Eti Levi-Barkai, along with her husband Atar Barkai, has just opened Booka in Aptos’ Bayview Hotel. Photo by Chip Scheuer.
Originally from Israel, Eti Levi-Barkai and her husband Atar Barkai recently relocated from San Jose to open Booka, a new restaurant on the bottom story of the Aptos Village’s Bayview Hotel. SCW caught up with at her restaurant, formerly the site of Ristorante Barolo, to talk about unique flavors, fusion food and the spot’s atmosphere.
SCW: Beautiful building. Is it haunted?
ETI LEVI-BARKAI: If it was, they couldn’t stand a chance for the enthusiastic energy we brought to the place. It’s haunted by a group of people who want to give people an excellent dining experience.
What do you bring to the table in Santa Cruz?
A taste people have never had before. When we opened, we wanted to give people everything they know, but with a twist. For example, calamari. Everywhere you go, how are you going to get the calamari?
It’s usually fried.
It’s fried. You’re going to get the red sauce 90 percent of the time. So we do the calamari. And instead of deep-frying it with everything the right way, we do it on the plancha. We do it on hummus with a lemon sauce. It’s different things. Everybody’s had calamari before, but not in that way. We have influence from many cooking traditions.
What’s your favorite thing on this small menu?
If you’re going to push me and force me to choose one really, the calamari, and beef capaccio, and the ceviche. And the Caesar. And the cauliflower…In the entrees, I can say many people who eat the burger, actually use the words “best burger I’ve had in my life.” Normally, I don’t like burgers, but here it’s one of my favorites.
Who’s your favorite super hero?
Wonder Woman. She was amazing. I liked when she was flipping and the clothes would change.
What would Wonder Woman order?
She would order everything on the menu. I would force her to order the calamari, but I would not let her go without the capaccio. I like to see every table with a focaccia. This is such a great appetizer to start with the other appetizers: tomato, eggplant and labane, which is a Mediterranean common cheese.
