Two-Fer Tuesdays, every Tuesday choose from the menu;
Appetizers, small plates and starters or pizza, two orders for the price of one.
$4.95 all well drinks, house wine and beer.
Shadowbrook Website
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Julie's
Review:
This was a special happy hour because we were joined by our friendsTeresa and Teri. So this is a J&J and T&T evening. Teri had said she didn't want to come on a dive bar crawl, she wanted to come to a classy happy hour. I had heard about the "Two-Fer Tuesdays"at the Shadowbrook from her, so we decided to check it out. From dive bars to the Shadowbrook is a leap, not a crawl.
This was a special happy hour because we were joined by our friendsTeresa and Teri. So this is a J&J and T&T evening. Teri had said she didn't want to come on a dive bar crawl, she wanted to come to a classy happy hour. I had heard about the "Two-Fer Tuesdays"at the Shadowbrook from her, so we decided to check it out. From dive bars to the Shadowbrook is a leap, not a crawl.
I
confess, I have lived in Santa Cruz over 30 years (that was a
revelation when I did the math) and have never been to the
Shadowbrook! How did that happen? I have heard about it for years, as
one of the nicest and most expensive restaurants in Santa Cruz.
Perhaps it was the price that kept me away, but looking at the dinner
menu, it's not that expensive.
I love historic places and the Shadowbrook has a long and interesting past. It became a restaurant in 1947, though the building itself is over a 100 years old. It's theme has always been "Romance in Dining" and it is a very romantic and lovely spot.
I love historic places and the Shadowbrook has a long and interesting past. It became a restaurant in 1947, though the building itself is over a 100 years old. It's theme has always been "Romance in Dining" and it is a very romantic and lovely spot.
The restaurant is located on a steep hill overlooking Capitola creek. There is both a long and short version history of the restaurant on their website. There have been many renovations to the different dining areas and bar over the last 50 years and they have created a sweet little paradise with lovely gardens and a waterfalls.
My favorite story is how in 1948
they were trying to get a walk-in refrigerator to the restaurant.
They had to daily carry 300 pounds of ice up and down the hill before
that. They tried to "zip line" it across on a rope tied to
two trees, but the refrigerator was so heavy it pulled down both of
the trees and fell in the creek. Fortunately it was cork lined so it
floated, so one of the owners swam out to it and rowed it ashore.
This sounds like something that would happen in Lompico, since we
have had many adventures hauling things up hillsides. I can just
picture it. What a great story!
The hardest thing about happy hour is getting there! Even though I am off work it was hard to make it in time. We had agreed to meet at 5:00. I was going to meet Teresa at her house and walk from there, but time got away from me as usual. As I was sitting in rush hour traffic, frustrated - thinking how am I going to be able to make happy hours in Capitola and beyond when you have all this traffic to deal with and they don't have weekend hours? It is a dilemma for the working happy hour connoisseur.
I picked up Teresa and we were only a few minutes late. We were going to try and hoof it over, but Josephine was already at the bar waiting for us.
The hardest thing about happy hour is getting there! Even though I am off work it was hard to make it in time. We had agreed to meet at 5:00. I was going to meet Teresa at her house and walk from there, but time got away from me as usual. As I was sitting in rush hour traffic, frustrated - thinking how am I going to be able to make happy hours in Capitola and beyond when you have all this traffic to deal with and they don't have weekend hours? It is a dilemma for the working happy hour connoisseur.
I picked up Teresa and we were only a few minutes late. We were going to try and hoof it over, but Josephine was already at the bar waiting for us.
I went over to look at their bulletin board and discovered there was a dress code. This turned me off, though I realize that being right up the hill from Capitola beach they must get a lot of beach goers. Still "untailored shorts, tank tops and flip flops" seemed a little extreme. It added to my general impression that the Shadowbrook was a bit snooty.
We had two
options to get to the restaurant - the stairs (which I usually
prefer) or the tram. It seemed to me that I had heard you could take
a boat up from Capitola village, but no one else seemed to have heard
of that, so I might have been confusing it with the tram.The "cable car" was added in 1958 (the year before I was born). It takes patrons up and down the hill so they don't need to climb the steps. It is self operated and very cool. Their motto "Romance in Dining" is emblazoned on the side. Now whether this is a tram, trolley, cable car is up for debate. Teri insisted it was a funicular. Our response "what the heck is a funicular and how do you spell it?"
