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Mon-Fri. 4:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sat-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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Great romantic spot in Santa Cruz for date-night but the food simply was not up to par. You have your option of sitting downstairs in the lounge area or upstairs in the dining room. The upstairs dining room has a fantastic outdoor patio equipped with a warm fire pit. Service was on point but I don't think any of the dishes wowed us. For starters, we had the flatbread with spiced apples. I don't know what the issue was but it just didn't taste that great. It was no better than if I took a pre-made grocery store pizza crust and threw some stuff on top. For entree, I had the steak with pumpkin polenta or risotto (I can't remember). The steak was prepared well but the pumpkin side dish severely lacked in flavor. The wine selection was sparse but wow, quite the extensive beer list!
I think this is a great spot to grab a drink and dip some bread in olive oil by the fire but for a full meal, it's not worth the price or fancy schmancy atmosphere.
Cannot speak for the food, my only experiences here have been while imbibing expensive beer. Those experiences have varied- I will recount a few visits and allow the reader to discern for themselves:
One of the first times at 515 with a good buddy, we found ourselves in a pleasant exchange with the downstairs bartender about wine and beer tasting. She was very generous, pouring multiple samples while we discussed the various properties of their exotic brews. We left drunk and happy, impressed with the class and generosity not often experienced in Santa Cruz bars.
Another visit, with my sister and girlfriend- the opposite experience. Seated at the downstairs bar, the employees were rude and seemingly annoyed that there were customers seated at the bar interrupting their loud and intrusive exchange. We had one drink and split, amazed and insulted.
My experiences since that evening have been more consistently mediocre- I'm a little over Belgian brews, they have begun to taste a little like battery acid (perhaps a symptom of over-indulgence.)
I will continue to infrequently frequent this establishment since options for lounge-style nightlife are limited if one does not enjoy breathing ciggie smoke indoors. Erratic service and $20 22oz drinks none-the-less, if one wants to observe the mating habits of the Messenger bag-fixed gear-Death Cab for Cutie hipster, this is SC's premier location.
What terrible service! I had been for brunch and it was delicious so I decided to go there for dinner and drinks with friends and this decision I will regret for a long time.
To start when we arrived the reservations were messed up after they had called to confirm twice. Then the waitress didn't bring glasses for water until long after we ordered and after we had asked numerous times. The drinks came at different times and took much longer than they should have. The hors d'oeuvres came after the main dishes and this too we had to remind the waitress about. Then she came to drop off the dessert menu and it was covered in food and grease. The waitress refused to cancel a drink order that she had implied was free (did i mention it was my birthday?) and she rudely replied "don't worry about the drink you can all split the cost and each pitch in a couple bucks" as she walked away from the table. Icing on my deflated birthday night was the tossing of the check on the table without a word from the waitress. By this point I wasn't surprised to see that there was over a 20% gratuity included. Although I will admit that the food is good they often don't have many of the items on the menu and the food is too expensive to be delivered with attitude. Don't go! And especially not if it is your birthday. :-(
Found this place (on Yelp of course) for a last minute dinner before a concert at the Catalyst. Sat outside by the fire on the 2nd floor. Cocktails are really superb, true mixology at work. Shared plates were all well received at our table. High marks for the ground lamb kabobs, tiger prawn salad. Highly recommend.
I love going on a girls night out to this restaurant. It has a casual but cozy feel. And I especially love their cheese platters.
Wow, we had one incredible evening here. We were visiting from LA and found 515 on Yelp. Even though it's listed as "Greek" (not sure why), we were pleasantly surprised with contemporary and very inventive American cuisine.
Our waiter Steven was so much fun and very knowledgeable about all of the menu and the especially the drinks. The vibe is very cool as its very laid back inside with couches and board games. There's no pressure to finish your meal but rather just hang out and enjoy yourself.
I hope I find myself back in Santa Cruz sometime soon just to come back here.
I have to say that 515 always has great drinks and outstanding food. Anything on their Pinot Noir list is great. Something else that I totally appreciate is the fact that they always have a complete bar. Hanger Vodka is the best Vodka made anywhere in the world. I especially enjoy the lime infused Hanger. Oh my God its the best with just a splash of cran or soda water with a fresh squeeze of lime.
