Santa Cruz Sentinel

Santa Cruz Style

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Theo's owners Ed Blackmond and Roger Romano hang out in the Soquel restaurant's organic garden. Sentinel Photo by Dan Coyro

The day hadn’t started off well.

First, I got a letter from my health-insurance company saying I hadn’t sent in a form which I had already sent in twice.

Then one of Santa Cruz’s never-ending road-repair projects forced me to circle one block and make two U-turns before I could finish running an errand.

And finally, Highway 1 was packed solid as a Starkist tuna can as I tried to make my way home.

So you can imagine my relief when my husband Jamie and I — along with Cody, our 19-year-old son, and his girlfriend Laura — stepped through the front door of Theo’s restaurant in Soquel for an intimate birthday dinner.

It was like stepping into a two-hour vacation.

Fresh flowers — colorful dahlias, tulips, snapdragons and sunflowers — graced the room with its muted lighting and dramatic abstract art.

We were greeted immediately by a white-shirted waiter, who did not utter the hated, "I’m so-and-so and I’ll be your server tonight" or try to make getting-to-know-you conversation.

Instead, he quickly summoned ice water, offered us champagne or a glass of kir (the restaurant has a beer and wine license only), apologized profusely when he was called away for an instant, and altogether made us feel as if we were royalty come to dine.

"Could we try a sip of the night’s Chardonnay?" we asked.

"Certainly," he answered and brought back a glass so quickly we wondered if he had been hiding it behind his back.

When Jamie and I declined the wine and described the kind of Chardonnay we preferred, he knowledgeably offered a half-bottle of Grich Hills Chardonnay that suited our palate to perfection.

He was so attentive, I thought if I had asked him to fill out that health insurance form for me, he gladly would have obliged.

And when Laura asked whether the Applewood Smoked Salmon was cold- or hot-smoked, he quickly described how the entree was prepared, with the kind of knowledge that only comes from a seasoned waiter.

It sparked a conversation around the table about Aqua, the San Francisco restaurant so famed for its service that waiters there are said to regularly pull in $60,000 to $80,000 a year.

You know the service is good when conversations turn in that direction.

As we pored over the menu, our server placed the evening’s amuse-bouche (literal translation: "mouth amusement") on our table. Fine restaurants often give diners a little interesting something to preview the cooking style of their chefs.

The foie gras and creme-fraiche on toast triangles let us know we were in for something great.

It prompted us to settle on the Moulard duck foie gras with pickled shallots, stewed cherries and shaved black truffle as an appetizer, which was like eating a Parisian night — it was that good.

Sweet, earthy, buttery, tart — every nuanced flavor swept into the next.

Our entrees were quickly chosen: Cinnamon Roasted Colorado Rack of Lamb ($28) for Cody; Applewood-Smoked Salmon ($26) for Laura, Sweet Maine Lobster Ravioli ($27) for me and Filet Mignon Wrapped in Smoked Bacon ($29) for Jamie.

The dishes were as evocative as the paintings on the wall.

"I don’t even know where to start. It looks so pretty I don’t want to eat it," Laura said.

Both college students and devotees of the Food Network, Laura and Cody praised the presentation and the complex flavors, raving over not only over the centerpiece but also the accompaniments like the pancetta-studded polenta.

I sneaked bites of their entrees — the lamb was rich and exotically textured, the salmon in its apple cider buerre blanc melted in my mouth.

Jamie, whose day teaching high school English had been as rough as my own, gave up a piece of his filet mignon. It was as tender as butter and had a fine smoky highlight, he said. He was right.

My first taste of the Pernod-lobster sauce on my lobster ravioli made me stop in mid-bite. The sauce was brash, yet controlled. I loved the way the flavors played against — and with — themselves. As complex and wonderful as a jazz piece, I thought.

Which fit the entire evening.

The only complaint: Jamie and I wished there had been a greater selection of wine by the glass.

We were both so tired we hadn’t wanted to order a full, or even half-bottle of wine. One glass each would have suited us nicely; and because we did not care for the night’s Chardonnay offering, we were forced to order more wine than we wanted.

However, if we had been in the mood to order a bottle of wine, there would have been no end to the number of fine choices.

Conversation swirled around the table — wonderful meals we had experienced, midterms, college professors whose conversations dipped and turned like a snaking road so that the class ended up so far from the original subject it was like trying to get to South America from Australia.

Tests and traffic jams seemed to melt away as two generations enjoyed the subtleties of the food and the unhurried feel of the evening.

"The art here is so great," Cody said. "It makes this place feel modern, cool and hip."

"I really like the atmosphere," Jamie said. Understated, upscale. A little like a visit to San Francisco.

We were tempted by the desserts — the creme brulee with Hawaiian vanilla bean and Meyer lemon tartlet sounded heavenly — but were too full to try even one.

As we walked into the cool night air, past the burbling outdoor fountain, we felt like two stressed-out generations had found a spot where they could feel pampered and comfortable. Where the service and food were so good, it transcended even the busiest day.

We got in the car and drove home under the night sky.

I was so relaxed, I didn’t even mind when I opened the gate and the dog jumped up, leaving his paw prints on my black skirt.

Contact Peggy Townsend atptownsend@santa-cruz.com.

Theo’s

Where: 3101 N. Main St., Soquel.

Reservations: 462-3657.

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