My friend and I had a simply superb dining experience at Jack O’Neill’s Restaurant in the Santa Cruz Dream Inn. Huge amounts of praise go to the restaurant’s new executive chef, Michelle Gomez. She has enhanced the cuisine and added an abundance of excitement to the menu.
Ian Brand’s superb 2023 Escolle Vineyard Chardonnay was a perfect pairing with our dinner. This very gifted winemaker was voted San Francisco Chronicle’s Winemaker of the Year in 2018, and very deserving of the accolade.
Shared plates are the way to go. Our Tuna Tataki was delicious and impressive with its crispy nigiri and black sesame seeds. I would go to the restaurant for just this dish and a glass of wine.
Another starter of Flatbread and Stone Fruit with citrus-scented ricotta was marvelously uplifting in its freshness – served with marinated local tomatoes.
The chef’s Pan-seared Scallops were prepared to perfection, with summer fregola, fennel pollen, Aleppo dust, and parsnip chips. Another entree of Spiced Lion’s Mane “Steak” – a local mushroom dish served with seasonal farm vegetables – was exceptional. I first had the Lion’s Mane entrée at a splendid Botanical Lunch at Jack O’Neill’s in May, when Gomez had been at the restaurant for just a week. Imaginative cuisine is her forte.
Gomez has worked in many places in the world, and we are fortunate that the wealth of experience she has garnered is to be enjoyed at the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz.
Note: Try Ian Brand wines at the Tides & Terroir event on Oct. 16-17 in Pacific Grove.
I. Brand & Family Wines, 19 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley Village, 831-298-7227. Ibrandwines.com
Jack O’Neill’s Restaurant & Lounge at the Dream Inn, 175 West Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, 831-460-5012. re**********@******************nt.com
