After taking the cable car down the lushly landscaped hillside at The Shadowbrook restaurant in Capitola, the kind hostess welcomed us and sat us in a lively dining room with comfortable, soft lighting. It was Feb. 5 and five birthday parties were underway around the room, including my own.
Flames tumbled in the fireplace in the cocktail lounge as diners filtered into the cozy wood and stone setting. At the table next to ours was a woman celebrating her birthday, Feb. 5, 1999. Across the room, at a large table, a crowd sang for a woman born on Feb. 5, 1937.
That’s when we met Matt, our waiter, who added tremendously to our evening with his expertise and warmth.
Our drinks arrived with two hot rolls and butter and an appetizer of fried calamari with Thai chili, cocktail, and tartar sauces. Our dinner came next. I had their “Chateau Cut” prime top sirloin, a char-grilled Angus steak with potato gratin, shiitake mushroom/sautéed spinach with baker’s bacon, and chef’s butter. One word applies here: Outstanding.
My wife had prime-grade prime rib, slow-roasted Angus beef, garlic-whipped potato, creamed spinach, horseradish cream, and cabernet jus with a Manhattan cocktail. I enjoyed a Cock’n Bull ginger ale over ice.
Another round of “Happy Birthday” rang out from an adjoining room: a woman surrounded by about eight people, just turning 70. Right behind us was a couple who were handed cupcakes with candles after their dinner, a celebration of 13 years of marriage.
Shadowbrook opened for dinner in 1947 overlooking Soquel Creek with a dining capacity of 50. They added the cable car in 1958. A curving walkway gives visitors an alternative route down the hillside for a pleasing tour of the garden.
In 1978, current owners Ted Burke and his partner Bob Munsey purchased Shadowbrook.
With a full bar and extensive wine and craft beer menu, the place offers a sweeping outdoor seating area ringside to the creek and woodsy setting.
Everything about our dinner stood out. The potato gratin, with its thinly sliced potatoes, and the sautéed spinach were a powerhouse flavor combo. My steak—I ordered medium—was just that, not overdone and dry, nor so underdone that I had to chase it around the room and tackle it onto my plate. Sarah relished her meal as well, noting that the creamed spinach was top shelf. Right behind us was a couple who were handed cupcakes with candles after their dinner, a celebration of 13 years of marriage.
Overall, our evening at Shadowbrook struck us as exceptionally pleasing, minus a devastating bill. To cap it all, Matt took our photo and moments later handed a photo postcard to us with the words “A Time to Remember.”
As we climbed back into the cable car for the short lift back up to Wharf Road, we shared the ride with a couple who had a young boy. The woman said it was her birthday as well. The five of us cheered the moment, and our pleasing evening out, as we headed off to our cars and into the night.
1750 Wharf Rd., Capitola, 831-475-1511; shadowbrook-capitola.com
