In Vino Veritas

aw crap they’re closed :(

The overall experience has slipped a bit since Luca (the owner) is no longer there full time. But, I still think they have the best steak in town. Order the rib eye w/​gorgonzola and diced walnuts. You won’t be disappointed.

Wow… what a disappointment! Went here with 4 other people, 2 were my sisters, we remember when the location used to be called «Backstage» the food was great and it had a great movie theme. No more. So we and our spouses decided to try Vino. Wow!
What a disappoinment. The bread was good, that was about it!
5 of us ordered the Gnocci, my sister subsequently found what looked to be a metal corkscrew piece in her Gnocci, which grossed her out. We asked for a new meal, which they did deliver. My Gnocci was NOT COOKED!!! It was raw dough plopped on the plate and covered with cheese. I don’t know what the cook was doing, but they served me raw Gnocci dough!!! I ate one bite and being somewhat of a foodie knew it was wrong, wrong, wrong! Maybe because all the cooks were Hispanic, but when the waitress tells you ‚“Oh sorry, Gnocci is our specialty,” you expect a little more. That was singlehandedly the WORST meal I’ve had out.
Bad experience, but they did replace my Gnocci, which I didn’t end up wanting to eat later anyway. My sisters meal was free. Nothing was good, my husband got veal and it was so, so. Stay away from the Gnocci! I am from San Jose and I will be getting GOOD Italian from Bucca De Beppo, Mamma Mia’s, my favorite is Maggiano’s! Goodbye and hope you improve Vino, we won’t be back.

As my server asked if he could clear our plates I told him «I’m just sorry that it had to end». Which is about as ringing of an endorsement that I can give to a meal.
It took a minute to find, but the restaurant is directly behind the Scotts Valley Nob Hill in the building next to the movie theater. I was seated at a great vantage point where I could view the open-​air kitchen as the chef created and at one point scanned the tables to see how his meals were being received. It was obvious that a lot of work was put into designing the interior ambiance, whether it be the murals that blend into the walls or the various touches used to create real and/​or perceived divisions of space between the tables.
A review below mentioned it being ‘Mediterranean’ Italian, something which shined through in the mannerisms and cultural touches of the wait staff. As noted above the food was simply outstanding with the same amount of attention given to the accompaniments as to the cores of each entrée. For our evening that meant mashed potatoes flavored with butternut squash and some broccoli in a bechamel sauce, which set-​off and heightened our Salmone alle Noci and Veal Scaloppina .
At around $ 20 a piece the prices on these entrees were very reasonable. The place was about half full when we went on a Friday, with the server saying the rush had been the two nights before. In my experience the service was excellent and I know exactly where to impress my next date.

What a delightful surprise! This is true gourmet dining. Everything made from scratch with flavors that will delight your taste buds. Just don’t come here expecting fast food; excellence takes time. Very, very worth a visit, and I bet you’ll return!

After a long day at the Santa Cruz Board walk my wife and I along with our 12 year old granddaughter were hungry, but we didn’t want to drive to far from our Hotel (Hilton off Hwy 17). Using Unilocal,I found a nice Italian café, Vino Veritas.
Before leaving the hotel I checked with the front desk, and the clerk said it was a a great place to eat. Sold, off we went. Once to the correct address we had to drive around the shopping center lot a little while, but after a few minutes we found it.
The cover of this book did lots for its selling. The signage was excellent, so we knew were in the right place. When we walked in the door we were greeted by the bartender and within second we were greeted a second time by our waiter. As we walked through the dinning room the chef looked up from the open kitchen and also waived and said hi in Italian like we were old friends. (First time remember). We were sat down and the waiter very knowledgeable about the menu was very friendly. We had bread and water in two minutes of sitting down. From that point on you would have thought we were the only customers in the place, which was far from the truth. I estimated 20 + folks seated and it appeared as if they were all just starting their evening also.
Some meal suggestions were made by your waiter and we decided on several appetizers and our main meal. Everything was served hot, with great plate appeal and tasted wonderful. (I had a red wine from Italy, from a location that used almost every letter of the alphabet.
We got our food which appear to be cooked from scratch and was wonderful. We had Penni pasta, vegetable risotto and homemade beef ravioli. The desserts were to die for… those you will have just go there yourself and see.
I read some of the past reviews and I agree with the 4 star folks and encourage the 1 star folks to give it another try. As I left I spoke with the chef and his team and they were outstanding. A long review but worth every word. Rj, LJ and Alexys