Its a great little spot to hang out and talk with a friend and relax.
PS
Hayle helped us and was totally accommodating to us even though it was very busy. Thanks Hayle
515 always has great drinks. We ordered a cheese plate and truffle pommes frites in the lounge - both very good
I love the lounge-
Drinks and finger food good. Way too expensive for what you get and the service is lousy. Next....
Wow! I always tend to compare fine dining restaurants to those in San Francisco and find that they don't compare. This place was equally great in comparison, and was really happy to discover it.
Service= A+ (Thanks Steven, you rocked).
Food= A Highlights on the menu, tiger prawn salad, roasted Halibut, and the pumpkin ravioli. (All complimented by an awesome Pinot Noir from Byron Estates). There was no room for dessert...
Atmosphere= A Very young staff and clientele. Dark, candle lit (perfect for a date or a quiet catch up session with a friend). 2 levels both with outside dining patios (with heat lamps). Bottom floor had an old black and white movie playing on the wall in the lounge. (Very similar to Foreign Cinema in SF but not enough to be considered a rip- off).
Loved it and cant' wait to go back!
Ugh. This place lost us with its incredibly arrogant owner/bartender who actually let us walk out because of legalistic inflexibility with the menu. What outrageous request did we make? A side of mashed potatoes. Yes, this jerk refused to allow the cooks to offer us mashed potatoes for fear they'd "run out." Wow. Our money went elsewhere.
Update: Had the Cunningham last night and it was *fantastic*. Bitters, gin, blood orange liquor served in a martini glass with a twist of lemon. Delish. Sadly, the games selection seems to be getting worse and the ones we opened were all missing pie Yatzee ces or scorecards. Time to go buy another set of dice for I think.
Went to 515 a few weeks ago with my boyfriend. I ordered a delicious drink (tequila and… Read more »
The 515 is one of my favorites spots for weekend brunch in Santa Cruz. They have a great patio upstairs and it's nice to be able to sit outside on sunny days. The food, coffee, and drinks are consistently good. In fact, it was here that I got hooked on making my coffee using a French press. I've tried most of the items on the brunch menu and my faves are the vegetarian sandwich with sweet potato fries and the polenta benedict. An added bonus is the fresh little biscuits with butter and jam they serve with every meal. I think the prices are totally reasonable for what you get.
I've only been here once at night and it's definitely a nice change from the usual bars I go to Santa Cruz. They have a good selection of house cocktails and it's a cozy spot to catch up with friends.
People Who work here are Great!!!!
I love the bar with the Film Noir Protected on the Wall.
After 11 they have Great Fried Chicken.
The Atmosphere here is So Chill.
The food it over all Good.
My I just Recommend ordering a Beautiful. It Rounds out the Experience so well.
I love 515. I started going here a year ago, and I just love everything--the food, the drinks, the ambiance, the boardgames! Actually the service could be better, but I think I keep getting new waitresses--but I mean, I can understand that as long as you are nice and accommodating, which they are. And the fact that I didn't get sung to or a dessert of any kind on my birthday....kind of strange.
I know people say that they often are out of food, but I haven't had that experience yet. I usually eat the appetizers and have drinks. Actually, they have my favorite beer on tap, which I can't seem to find ANYWHERE else!
I don't know how to explain 515 though--its lounge-y without being pretentious, comfortable without being too casual, and just reminds me of nice, upscale restaurants and bars for 20somethings that are nonexistent for the most part in Santa Cruz.
I recommend the cocktails [expensive yes but delicious and well-presented], and any appetizer [lamb or cheese plates!]. It is a superb place to impress your date, especially if you are on the patio or in the curtained room. Did I mention they play Of Montreal, The Beatles, and The Shins and have films running on the wall downstairs? I realize that makes them sound pretentious, but I can't see that when many of the customers are older couples, its not oozing with indie hipsters like at Perg, and the waitstaff is sooo friendly.
We had our friend's bridal shower dinner here. It was a nice cozy restaurant, with an eclectic feel with a film playing on the wall and loud ambiance music. We chose this place because it was one of the few places that could accommodate a large crowd for a late dinner. The tapas style food was great - the only downfall was that they were out of a lot of stuff on their menu. Overall... A - OK
I apologize for venting way too long about my birthday dinner. Everything still applies.
