The service at Felton’s Rockys Cafe is sure to put a smile on your face
In the rear of a vintage mountain home, neighbors enjoyed breakfast and lunch just steps from Highway 9. Relaxing at Rockys in Felton reminded me of cozy roadside meals eaten after a day of Sierra skiing. The lone server, with impeccably manicured nails, wore a smile that could brighten the grayest of mornings.
The restaurant is mostly windowed, with views of young redwoods. On the rustic recycled wood walls hang framed portraits of smiling pooches. The yard may not be as idyllic as it could be, but we came for the food and the service.
Breakfast is served all day. From the neatly hand-lettered and illustrated menu, choose one, two, or three eggs with home fries and toast, and, if you like, bacon, Italian sausage or steak. ($6.15 to $8.95). The daily specials ($8.95) include Corned Beef Hash, Chorizo Scramble, a Greek Omelet, and Tofu Scramble. Eggs Benedict ($9.50) is available on Sundays.
At lunch, sandwiches ($5.50 to $8.85) are served with either home fries or tomatoes, and include such favorites as Roast Turkey, Burgers, and Patty Melts. The House Salad ($4.95) mixes iceberg and romaine lettuces with tomatoes and olives. The Grilled Chicken Breast Salad ($8.25) includes jack and cheddar cheeses.
Pedro’s Famous French Toast ($7.25) is uniquely made with oval slices of sourdough bread. The three speckled pieces were sprinkled with fine powdered sugar, not overly egged, and accompanied by four thin strips of crisp bacon.
The Three-egg Omelet ($9.15) was an appetizing lemon-yellow color, and stuffed with ham and onions. Well done, non-greasy hash browns with blackened bits were soft and hot in the middle.
Rockys Cafe, 6560 Highway 9, Felton, 335-4637. Beer and wine. Cash only. Serving breakfast and lunch daily 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. ???
Speaking of Eggs Benedict I found an unusually excellent example at an unexpected place. Wanting to watch the football playoffs during brunch, we headed to Acapulco to enjoy the three high definition flat-screen televisions.
We’ve enjoyed breakfast there before, sticking to juicy Chile Verde or Chile Colorado with eggs, always choosing rice, beans and tortillas over potatoes. Sometimes I’ll even order Mole from the regular menu. There is always enough food to bring a burrito-sized serving home.
Always on the lookout for masterful Eggs Benedict, I gave Acapulco’s a try. After all, the French occupied Mexico for a short time, and brought their chefs and sauces with them.
Two English muffins were each topped with thick slices of ham, perfectly poached eggs with runny golden centers, rich, bright yellow, creamy hollandaise sauce, a black olive, and a wedge of avocado. A sprinkling of cayenne pepper added nice spice. The accompaniments included a generous helping of soft potatoes cooked with green chilies, as well as a nicely sized bowl of fresh fruit.
The Acapulco Mexican Restaurant, 1116 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, 426-7588. Full bar. Open at 11 a.m. weekdays and 10:30 a.m. weekends, until 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, until 9:30 p.m. Thursday, and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Visit acapulcosantacruz.com/