What a delightful surprise this place is. We went there at 9:30 ish after «The Proposition» and really enjoyed the food. It is not fast food, but it is wonderful food. Everything is made from scratch and made well. I had the rack of lamb and it was wonderful. Good service, good food.

I got to go here again a couple weekends ago when I was visiting family for my birthday. I didn’t feel like anything really breakfast-​y (omelets, etc.) so I ordered the caprese salad. When I had gone there before, I was debating between that and the beet salad and the owner recommended the beet since the tomatoes were not that great yet (it was winter and they use a lot of local, organic produce.) I got the caprese and some toast and it was a GREAT breakfast!
Also– the service was good when we were there this time– no problems, and no delays. The waiter was very nice and came by to see if we wanted refills on (the tasty) coffee often.
The salad was so pretty I had to take a picture of it. This, of course, embarrassed the heck out of my mom but– whatever! It was my birthday, so… :)

We went there for my birthday a few weeks ago and had a pretty bad experience! The service was awful! We waited about 20 minutes after being seated before we were even acknowledged. At which point our server asked if we were ready to order, we were and we did and that was the last time we saw her until our food arrived 30 minutes later.
I had the lobster raviolis and they were barely enough for a snack and tasted nothing like lobster. My boyfriend had the risotto and it was so undercooked he could barely eat it. Considering the prices of these entrees we were extremely disappointed and feeling ripped off. Our server brought us our check without even offering dessert which was fine because at that point we didn’t want to spend anymore of our money there anyways. We gave her cash and she asks if we need change, we did. When she comes back with our change she says sorry I don’t have anything smaller than a ten! Totally unacceptable especially because her service was barely worth a tip at all!
Needless to say we will never go back there again! We left feeling completely ripped off!

In Vino Veritas pretty much saved me from a nervous breakdown today.
I was standing outside of this restaurant while I was being alternately yelled at and hung up on by some nutjob on the other end of my call. I think it’s important to note that I am not normally the target of this sort of abusive tirade and poor-​telephone-​etiquette, however this particular assface owes me money and decided to call me names instead of paying up. So there I am, a totally decent person standing outside In Vino Veritas, absolutely livid and holding back tears.
At In Vino Veritas, I found kindness and an extraordinary salad (perfectly dressed, with crunchy lettuce, fresh cheese, and grilled chicken). Also, the foccacia was bomb. The manager, Aldina, was more than welcoming and accommodating (and even offered some counseling regarding my situation with the deranged, money-​owing jerk). It is clear that Aldina is passionate about her restaurant and she and her staff will do whatever possible to make sure you leave there happy and full of Sicilian goodness.
I left in a great mood with a renewed faith in the goodwill of (most) people. I was inspired by the love and positivity at In Vino Veritas, which is why I chose not to write a nasty review slamming my offender, in favor of putting my energy toward a more productive and happy cause.
So, the moral of the story is that In Vino Veritas is a great place to go if you need an emotional pick-​me-​up. However, I feel quite confident that even a person with inner-​peace, having a great day, and without outstanding payments owed to them, would enjoy this restaurant as much as I did.

Stopped here after our visit at Hallcrest. Honestly, I can’t recall what I ordered– eggplant parm maybe? That’s my «goto» dish at an Italian place. Anyway, I remember the experience was good. Fresh bread. Prompt service. My friend had a salad with beets. I think the hubby got chicken parm. The place was better than expected. And you gotta love the name…

Maybe V-​day isn’t the time for a great food experience. Wine and dessert very good. Veal masala… not tender, tasty, low sauce…
ceasar salad, too much anchovie, and I like anchovie… I probably won’t be back.

