Give me a historic destination, complete with an old-school bar direct from a movie set, a tidy billiards table, a huge fireplace, tons of lounge space, moving-yet-mellow music, attentive and attuned staff, and stylish cocktails…and I’m a happy character actor.
Throw in some solid food, and now we’re talking action.
That’s my quick and updated script on The Hotel Bar (second floor, 200 Locust St., Santa Cruz), one of the coolest libation settings in town, let alone to debut this year, now with the kitchen fully open.
I tried two snacks, and they both proved memorable: One (fingerling potatoes with bacon, molten cheese and ranch) for its atypical angle on papas bravas; the other (house-fried ravioli with mushroom and beef versions) as a classic that honors the resident heritage with steamy-hot, indulgent and comforting yum.
And the Turndown Service craft cocktail—with rye whiskey, herbal Amaro Averna and black pepper—clinked with the classy mirror-and-chandelier vibe.
HIGHER LEARNING
When I was in college, I was thrilled to keep my diet barely B-. UC Santa Cruz student Clyde Collado is raising the nutritional grading curve by debuting Inoa Poke this spring, a Hawaiian-style spot keying in on tuna and salmon via various flavor categories—shoyu, wasabi shoyu, spicy, Hawaiian—accented by furikake seaweed seasoning and chili crisp he makes himself. As Grace St. Clair reports in Edible Monterey Bay, his bowls, combos, nachos and hand rolls are available by ordering Sundays and Wednesdays for pickup in Scotts Valley noon–4pm Monday, Tuesday and Thursday–Saturday via inoa.kitchen/home and instagram.com/inoa.sc.
VEG AHEAD
Local plant-based prophet Luke Kitchel hosts a free screening of the documentary Earthlings, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, 2pm Sunday, July 12, in the upstairs conference room of the Santa Cruz Downtown Library (224 Church St.), as part of “Until All See,” a community film series he founded with local partners including Santa Cruz Animal Activists, Little Hill Sanctuary and Santa Cruz VegFest to encourage thoughtful discussion about the uplift of eating meat-free. “This isn’t an easy film to watch,” Kitchel says, “but meaningful choices require a willingness to honestly examine difficult realities. This is not about judgment or any perspective being right or wrong, but an invitation to engage and discuss new information openly on these crucial topics,” lukekitchel.com.
QUICK DIVES
El Pájaro Community Development Corporation hosts its annual Tacos & Tapas Fundraising Party 6-9pm Thursday, July 23, at the El Pájaro CDC Kitchen Incubator (412 E. Riverside Dr., Watsonville), with 20+ local food entrepreneurs serving tacos, tapas and globally inspired bites, alongside craft beer, local wines, and live music by Flor de Caña, $80, elpajarocdc.org.
The year 2026 signals the 30th year of data collection for Reef Check’s coral monitoring program, making it one of the longest-running community-based efforts in the world, reefcheck.org…Pride Month may have passed, but perpetually proud of State Senator John Laird for speaking at the Annual Santa Cruz Pride Parade and Festival last month for the 46th year in a row, sd17.senate.ca.…As of this month, manufacturers that display a date label must use “Best if Used By” for peak quality, and “Use By” for food safety, because “Sell By” dates, which were meant to notify stores when to rotate stock, are now banned…So too are “Expires On,” “Freshest Before,” and the 50+ phrases that have confused grocery shoppers for a loooooong time…One more rule change: California is now the first state in the U.S. to require restaurant chains to reveal allergens on their menus or in a digital format with a physical backup…George Bernard Shaw: “There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” ⬛