A funicular is a cliff railway in which a
pair of tram like vehicles on rails move up and down a steep slope,
with the ascending and descending vehicles counter balancing each
other. Since there is only one car, at the Shadowbrook, it is not a
funicular, but an inclinator, or inclined lift. Whatever you call it,
it is pretty darn cool and fun to ride. You feel like your in a 1940
movie with the old elevators and the caged door.
Jo had arrived at 5:00 and was already settled with a glass of wine. She had gotten us a nice table by the fireplace. It's good to get here early because the place filled up fast.
Jo had arrived at 5:00 and was already settled with a glass of wine. She had gotten us a nice table by the fireplace. It's good to get here early because the place filled up fast.
The Shadowbrook does not really have a happy hour - they have a "Two-Fer Tuesday from 4:00 to 10:00 pm (closing). Well drinks, beer and wine are $4.95 and small plates and starters, appetizers, and pizza are two for one. This doesn't mean fifty percent off, you just order similarly priced items and get one free.
Our waiter Rob, looked like Willem
Dafoe (I'm sure he hears that a lot) and was very patient and
attentive with all our questions. I asked If I could get a Bloody
Mary as my well drink and he said yes. You can order any mixed drink
and as long as it was made with well alcohol it was $5.00. Well,
hello, now!!!!!! I was liking this place more and more!
I ordered a spicy Bloody Mary and Teresa ordered a Cosmos. Teri arrived shortly and ordered some sort of "tini". I asked the waiter for water and he was quick to respond, with water for the whole table. The Bloody Mary was delicious, nice garnish, the right level of spiciness and a bit of a kick. Teresa and Teri enjoyed their drinks as well
I ordered a spicy Bloody Mary and Teresa ordered a Cosmos. Teri arrived shortly and ordered some sort of "tini". I asked the waiter for water and he was quick to respond, with water for the whole table. The Bloody Mary was delicious, nice garnish, the right level of spiciness and a bit of a kick. Teresa and Teri enjoyed their drinks as well
Teri showed me the Cypress tree in the Garden Room, which is a live tree that the building is built around. It reminds me of the redwood growing up through my deck. I love when nature is incorporated into buildings. There were waterfalls with beautiful rock work. It truly is a five shot atmosphere. All of this overlooks Capitola Creek.
When we returned it was time to get serious about the food. We ordered three small plates and a pizza. The small plates average $10-13 and the pizzas are around $14. We started with the Cuban-style Pork Sliders made with slow roasted shoulder, dill pickle, gruyere and mustard. The House Smoked Salmon came with garlic-herb cheese spread, pickled red onion and caper salsa and roasted rye bread.
To balance out the price of the
pizza we got the Antipasto Platter - assorted salami, marinated
olives, roasted garlic, cornichons, fava beans, roasted asparagus,
cured tomatoes and imported Parmesan. Our pizza selection was the
Castroville with artichoke hearts, olive oil, spinach, garlic,
gruyere and Parmesan cheese with roasted chicken.
At this
point I was ready to try my second drink and wanting to stick with
vodka, I had a vodka gimlet. We had moved the table so we could be
closer, but this meant I was trapped behind the table. Everyone
thought it would be great to get a shot of the cook tossing the pizza
in the air, so thus began the game of "try to get the pizza
shot". By the time I became disentangled from the table and
raced over to take the shot, he was done tossing.
There is one
shot with the pizza in the air - can you see it? I was so busy trying
to get the damn pizza shot, that I missed the much more important
photo of my vodka gimlet! In fact we got so carried away having a
good time, that we didn't get any more drink photos- well maybe
Josephine did!
One good thing with all the up and down of the pizza shot hunting - I was able to chat with several of our neighbors. One couple lives near by and comes regularly to the Shadowbrook. I also talked with a woman who had both hands in casts. She was leading a moonlight hike and had tripped and fallen. The waiters were attentive in bringing pillows to cushion her arms.