I went here for dinner when it first opened. The food was decent (not memorable, because I have no… Read more »
Classy Place. Almost too classy for Santa Cruz.
This quaint two story restaurant and bar nestled in between Downtown and Center Street is a good place to relax, relish in some snacks, and drink some cocktails.
All their cocktails are pretty pricey, however they are quite delicious.
The 515 Cocktail is a pretty good one.
The service can be very slow at times, so I recommend going straight to the bar to get your drink.
I like the upstairs little private lounges. I don't think there is anything like that in Santa Cruz.
This place also has a small balcony where on can smoke and hang out with friends. However, for some reason they close the balcony about an hour before they the bar closes.
If you are looking for something classy, quaint, yet not too posh, or expensive the 515 is your place to be.
The drinks and the food at the 515 are always top notch. I recommend trying out some of the specialty drinks. The 515 has an adventurous variety of cocktails and they do it right! They also have a great wine list. I have had consistently good food here since the restaurant premiered in Santa Cruz a few years back. Perfect appetizer and drink place. I hate to do this because I love the 515 but I have to minus one star for the slow/bad service (which has been consistently bad since the place first opened). Go to the 515 with a group of friends. Expect to stay for a while. Keep in mind that you will probably be ignored by the wait staff but that you WILL have great food and great drinks. It will be worth it. I promise you.
We went for the nightlife. The music was loud and the space was empty, which was a weird combo. It felt like before a wedding when the DJ was doing a soundcheck.
I don't know why, in my 4 years in Santa Cruz, I had not gone, or even noticed, this swell little spot. Late at night, its a nice change from the usual Red Room/Blue Lagoon nights.
Its a classy little place, so big groups beware. Its more than ideal for you and a nice date to sit down and chit chat over a couple drinks. The bar upstairs serves the whole place, so you'll get your drinks faster with a trek upstairs.
Downstairs, a projector plays black and white films up on a wall. The 515 is definitely a nice change of pace, and a perfect kick-back spot.
The food looks delish too, so i definitely want to come back and try.
Good brunch but it took 45 minutes for our food to arrive while we sat outside in the burning sun. Our waitress, who was unable to answer questions about the menu, did not even apologize for the wait. We then discovered she got one of our orders wrong, but were way too hungry to send it back. It also takes forever to get a drink there at night because the bartenders are so involved with their friends sitting around the bar. Not going back there.
Excellent and I mean excellent brunch food.
We stayed in SC overnight and ended up coming here twice in a row.
By far the tastiest thing on the menu is the polenta benedict, although it does not come with the traditional hollondaise sauce. On the second day I tried the gruyere sandwich w/ prosciutto and greens. It was good too. My husband had an omlete the first day, and biscuits and gravy the second day. He agrees with me on the best dish.
Best parts - get your coffee as a french press and ask for the side of biscuits and jam. Trust me on this. It's amazing.
The service was not really slow, just kind of abscent minded, but we were having a good time people watching so we didn't mind.
The decor is really neat and locals have told us to try this place in the evening, so next time we definitely will.
I really liked the chicken I got here. Almost killed myself on the stairs though. My fault for being a clumsy guy I guess but I really liked eating here and Ill be back.
Wow, Wow, Wow!!
This is my new GO-TO place! I came here for a lil birthday dinner, and was soooo pleasently surprised with this place! Got here really late for dinner (around 930), so we were told that the kitchen was only open for "small plates". I'm thinking these are like tapas-style, but to my surprise, these plates WERE NOT SMALL! They ranged from about $4-8, and were about double the size of what you'd imagine a tapas plate to be. There were about 10 choices on this "small" menu, and we got 7 of them. My top picks: The lamb pizza (halfjoun), the proscuitto asparagus, the porkbelly, and last but DEFINITELY not least, the Truffled pomme frites. Let me just say, these were the BEST french fries that I have ever had in my life. They are tossed in Truffle oil, and it is love at first bite.
As for drinks, they were very nicely made. Get the FRIDA (strawberry infused tequila), and I really liked my Pamplemousse. Each drink varied in size from a sippy cup to a milkshake glass.
