Pizzeria Avanti

This is where to find not only the best dishes in Santa Cruz County, but the best restaurants for romance, great views and more.

It’s practically an embarrassment of riches, this delicious wave of artisanal pizza that has swept over our community. Yet the craze for this ancient culinary design of flatbread topped with variations on the theme of tomato, cheese, peppers, meat and herbs just keeps growing. And no one in Santa Cruz is complaining.

Getting Doon cheaply is what’s in store if you stop by the Tasting Room from 3pm to 6pm, any day but Saturday. During those hours you’ll be able to savor a glass of Bonny Doon Vineyards wine at half price—51 percent off, to be precise. It doesn’t take a conspiracy theorist to know that this is a bargain of extraterrestrial proportions, and another reason to consider the Ingalls Street watering hole as Santa Cruz’ answer to Area 51.

These fragrant, succulent strawberries from Swanton Berry Farms are just some of the many indicators of warmer weather and lengthening growing conditions. Our farmers markets are now loaded with strawberries, asparagus—delicious pencil-thin asparagus this week from Hog Farms—young red onions with long slender leaves, broccolini, tiny zucchinis and of course fava beans, the ultimate herald of springtime.