crow's nest restaurant

leisurely lunch at the crows nest. this is a beautiful location in santa cruz. the views are to die for and the seafood is really good. we sat in the outdoor enclosed area upstairs and it was a lovely place for a leisurely lunch. iorderedthe smoked salmon as an appetizer and the ahi tuna salad. the smoked salmon was quite different, but tasty. the ahi tuna salad was fantastic! my honeyorderedthe special prime rib sandwich, suggested by the waitress, but it turned out to be pulled pork. sometimes its best to stick to the menu items. the service was slow but the lunch was very good as were the prices.

a beautifully located cliffside, multi storey restaurant building with the most gorgeous view - the crows nest. major hunger pangs at lunch time, got us to this very loved eatery. it has a huge, ultra spacious, lavish seating - both indoor and outdoor. of course we sat inside, the sky was overcast and it was a very windy day. on such a day, a spread of hot delicious food is what you need to satiate that hunger! we ordered:

clam chowder
nachos
tomato basil crostini
veg. burger
bloody mary

a smoking hot soup is the best kind of recharge you need on such a gloomy, wet day. the clam chowder was exceptional. a huge serving - by itself or with bread, every last drop was slurped clean.
for appetizers weorderedtheir nachos and tomato basil crostini. the nachos topped with beans, onions, cheese, olives, jalapenos and salsa were absolutely lip smacking good. it came with some additional salsa, guacamole and sour cream. even after it had gone completely soggy, i enjoyed eating it!
the tomato basil crostini came with a cheesy tomato basil vinaigrette and sliced sourdough bread at the side. so delicious! the bread was exceptionally good.
i love that all the burgers in usa always come with fries at the side. when the burger arrived, i was a little more than half full. but holy smokes, i still managed to finish the entire burger because it was so bloody good. every single thing in that veggie burger was amazing. the fries too were crisp, well salted and not oily at all. a big thumbs up for all the food here!
the bloody mary wasn't for me, but i still had some. if you like bloody mary as a drink, the sour spiciness, then you will love this one. smooth drink, good flavours, great presentation.

food and drinks - 4.5/5
service - 4/5
ambiance - 4.5/5
value for money - 4/5

crows nest restaurant is every bit amazing. a versatile place, you could come here with your family, on a date or even for work and this place will surely serve the purpose of your visit.
a great place with great food and an even greater view - definitely recommended :)

for a romantic dinner, we chose this oceanfront restaurant. its atmosphere with its professional service made the evening remarkable. weordereda chardonnay with a tomato basil crostini as an appetizer. for the entree, i had the stir fry vegetables. that was a weaker dish in my opinion. for $16 for a scoop of jasmine rice with vegetables, the price was steep. however the environment made up for it.

wednesday night. i've been going to the crow's nest since i was a kid, i've seen it grow in size and popularity. i've had some great food there, but not this time around. first i have to mention, their parking lot sucks! it's impossible to park medium-sized car in a spot without having to climb out of a window.
we order the crab & artichoke appetizer that was suppose to be warm (it wasn't but it did taste good). for my entree iorderedthe tempura "scallops" (i don't believe they were real scallops), i hated the tempura batter, it was thick and tastless (i picked it off). it came with bland soggy veggies. blah. the service was okay. the plus side was that it was a warm evening so we sat out on one of the patios and the view and sunset was the highlight. because i'm a local and i've had good food there before, i will try it again in the future.