Not a Tourist

This Local Girl has been on hiatus for a long time now, and that is because she moved. I went from living in Santa Cruz, California to Rome, Italy. And now that I have been here 6 months I feel I can safely approach this blog not as a tourist but as a local. That is not to say I think I am Italian, or Roman, but just that I can share life here with you from my local perspective. So, I hope you will enjoy the coming posts on places to enjoy or avoid here in my new city.

hesitant to share

I have been frequenting this brand new little cafe for weeks, but I have been hesitant to share it with you because it is so cute and so amazing that to be honest I did not want to over crowd it. I wanted to keep this to myself. But then I took my friend Heather with me yesterday and she too shared the simple pleasure and I realized I could not keep it to myself. I could not be responsible for robbing you of the joy that comes from just walking through the door of Cafe Delmarette.

You may have been walking right past this new jem with out even taking note because it is nestled right by the Del Mar Theater. (another place worth going)
Now when you walk by take note and wander in. You will not be disappointed, unless you hate yummy food and amazing coffee. My favorites so far are the BLT and the Cheddar Gorge. Though that is also all I have head so I am getting the feeling that it is all good.

You may have just thought, Trinity a BLT really? Who could screw up a BLT? You are right it is hard to mess them up but I would venture that it is equally hard to find one this mouth watering. They use fresh ingredients though so you better hurry up and get there before the tomato season is over. Sad day that will be.

They serve Verve coffee which I am coming to appreciate as the best coffee around to make Americanos with. So smooth and rich.

Then there are the lovely people who work there who take pride in what they do and make. You can just tell! Even their menu is cute and always changing with the new specials that I always long to sample. I have thus far resisted the tiny beautiful cupcakes because I can tell that once I have one I will long for more. Don't they just call out to you?


I did give in and try a fig and goat cheese scone which will either sound really good to you or really gross. I loved it the first time, it was sweet and bitter and crunchy and soft all at the same time. The second time I bought one I was not quite as in love with it, because the figs were a bit over powering. Now I want to move on to the cherry tomato and white cheddar one.

Okay enough said it is good. You should go so that by some fluke they go out of business because that my Santa Cruz friends would be an utter shame.

You might want to check out their facebook page and look at even more mouth watering goodness and become a fan!
I jacked all the pictures from their page in hopes that you will go eat lots of their food and drink their coffee. (so I don't think they will mind.)

Oh and I forgot to mention that it has a great history and is really cute. Oh just go check it out.

Creating Traffic

In most cases Traffic is bad news. No one like to sit in traffic, and to be sure being the cause of bad traffic is even less fun. But I am hoping to drum up some traffic on my other not quite as popular blog. So faithful and not so faithful readers of this blog click here to read the other equally good, but perhaps new to you blog. It is all about my adventure of following God to Rome.

Worth the Wait

Ever since I moved to Santa Cruz, I have always been enraptured with the cuteness of Gabriella's Cafe. Sure there are cuter places in Santa Cruz and there are fancier restaurants to be sure, but there is something about Gabriella's that say's I am something special.

Being the romantic that I am I immediately decided that I would not dine at Gabriella's for any reason other than a fabulous date. Which is why for the past seven years I have been to almost every other dining establishment in my town minus this one. This is not to say I have not been on a date, I just never ended up on a date at Gabriella's.

Today though, I was walking by, and it was just such a beautiful day, and it looked so inviting, that before I could talk myself out of waiting I had been seated at a table for one.

All I have to say is that it was lovely. Everything I wanted it to be it was. I was glad to find that they use local fresh ingredients, combined to make delicious Italian food. They also had a great wine list featuring Italian and Local wines.

The staff was friendly and attentive. The dining room was simple and romantic, sunny and welcoming. I cannot wait to go back in the evening to enjoy the patio under the lights strung overhead.


You can see why I think it is the perfect date spot, but don't hold off on going till you have the perfect man (or lady) take yourself on a date and enjoy!