Our total without drinks for 4 people was only about $45 bucks and we were happily full from these not-so "small" plates. Cocktails were $10 each after tax and tip, but worth it since the food is a pretty good deal.
Their ambiance-wow...can you say seductive?? The dim lighting, the fireplace, the private room, couldn't ask for more.
4 Stars because the service is a but off-putting. It's not bad, its just not good. They need to crack a smile and give me a 'your welcome' when I thank you!
but, 515 is a must-see in Santa Cruz, and I wish I had discovered it earlier!
Had not visited in several months, as prior visits, for brunch and dinner, were marred by very slow service and distracted wait staff. They just seemed over their head. Most recent dinner was excellent, both food and service were great. Of course, we were there at 6:00pm on a weekend, with few customers, but if that is what it takes, I'll do it again.
My boyfriend and I are both graduates of UCSC and we both crave city life (which is why we moved to SF). Unfortunately, there are few places in Santa Cruz to get a drink and relax over a few small plates of pretty good food...
...besides HERE! This was the one place we found ourselves at time and time again because it catered to a crowd that enjoyed escaping the dirty fake hippies of SC. Or maybe that was why we went and isn't your reason at all, but so be it.
Great atmosphere for Santa Cruz. Extensive cocktail list as well as a wonderful selection of beer and wine. We came most often for drinks and/or drinks and a few appetizers, but did occasionally have a full dinner here. Their small plates are more on-the-mark than their entrees, but still, allow me to repeat, for Santa Cruz it's absolutely fantastic all around. We also came graduation morning for brunch and found that to be lively, pleasant, and extremely enjoyable.
Anytime we find ourselves in Santa Cruz again, we will be back! Gotta love the upstairs patio!
fantastic place with a really tasty (and affordable) drink list. food is delicious, and their outdoor patio is realxing if you can get there early. everyone I met that works there is very knowledgeable and helpful for food and drink recommendations. definately a breath of fresh air after spending an afternoon on the crowded boardwalk.
I came in here last night after stumbling drunk from the Red Room a few blocks down. If you want a drink, don't let the bartender see you fall over or even stumble...my friend wasn't allowed to order drinks because of this--good job bartender, looking after the peeps!
But outside of my drunken stupor, I could tell right away that this place was one of the small wonders in downtown where you could relax with some friends and play some scrabble over some really cool drinks and food. OR you could take the lady of your dreams here and have a really nice relaxing time over some stimulating conversation. Either one works right? I mean, you'll have a good time either way! OR you could just come here for lunch/dinner for good food if you're a fatass like me...now I didn't try the food, but the menu looked pretty damn good and just by my first experience at this place...I'd wanna come back for some goodies.
This place felt very classy, and had a somewhat intimate atmosphere to it. They also had a sweet projection screen up playing some black and white classics. Definitely different from all the other spots I've been to in downtown. It was nice to get away from the college crowd for a good hour.
We ordered 3 shots of 151...but instead they brought us a drink, which was called The 515. It's ok John the bartender, that drink was bombeezy, and so were you. This bartender socialized with me for the good hour I was there about some good stuff...I'll be back here, and back on Yelp with a review about the food shortly...
If there were less then one star, I'd give it. When you order something on the menu they don't have it. Very customer unfriendly. Barrtender /owner at the bar trashing customers don't waste your time here.
I came here for dinner on a Friday night and was sorely disappointed. I remember a time when it was decent, and I enjoy the atmosphere of the place, but I won't be returning for the food. The grilled artichoke was dry and flavorless. The roasted chicken with potatoes and spinach was OK but uninspired. The lamb shank with polenta and pesto verged on inedible. The prices are reasonable, but a meal that bad is worth no amount.
I have no complaints about the service - most of the servers are friendly and attentive. The beer selection is outstanding, and they have some tasty and creative cocktails. That is why I gave 3 stars. Overall, the 515 succeeds as a lounge, not as a restaurant.
We're now regulars, and bring our friends. Good music, love the roof patio, and it's still a good value in many respects.
The food has never been nearly as good as the first day we went, but it's alright.
I have to say that I have walked into this place a time or two, and then walked out w/o engaging.
