with authentic Limoncello. Bravo!!!