It's a Date

Summers for me and my friends are crazy as I would assume they may be for you as well, so when a friend whom I had not seen almost all summer sent me a instant message, asking for a date to catch up I was inclined to accept. Even more so when he promised that it would be the at "the best restaurant in the area" what kind of local girl blogger would I be if I turned down a date that made such a boast. Not only did he promise the best place to eat but that it would be the most amazing Thai food I had ever had. Now there was no turning him down.

So he picked me up, and we headed out to Aptos, to a place I had heard rumors of but had never sampled, Bangkok West. Upon entering I was already pleased, it was like walking into a Thai palace, or at least a really good movie set of a Thai place. My senses were on overload, as I took in not only the ornate decorations, but the fantastic aromas and the beautiful colors of the wait staffs wardrobe I had been transported straight to Thailand with absolutely no jet lag.

It gets better, because my friend having been before took it upon himself to order our meal. All I had to do was sit and take it all in. He ordered the Coconut Soup, Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice, The Crispy Mango Duck, and for desert the Sticky Rice with Fresh Mango. I was not disappointed. He was not lying when he claimed it would be the best Thai food I had ever had. I am not 100% convinced that it is the #1 place to eat in Santa Cruz, as I have not been every where yet, and I have been to some really amazing places but it is definitely the best Thai place that I have been and one of the best dining experiences I have had in the Santa Cruz area.

Hear are some pictures, but they hardly do it justice.

Local Girl on Vacation

While I am a Santa Cruz Local Girl now and at heart I used to reside in the Portland, Oregon area which is why I decided it was a good place for my much needed vacation. I was right, Portland is a great place to wander, explore and enjoy. To see a list of my Portland adventures with links check out my other blog. In this post I just want to focus on a few places that got my attention. When I get home I promise to go back to Santa Cruz spots.

Pizzicato

The first meal back in Portland was had with two good friends at this average looking Pizza joint on 23rd. An excellent way to start off a week of good eats, we shared a
MARGHERITA
Roma tomatoes, Mozzarella, garlic, olive oil, fresh
basil. (Tomato sauce upon request, no charge.)
10.25 14.00 18.25 23.00
It was nothing less than delightful. We all left very satisfied and full. The crust is something you just cannot leave alone. Warm, airy and yet just crispy enough.

Le Happy


Worth the wait. We stood outside on 16th waiting for a table as the tiny Creperie was at capacity. We were promised by one of the girls I was with that we would not disappointed, I am glad to say she is not a liar. I had the Salad Crepe, but we shared so I also got to sample the Salmon Crepe and the Ham and Cheese. All of which were good. I am not sure that they are better than Sweet Pea Cafe, but they were quite enjoyable.

McMenamins

I actually went to two of these while in the Portland area and passed by quite a few more. A Portland establishment through and through, is one of those places I had always heard of but somehow never ended up during my college days. I had a Black and Tan Brownie at one and Fish and Chips at the second. All was good, but you don't really go to McMenamins for the food, you go for the Brew and for the entertainment/experience.

Voodoo Doughnut

Yep me and Anthony Bourdain now have something in common, we have both experianced what is Voodoo Dougnut.
They were fresh out of the Oreo Peanutbutter, and the Maple Bacon, so we got an Apple Fritter with Peanutbutter, Chocolate Chips and something else good on it. There was also a band playing in the parking lot to celebrate end of summer fritters or something.

Uncovered a Jem

I had the pleasure of stumbling upon Center Street Grill with my good friend for lunch the other day. I had passed by this place a few times, thinking that I might try it sometime, and I am so glad that I finally did. When you enter it looks like it will just be this small hole in the wall place, when in fact it opens up to a huge dining space, coffee/wine bar and an outdoor patio.

We chose to dine outdoors as it was a beautiful day. The American/Mediterranean menu was just as expansive as the restaurant. I had the pasta special; with sun dried tomatoes, broccoli, and a mix of cheeses. And my friend tried the grilled chicken sandwich. We were both pleased with our over sized portions as we had not enjoyed breakfast that morning.

I would return anytime to try more of the menu and relax in the comfortable dining space they have created. Or perhaps just sit at the coffee bar with my laptop and a cup of espresso.
Center Street Grill would get a 10.