I…
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I've been here a couple of times before, mainly for the drinks. I like the Razorblades & Grass and this other one I can't remember. There are some that are a bit miss for me though (also forgot their names).
I came here for dinner with my friends (a nice girl's night out). The ambiance of the place is always nice. It is a bit on the loud side, but the warm glow of the place makes it very relaxing.
I ordered this trout dish for dinner. They had the Pumpkin Rotolo and the Cassoulet. We shared a Citrus Beet Salad (I think that's what it was called).
The salad was light in flavor, almost bland. I was expecting something totally different. This was my first time eating beets, and I must say that I like them.
I didn't expect to get a whole trout for dinner, but there it was sitting on my plate, fins, head, and all. The fish was really good, though the skin, despite being pleasantly crispy, was a bit salty. The lentils were mixed with olives, which I found to be a bit overpowering when paired with the fish.
The Pumpkin Rotolo was interesting. There was a subtle pumpkin sweetness. It paired well with the ricotta (?). An all around pleasant dish. The Cassoulet had a strong lamb flavor and was very hearty.
We all had a nice meal and a nice time at 515, albeit a bit out of our college kid budget.
I'm not the first to say this and i won't be the last: BAD service.
OK, so my waiter was nice, oh wait we had 2. that's great. and at first i thought everything was going to be great. so the female waitress takes our orders. but i hadn't made up my mind. the male waiter shows up some minutes later, i order the seared ahi salad. "oh, we don't make that anymore" ....oook, it only took me like 13 minutes to decide and now the item that is STILL ON THE MENU (and was given no hints that the menu might not be up to date) doesn't exist! what the heck? ok, he's nice about it...but i wasn't in the mood for anything else.
fine, I'll have the tempeh sandwich. "ok, great" he says, "that'll be right up"
ten minutes go by. He's back! no food though. OOOH they're out of tempeh... i really wanted to leave but my friend already had a drink and a placed order...... ok, he offers portabellas instead. that sounds good i guess, not a protein, but whatever.
lots of time passes and the food comes. my sandwich was said to be on some yummy wholesome grainy bread, but it was awkwardly greasy sourdough, felt like a grilled cheese.
the sandwich had absolutely no extra flavor. it was just like an undressed salad. so i ask for a side of balsamic. which comes and makes everything taste fine, but the bread was still overwhelmingly greasy.
then we sit there for 15 minutes with empty plates watching the staff go to and fro the patio, ignoring us and our debit cards strategically placed at the edge of our table.
we only went there because Malabar was closed. now i know to just go to the grocery store instead.
oh oh oh, AAAND we had the bill split between our cards but my friend was going to tip more because she had a drink, but the receipts were under the wrong cards so she tipped on mine.
there's so much good food in Santa Cruz, I'm really peeved i wasted a meal here.
The food is delicious, when it comes out promptly, hot, and served with a smile. Unfortunately, that's about 1/3 of the time.
Two stars for good drinks (Razorblades and Grass!!!) and snacks to eat while drinking; the only other place to get decent food while properly boozing is Red, which has been overrun by douchenozzles for years. So go get a drink, a cheese plate, the little pizza thingys (the "joun" thing is actually an awesome little pizza featuring whatever modifier is tacked in front of "joun"; "lambjoun" = lamb pizza, "figjoun" = fig pizza. darn tasty, those things).
Another star for delicious brunch, with biscuits and yummy sweet potatoes and the like, but don't expect prompt service. Oh, and chug a citrus gingerade for you hangover. Yum.
But don't bother ordering dinner. It will come out 45 minutes later (sometimes two people's entrees will come 30 minutes apart... umm, what?), tepid, and disappointing, and tossed onto the table ambivalently.
Actually, I've had great service here once or twice, then those servers seem to disappear... Most likely it's the kind of place where the truly good people leave because it sucks to work with incompetent people. Management should maybe wise up to the trend?
Ok, the food was good, and that usually is my highest criteria, but the service was SO POOR that I had to dock it to two stars. We had a reservation for the entire bar area downstairs - plenty of advance warning that there would be around 15 people ordering food and drinks.