Unable to decide on what to eat for dinner last night, the NYG and I turned to our trusty local coupon book, which I won at a public speaking contest last winter. As we leafed through the coupons, La Bruschetta and In Vino Veritas jumped out at us. We made the trek up to Scotts Valley and found the restaurant tucked into a corner of a strip mall behind a large grocery store. It’s easy to miss.
Now, let’s get something straight here. This is not American Italian, but more of a Mediterranean Italian dining atmosphere. We walked in and were seated promptly. It was reasonably busy for dinnertime, but by no means was it packed. Then the NYG began to talk it up:
1. Open kitchen. The NYG explained to me why this is a bad thing:
Chefs don’t taste the food they put out as often, if ever because customers would go nuts if they knew what chefs do to their food behind closed doors (most of which is harmless, but still offputting to the average customer). Also, chefs have to keep their uniforms white and clean if they’re in plain sight, so it means they can’t work as quickly. Lastly, it means kitchen noise escapes into the main dining area and you have to compete with the sound of clanging and scraping pots and pans over your romantic dinner conversation.
2. Décor. The interior was decorated via murals of outdoor scenerey… presumably Mediterranean, including corners that had painted stones/​bricks to look like a wall had been cut out to expose a beautiful landscape. It came off as really cheesy though. We had a nice laugh about it. I wouldn’t say it detracted from dinner, but we had a hard time taking the restaurant seriously.
3. Bread. The foccacia that came out was hot and fresh, and served with a kalamata/​green olive tapenade and a dish of garlic olive oil (complete with garlic). All of which were delicious. In Vino Veritas definitely went above and beyond the call of duty in preparation of complimentary foodstuffs.
4. Menu. Their menu options were pretty diverse. While there was a concentration on pasta, there were some other appealing options, including a variety of fresh fish, steak, rabbit, couscous, polenta, etc. I settled on a pasta dish, but it had a lamb ragu with orange zest and mint. I ate it all. Yep, no leftovers. Their salad was really pathetic and I subtracted a star for it, but everything else was enjoyable.
5. Service. The staff were friendly, attentive, and not the typical annoying Santa Cruz hippie-​snobs. Our water glasses and bread dish were kept full throughout our time at the restaurant, and staff were ready with recommendations when we had questions, including questions about the recent change of ownership at La Bruschetta.
6. Price. The food seemed a bit pricey for what it was, but with my handy dandy coupon, the bill was actually quite reasonable. In the future I think I’d split my order with someone, or just save this place for spendy occasions.
Maybe next time we’ll stay for wine and dessert, but we were so full by the end of our meal (maybe the bread and tapenade was responsible in part) that we had to kind of waddle out of the restaurant. I’m sure we’ll be back eventually… although we don’t come to SV too often.

Went there for Mothers Day dinner… Was not very impressed. Ordered the Risotto dish which was somewhat dissapointing, altho at least not mushy, was not what I envision a $ 20 dish of Risotto to look and taste like. When the menu description said mushrooms, hoping for maybe porcinis, chantrelles, shiitakes? Kind of disappointing to get little button mushrooms that I had to ask my friend if he thought they might be canned???
He ordered Rigatoni (also around $ 20), which I thought looked mediocre for the price and was not any big whoop. His daughter ordered a Cesar salad which did not look anything like the great Cesar salads we usually order at Ristorante Avanti.
Service was poor and rushed. Think they were understaffed.
2 stars because the Tiramisu for dessert was good.
Oh, we bought our own wine and paid the corkage fee, the first wine glass they poured into had lipstick mark around the rim. Ick.
I think I will stick with Ristorante Avanti on Mission for Italian food.

