We were in beautiful Santa Cruz, Ca this weekend, so we decided to share one of our dining experiences from our trip. This is what we thought of our visit to Stagnaro Bros. :
Atmosphere:
The atmosphere was classy and calming. Our table looked out onto the ocean and provided a peaceful view to accompany the fresh ocean air coming in from the open doors. The sounds were of happy people taking in the scenery and nearby sea lions heading under the dock to relax for the night. Sail boats, paddle boarders and ambitious swimmers were the dining entertainment as they filled the ocean next to us. The décor was simple and clean, probably because, you can’t really beat the waterfront. Definitely made you feel like you can sit and stay awhile.
Service:
The service was decent. We wouldn’t necessarily give them a big high five for this category, but it wasn’t bad. We were seated promptly and our waitress Linda came to greet us shortly after. She was such a sweetheart and it was fun to listen to the stories that she had. Our food and drinks were brought out quickly, then after that, that was about it. We didn’t really see much of anyone until we need to get to go boxes and the check. We sat and waited for a little while before we had to flag our waitress to get some boxes. She then boxed the food for us and that was the last we saw of anyone.
Food:
Our food was fresh and satisfying. The meal began with sourdough bread rolls that were warm and delicious. The butter just melted with ease. The inside was light and fluffy and the outside was crispy; just as great sourdough bread is. We then had the clam chowder. It had large clumps of fresh clams and plenty of potatoes to fill up each bite. The soup base was comparable to chicken and dumplings in taste. We like chicken and dumplings so it was pretty good. For our entrees we had Giovanni’s famous cioppino and the calamari steak parmesan. The cioppino was wonderful. It consisted of six fresh fish; crab, shrimp, mussels, clams, calamari, and snapper all tossed in a tomato sauce. The fish came from the Stagnaro market that is directly outside of the front doors and comes from the waters that are right outside of the restaurant. This is about as fresh as it gets. All of the fish went well together and the sauce was light and very flavorful. The calamari parmesan was a play on the more familiar chicken parmesan. This was a calamari steak breaded in a parmesan based breading and tomato sauce paired with vegetables. The calamari steak also came from the market outside. It was tender and unlike popular belief was not chewy or bland. The portions were large which left quite a bit to take home for later. Not such a bad thing when it was so good the first time.
Value:
This is a nice restaurant located in a prime tourist area so it is a little bit more expensive than your run of the mill seafood place. Giovanni’s famous cioppino came in at $24.95, which is pretty good for the quality and quantity of food given. The calamari steak parmesan came in at $18.95. Both entrees came with clam chowder or salad at no additional cost. We ended up being there during happy hour so we also bought a souvenir logo glass for $3.95.
Overall:
Want to visit Stagnaro Bros. and try it out for yourself:
59 Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
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