Our first round of drinks - it took the waiter around 20 minutes to get to us to begin with. He neglected to take my order at all. The drinks came over 10 minutes later. Waiter did then come by relatively quickly and asked if we wanted to put in some food orders. So we ordered a cheese plate and truffle pommes frites - both very good. Food came, but no silverware, no napkins, no water, no plates. I finally got to place a drink order. Being the designated driver I asked for a suggestion for a nice adult mocktail - the waiter suggested the virgin mojito - it was great. Lovely in fact.
French fries cold and people hungry, finally got plates and napkins for half of the party. Not for the other half. F it cause I'm hungry and I got the end with the napkins and plates. Its every person for themself at this point.
Other end of the group gets sick of watching me eat everything and not sharing and manage to get another waitress from a different section. They order several apps, all of which are good. Three people at far end ordered a large plate for dinner - our waiter nowhere to be seen. Still no second round of drinks. I hear the Sophia cocktails from round 1 were tasty, but glasses now empty.
One section of table has dinner, one is finally eating some apps, the last section of the table is ready to order another round and some bigger plates. Our waiter comes by only to tell us that he's leaving for the night (btw, we got there at 7 - by now its around 8:30 and we still haven't eaten a meal or gotten a second round). But not to worry the harried looking bartender will be helping us out. Uh huh.
No busser, so bartender starts bussing plates, not all of which are empty, brings by silverware for everyone. Nice! Oh, spoke to soon. We can all see her being very busy, but none of it for us. Wait, she's back - round 2 of drinks can be ordered! Whew. Maybe its a new liquor regulation by the city - no one can ever be a drunk driver since you will not be given a 2nd drink until you've completely metabolized the first.
Did I mention this was a birthday gathering? They have us by the proverbial balls now - cause nobody wants to make a scene for a birthday. That would be l.a.m.e. lame. Three people in the group go out for a smoke - oh of course, our bartender returns to get food orders. Fooled her though - I knew what everyone wanted. HA! Order the food, it comes, and generally very tasty. I had a ravioli dish that was very flavorful. It only came with 3 raviolis, but they were some tasty ravs. Another person in the group thought hers was a rip off but I thought it was fine.
Everybody got their food except for one person. Half an hour passes, no food. Finally, he gets his dish. Oops, its cold! Oh snap. That IS lame. I ordered some bread to dip in the sauce for the ravioli. Coming right up! Half an hour after THAT, nope, still no bread.
Then a woman comes in and apparently she's a waitress! Flurry of clearing plates including my delicious cream sauce that I wanted to dip the bread into. All gone. What? Yup, you guessed it - 5 minutes later I got my bread! hahahaha oh dear.
Ask for the check - nothing. 20+ minutes later we get the check and manage to escape eventually. Its 10:10 by the time we leave and we still only managed 2 rounds of drinks and so much time has passed most people are still hungry or hungry again. Thank god for Taco Bell.
Suggestions - they could have easily made another $100-200 of us had they paid the slightest amount of attention to the drinks. 15 people, 14 of whom were happily ready and willing to swill cocktails all night. The automatic tip required on the large party was a ripoff because it apparently gave them license to give NO service. Typical Santa Cruz service experience. The food is good, but not good enough to make up for ignoring half of your restaurant.
I came here for brunch with a friend who had been here for drinks. We ordered drinks to start, a terrific bloody mary and a citrus gingerade. My brunch was the biscuits and gravy, a delicious choice. The food and cocktails are terrific.
We ordered some brunch but it took over 45 minutes to arrive. Our waiter described that they had made a mistake and forgotten to give our order to the kitchen. He offered me, but not my friend, an extra drink on the house. Our meals finally arrived, but the 'on the house' drink didn't arrive until we had finished our brunch and had asked for our check. The service here is, in short, flaky and slow.
We ate outside on their patio. The tables are so close together, don't expect to have a private conversation.
Since I don't live in Santa Cruz, I probably won't be coming back here, unless I have a lot of time to kill and I'm craving a superior bloody mary.
Brilliant! I adore this place. Very trendy but not intimidating, or unapproachable for the average gal. The atmosphere is cozy, and seems intimate even though the tables are close together. The downstairs lounge is fun, with a big screen playing black and white movies and tons of board games. Scrabble throw-down anyone? The fireplaces that break up the banquette upstairs are a great touch. The servers and other staff are fun and fine, but not fast, but I think the place begs for a long slow meal with lots of courses and cocktails, so it does not really matter! However, it would be a great pre movie place for a quick appetizer and drink...