Normally I’ll make a couple trips to a place before I review it… I fancy myself quite the amateur restaurant reviewer. I’m like a combo of Michael Bauer and Frank Bruni, only with better shoes, uh, different sex organs, and not as successful. Oh, and most of the restaurant visits are completed while I am completely shit-​faced drunk. That’s also how I like to write the reviews. Now that we’ve had this little chat, let’s move on.
The reviews I saw for In Vino Veritas were raves. My first and only trip was for lunch and it was just «meh.» First off, the restaurant is FREEZING, although that may be the building because the restaurants that were here before (Charlie O’s and the appalling Broadway Café) were also damn cold. Service was slow, which for a lunchtime place is not good. It really seemed like we waited a long time for food although it looked like they were HAULING back in the kitchen. Maybe they were short staffed that day — see why I have to go back and try again?
I suspect this is going to be much better for dinner. My problem, however, is that I enter Scotts Valley at night at gunpoint and at gunpoint ONLY. I spend too much time here during the day, I don’t need to spend my evenings here, too. On the other hand, In Vino Veritas is owned and run (?) by the La Brushetta crew so you know they’re making some tasty shit back in the kitchen (I told you, I’m completely drunk). But my salad and the food I ate off other people’s plates was just ok. The bread is delicious — and warm! I could go there just for the bread.
Also, they serve breakfast until 2pm which means when things get crazy at the office I can come over here and chill out with some french toast.
For now, I’m disappointed, But willing to give it another try. Now, where did I put that bottle???

Truly the best restaurant I have eaten in in Santa Cruz area. Consistently fresh food-​especially the fish. The split pea soup blew my mind-​so fresh and good & vegetarian! They always have nice vegi options. The bar tender (wine & beer only) knows his stuff & has never disappointed with a recommendation. Staff is always very knowledgeable & helpful. My only criticism is that the dessert menu could use some work, but otherwise a consistently great restaurant.

Amazing food. I go here for lunch a lot during the week. I love to get their half sandwich special with the potatos. That is almost a meal for two. Their sandwiches are freaking gigantic! So unless you want leftovers, go for the half sando special!
Don’t go here thinking it will be in and out. They take time preparing their food so it’s an expereience. The faccacia bread is yummy with the different olive oils they bring out. I love the whole roasted garlic one. All in all a fabulous place!

Flawless Sicilian food! The successful owners of La Bruchetta opened a new restaurant in Scotts Valley, and the food is similarly excellent. The menu was toned down for Valentine’s day but there were still several items I had a hard time choosing between. The initial foccacia bread was decent enough but it came with extremely tasty baked garlic in olive oil and quality sun dried tomatoes diced tiny-​ly and again in olive oil. We chose from the solid wine list skipping over the bionetic wine which apparently is named because they use the moon position when harvesting. It just sounded too gimmicky, but maybe next time. For our second course we got a minimalistic house salad and a tasty asparagus soup that had just the right amount of cream and was pleasurley chunkified by perfect little nuggets of the vegetable. For my entrée I went with what I knew I wanted before we even got there, the steak filet with Gorgonzola and walnut sauce on top. This was cooked perfectly medium rare, and the sauce was unique and full of flavor, and the Gorgonzola had been well balanced out so it wasn’t overpowering. My wife had to get her third choice on the menu as the first too were sold out, simple yet tasty cheese and basil raviolis shaped like hearts. We were very satisfied all around, which is good because we spent about $ 90 total. Our only real complaint was that we got seated 25 minutes after our reservation, and got skipped over by the hostess until we finally complained and she said she thought we didn’t have a reservation, although we had told her! (and she didn’t try to make any amends). The other service, however, was good and the food was fast. Also, since I am a lighting snob, I don’t see why they had to get the absolute cheapest mini-​pendants when they could have spent a tiny bit more to get some something a little more appealing like murano glass or something else. They probably could have upgraded the whole restaurant for $ 500 more or so. Oh well, the food was perfect!