One good thing with all the up and down of the pizza shot hunting - I was able to chat with several of our neighbors. One couple lives near by and comes regularly to the Shadowbrook. I also talked with a woman who had both hands in casts. She was leading a moonlight hike and had tripped and fallen. The waiters were attentive in bringing pillows to cushion her arms.
Teri
kept us entertained with her stories of amazing feats of physical and
mental endurance while passing the tests to become a Santa Cruz
sheriff. The competition is stiff, but a woman of this strength,
determination and compassion would be a great addition to the
force.
Then the food arrived. It was delicious. The pork sliders were grilled like panini and were tiny, but quite tasty. We all enjoyed the many delicacies of the antipasto tray. The salmon was delicious, as was the pizza. The table was crowded with plates and the waiter kept trying to clear space, but we wouldn't let any plate go until the last olive or slice of pizza had been finished.
Then the food arrived. It was delicious. The pork sliders were grilled like panini and were tiny, but quite tasty. We all enjoyed the many delicacies of the antipasto tray. The salmon was delicious, as was the pizza. The table was crowded with plates and the waiter kept trying to clear space, but we wouldn't let any plate go until the last olive or slice of pizza had been finished.
No doggie bags for us!!!
The
place was really hopping at this point. To the point people were
trying to share the couch with us. It was great that Jo got there
early and we had great seats. ( we know how much I like a good seat).
We had a great view for people watching. Folks were in their casual
finest. My friends Barbara and Bob showed up which was fun.
Teresa and I made another trip to the restroom and went down to the outdoor patio area. It was quite lovely. Teresa shared past memories of dinners at the Shadowbrook. We returned and ate and drank some more until every crumb was gone. It was a delightful evening.
Teresa and I made another trip to the restroom and went down to the outdoor patio area. It was quite lovely. Teresa shared past memories of dinners at the Shadowbrook. We returned and ate and drank some more until every crumb was gone. It was a delightful evening.
Teresa and I are both on vacation, so we decided to walk down to Capitola Village. Teri joined us, even though she had to get up early in the morning. Josephine, working woman that she is headed for home.
In front of the restaurant, we discovered the Shadowbrook 1950 Dodge taxi which offers a complimentary pick up and return for the close hotels and locals who live close by (a several mile radius). How cool is that? Give them a call at 831-475-1511 .
I asked our T &T counterparts what their ratings would be: Teresa gives them a 5 shot rating, Teri gives them 4.5 as long as we are evaluating Two-Fer Tuesdays.
I was very impressed with the Shadowbrook. It is truly lovely and gets five shots for ambiance, service and food and drinks. The down sides are the limited hours and having a special only once a week, combined with higher prices. Still Two-Fer Tuesday is a deal and I will return to this lovely and historic restaurant.
Julie's Rating: 4.5 shots
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Jo's
Review
The
shadowbrook is the type of restaurant that screams romance. It has a
beautiful setting nestled on the hill above the Capitola creek in the
quaint little town of Capitola-by-the-Sea. There are two ways to
arrive at the front door. If you take the stairs down you are
surrounded in a beautiful tropical setting of ferns, flowers,
waterfalls and a Koi pond.
Or you can ride the romantic little tram
up and down the hillside. Now the tram was a topic of discussion
because everyone had a different word for it. We were joined by two
of our friends for this happy hour, Teri and Teresa. I do enjoy
having others with us on our adventures. Anyways as we were talking
about the cool tram, cable car, trolley, thingy
Teri pops up and says
it's a funicular. I just smile
because I have no idea what she is talking about so I'm glad Julie
asked, “what's a funicular. According to the dictionary it is a
cable type car that has both an up and down car to balance it. Well
we had quite the discussion about it and let's just say draw your own
conclusions about it. I must admit that was the first time I had even
heard the word funicular but as were leaving a couple coming down the
stairs were taking a picture that we jumped out of the way for. They
said to us, “thanks we wanted to get a picture of the funicular”.
O.K. so know I have heard the word twice. Anyways it's a fun ride up
and down the hill.
