We’re in the South Bay again (June 2013) on business and are touring Santa Cruz, Capitola and Sonoma in our spare time.

Fit Expo: Seated tug-of-war?

While the wife attended her conference I attended  The Fit Expo (thefitexpo.com) since both were held at the Santa Clara Convention Center.  It was super convenient as we stayed at the Hyatt Regency which was attached to the convention center.

Gracie Martial Arts: demos

I took other photos at the expo but these were a little more interesting than the fitness competitions or strength demos.  Seen one “brawn shot”…seen em’ all…

Beach Boardwalk: Fried artichoke

This fried artichoke at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (beachboardwalk.com) was the best snack we had here.  I don’t know if they were local Castroville artichokes but they tasted really good regardless.

Beach Boardwalk: Rides

We vetoed the rides but I did play the hoop-it-up basketball shooting game.

Canal leading to beach @ the boardwalk

Beach boardwalk: Indoor miniature golf

Our round of mini-golf (eighteen holes) was slower than playing nine holes on an actual golf course but we’re essentially on vacation so “no worries”.  The photo was taken from the upstairs pool hall and bar where the Elf and I just finished playing a few games.

Caruso’s is tiny but packs a BIG Italian punch

The food was authentic Italian and very good…as was the service.  It appears to be family run and is located in downtown Capitola.

Downtown Capitola: Mermaid sculpture

A “Poor Man’s Positano Italy”…

Granted I’ve never been to Positano Italy but the Capitola Venetian Hotel (capitolavenetian.com) always reminds me (in a very small way mind you) of the photos and videos I’ve seen of Positano.  There is something very captivating about this little Euro-styled town with cobblestone roads which has me always wanting to re-visit it when I’m in the area.  The hotel appears to have units for sale and for overnight rental.

Near downtown Capitola…

Near downtown Capitola

I spotted this sign in the window of a local business.  Can you tell we’re near the UC Santa Cruz campus?  Go BANANA SLUGS!!!

Maximum height allowed = 5′ 4″

We saw this funky “chop top” hot rod in downtown Capitola.  Needless to say it drew quite a few looks from pedestrians.

City Hall: Sonoma

This is located in a large park in the center of Sonoma Square.

The Red Grape: Dining room

A great carbohydrate heavy option prior to doing the walking wine tour in downtown Sonoma.  There are a total of eighteen (18) winery tasting rooms to choose from.  We only made it to four (Adobe, Haywood, Westwood and Kamen).  And when all was said and done “you could put a fork in me…because I was — BEYOND done”.

We took a break at the Basque Boulangerie Cafe (basqueboulangerie.com) where I had some cookies to soak up the alcohol.  They were okay but I really wish it was the right season for me to try their pumpkin flan.

Red Grape: Pork belly pizza

This pizza didn’t have a chance; Elfie and I devoured it along with a gorgonzola salad consisting of sliced apple, spring mix, red grapes, spicy pecans, aged gorgonzola and cider vinaigrette.

Westwood: A portion of their room

It was small, cozy and very inviting with a comfortable leather couch and a large wooden table with bench seating.  The girl serving as the tasting room attendant was super friendly and provided generous pours.  We relaxed on the couch and engaged in a nice conversation about wine, health and life in general.

Kamen wine: best winery of the day!!!

Their 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon was absolutely delicious and reminded us of Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon but regrettably this wine had an even bigger price tag at $80.00.  It is a smooth, big bodied, fruit-forward (for a cab) wine with a bit of toasty oak.  I guess that is the price you pay when the winery owner, Robert Mark Kamen, is a famous screenwriter.

Our Argentinean wine room attendant was very helpful as we discussed the wines and our love for Argentinean cuisine.  We ordered a couple of wines to be shipped to us at a later date.

Here is a link to the movies Robert Mark Kamen has been involved with:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0436543/

Della Santina’s: Antipasto plate

This was fantastic.

Della Santina’s: Gnocchi in pesto sauce

It was a tad overcooked (leaning toward a tad mushy texturally) but the flavor was very nice.

Della Santina’s: Seafood fettucini

The wife was a definite fan.

Della Santina’s: Affogato

High quality vanilla gelato meets a bold and tasty espresso = amazing!

Della Santina’s: Panna cotta

So very delicate…and as good as it looks.

Della Santina’s: Elfie & Davy @ dinner

The owner was dressed in jeans, a casual Tommy Bahama type short-sleeve shirt and sandals.  He visited each table and assisted on the tables as well.

Sonoma: Signage on a hot rod

A great policy in dating…never limit your options.

Sonoma: Hot rod

THE END!