The cocktails are great fun (they occupy 1/2 the menu); the phoenix is a great choice for those folks not wanting the same ol' girlie drink. It is unexpectedly peppery, and surprisingly delicious; they use egg whites to make a yummy frothy top that makes it super special.
All of the food it is divine, but the plates to share are really fun. Try the cheese platter and the Lambjoun (?); it is like a little pizza with lamb-YIPPEE YUM YUM!
Classiest spot downtown.
So posh with the velvet seats, cozy fireplace, and ambient light fixtures...love the look, and the food selection is an upscale uniqueness you cannot find very much of in the area.
But the service is INCREDIBLY slow. Even when empty, you will be in here for an hour minimum. The food is also very pricey and the portions are small. It seems like the perfect place to chill at with friends over cocktails with little food samplings to supplement the drinks.
I've been here a couple times, and would definitely come back.
It really is pretty inside, warm, dimly lit with the lounge downstairs and the eating area both inside and outside...up stairs. Down where we were they were playing Roman Holiday with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn...very reminiscent of Foreign Cinema in the City, but the comparison ends there. Pity
It was toward the end of the evening, the kitchen was winding down but the upstairs was full...good sign...and the young hip crowd was chatting, schmoozing and seducing each other as young 20 somethings do. So we agreed to eat downstairs in the front room.
The menu was limited but some of the items looked promising. We decided that since neither of us was starving, we would order two appetizers and an entree to split and see what happens. I had been out with my friend Bounty and she lived up to her reputation of making sure many MANY cocktails were consumed...so I was not in the mood for anything alcoholic, so I just ordered hot water and lemon. The waiter told us the prosciutto porcini mushroom raviolis were out, and that they were being replaced with fresh peas and goat cheese in a sage marinara sauce. Hmmm sounds tasty, we will try that.
Tim's wine was very good. My hot water came in a small tea pot that had the front of the spout halfway chipped off. The waiter made no attempt to replace it and when I called his attention to it he just looked at me and said "fair enough, he would throw it out after we were done."
The antipasti was some hummus made with white beans and pine nuts, and anyone who knows me knows I KNOW my hummus....it was less than memorable. The artichoke hearts were tender enough and in olive oil and some garlic but lacked the brightness some preserved lemon could have added or even some coarse salt. The marinated mushrooms were (to my taste) small browns soaked in balsamic. Nothing warranted any attention except the house cured olives...small, flavor full but few and only scattered on the hummus.
The grilled veggies were all right, the fennel shaved a little thin but drizzled nicely with balsamic...the peppers were good, but then again, how can you screw up roasted peppers? The chipolini onions were horrid. The small ones caramelized ok, but the grill cook, just popped them on and then off and the larger ones were just raw onions with grill marks, again disappointing. When I told the waiter to take the plate, we were done because the onions were not cooked; once again we got his standard answer "fair enough" I am starting to think "fair enough" is standard waiter for "f* you".
The raviolis were a complete disappointment. There were no fresh peas to be found, and while I like goat cheese, it was way too much goat. There was no sage in the sage marinara and the chunks of whole canned tomatoes were only matched in chewiness by the end pieces of Parmesan that were scattered in chunks over the top.
We decided to go somewhere else to get desert as we just couldn't stomach more of this. The wait staff very rarely (if at all) checked in on us, they were too busy breaking down the house for the night. When told that we would not be getting desert, we got our standard "fair enough", and then we waited 10 minutes to get our check.
I guess the good thing is that we only decided to get some apps and one entrée. If asked to sum up our dining experience at 515, I guess I would have to quote our waiter and say "fair enough". I will never go there again. It might be a fun place for cocktails, but the food and the waitstaff leave much to be desired
Santa Cruz, CA
Category: American (New)
Santa Cruz, CA
Category: Lounges
Santa Cruz, CA
Category: Bars
Santa Cruz, CA
Category: Pubs
Santa Cruz, CA
Category: American (New)
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