So
the restaurant has many levels. You start with just a small patio,
kind of a waiting area I guess. The bar is also at this level and
the dining area is down another level. The dining area is of course
the romantic area that has a dress code and dining with that special
someone if you want to fancy it up. The Shadowbrook has been known as
the fancy restaurant you probably can't afford unless you have a rich
date. Well that is no necessarily the case and I'm very happy about
that.
The bar area is large and sort of it's own entity. A large bar
with stools and a smaller cooking bar where the chefs are busy
tossing pizza dough and making platters of yummy food. The seating
area has a number or regular tables, a couple of tall tables, and a
couple of tables with bench seating just below the glassed in partial
roof.
The bar area which is called The
Rock Room has their Two-Fer-Tuesdays night. Every Tuesday from
4-10pm you can get two menu items for the price of one choosing from
the appetizer, starters and small plates, or Pizza menu. For drinks
you get all well drinks, house wine and beers for $4.95. I arrive
first (as usual) and start picking out the perfect place to sit and
look over the menu. I decide on wine today so I go with the house
red, a Merlot, very nice and a modest pour which always makes me
happy.
A fireplace is in one corner of the room and a small waterfall,
garden area is in the other corner.
As
I said earlier two of our friends Teri and Teresa are meeting us. I
hope this is a trend. Julie and I always have fun with our happy hour
outings but I say the more the merrier. So the rest of the girls show
up at the same time and we jump right into grilling the waiter for
information bout what we can get what the specials are and all the
info. Rob is his name and he is very friendly and helpful and patient
with us. So Julie goes for the bloody Mary, Teri a cucumber martini
and Teresa decides on a Cosmos.
While he is off getting our drinks
(and water of course which comes quickly) we look over the menu for
the perfect combo of items. We have a pretty fancy menu to choose
from and the prices are a little higher then I'm use to for a happy
hour but it's a two-fer-Tuesdays which is why we are here. We decide
on the Antipasto Plate, The Smoked Salmon Plate, pulled Pork Sliders,
and the Castroville Pizza.
The
sliders show up first and they were a bit of a surprise. First I'm
glad we get 4 of them but what surprised me was that they were also
grilled paninis as well. Toasted and tasty with melt in your mouth
pork and cheese. The antipasto plate had a little bit of everything
on it. Salami, prosciutto, fava beans, roasted peppers, grilled
asparagus, a whole roasted garlic, pickles, cheese, olives and some
slices of baguette to enjoy it with. I enjoy picking at different
things on the plate and trying different combos of items together. A
little bit for everyone to enjoy.
While
all this is going on the place is starting to pick up and we are
ready for some more drinks. During all of this the bus boy with the
water is johnny on the spot. Actually his name is Kendall and I don't
think my glass was ever half empty. Once he new we liked that kind of
attention he made sure we were always hydrated. Meanwhile we order
some more drinks. This time Julie goes for a vodka gimlet and I think
Teri decides on one of those as well while Teresa and I stick with
our originals, Cosmos for her and wine for me. We are talking and
laughing and drinking, the happy is starting to settle in.
The
Salmon Plate has chunks of smoked salmon on it with a herb cheese
spread, a tomato herb spread, some greens, and a few slices of rye
toast. What fun we had building little open face sandwiches with
everything on that plate, the spreads were yummy and the smoked
salmon was just right.While we're enjoying all of this the pizza
arrives. A thin crust pizza with both a red and a type of creamy
white sauce on it, chunks of artichoke hearts, chicken and spinach.
It was really good.
Julie
is busy walking around to different tables and talking up our blog,
(she handles the PR) and we keep noticing the chefs tossing pizza
crust in the air. What a photo opt for us to get. Of course between
all the drinks, food, and laughter they're tossing but we're just not
fast enough to get the shot.
So
all in all the Shadowbrook was great. It's definitely a bit fancier
then most places in town and it's meant to be. It still has a very
comfortable feel to it and well they let us in. The service was top
notch, the food was tasty and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. I
have to take off a ½ shot because it's just one day a week, but
still a good time.
Jo's
rating: 4.5 shots!
