“Try This” is a weekly column that celebrates local businesses — especially eateries, watering holes, coffee shops and the like.
Tony Nuñez
FOOD: El Valle Produce’s Avocado Toast
I believe I’ve written about El Valle Produce, 530 Walker St., before but I’ve never mentioned their incredible and unique avocado toast, which has quickly become my favorite morning pick-up alongside their fresh-squeezed juices.
Avocado toast has become such a cliché dish for a coffeehouse to carry. It’s been the subject of millions of internet jokes that are mostly targeted at millenials—you know, the generation that complains too much while simultaneously not caring about anything.
I understand most of the jokes, the majority of which poke fun at the price—I’ve seen some places charge $13 for avocado toast—and some of the ridiculous garnishes that are layered on top. But the avocado toast at El Valle Produce does not deserve this ridicule.
It’s affordable—avocado toast and juice cost me less than $10, including tip—and it’s toppings are a change of pace that perfectly fits my palate, which has been molded by years of eating spicy Mexican food. Of course, you could go without the works, which includes tomatoes, chilli flakes and fresh shredded cheese, but that would rob you of the mix of flavors that makes this dish special.
I’m always cautious when I’m pumping up local businesses to the masses because I don’t want the line to be any longer than it already is. Then I remind myself to stop being selfish. El Valle Produce deserves all the clientele it can get. I’ll be writing about this business until my fingers no longer work, and that’s OK with me.
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Todd Guild
FOOD: Silver Spur
When I moved to this county in 2001, I got a job working at the Santa Cruz Veterinary Hospital. It was there I asked a coworker suggestions for a good breakfast place.
She pointed across the street to the Silver Spur, a tiny place on the corner of Soquel Drive and Mattison Lane.
Since the first time we sat down in the cozy, crowded dining room, we have rarely eaten breakfast in any other restaurant.
The food is always top-notch, fresh and delicious. I have never had a dish there that I have not loved.
While the place is nearly always busy, the service is always fast and friendly.
And it is a place where we are treated like family. I remember eight years ago owner Linda Hopper picking up my then 3-year-old son and walking him through the kitchen while we ate. She still greets us when we come. The staff there has seen our sons grow up, and both love going there.
One caveat is that the place is almost always crowded, and coming later in the morning will likely mean a wait. But the employees put a big vat of coffee outside in the waiting area to sip, and the food is definitely worth it.
I love the biscuits and gravy and omelettes, which are on the main menu, as well as the potato pancakes and eggs Benedict, which are rotating weekly specials.
I just learned that Hopper is selling the place, and I hope that the new owners keep up with the quality of the food and the wonderful neighborhood feel.
The Silver Spur is at 2650 Soquel Drive. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 6 a.m. until 3 p.m. scsilverspur.com.
