Thanksgiving Six Packs Are Here!

Give Thanks! Soif’s Thanksgiving Six Packs are Back !

Just in Time for the Holiday Along with Special Selections from the Soif Cellar

Soif’s limited edition Thanksgiving Six Pack takes all the guesswork out of pairing wines for Turkey Day, carefully selected to bring you, friends and family from the start of the meal through the carving of the turkey! Chosen by Soif’s Retail Shop Manager Alexis Carr and Wine Curator Jon Bates, the six wines represent small production vineyards from around the globe - many of which are from organic and biodynamic vineyards. The Thanksgiving six pack is available for $100, a 20% discount on individual retail prices; quantities are limited. In addition to the collection, Soif has pulled some of its most sought-after wines from its cellar – making them available in the retail shop for the holiday season.

The Thanksgiving six pack of wines includes the following:

• Domaine Ligier Cremant du Jura Brut Rosé– This sparkling wine featuring Trousseau and Pinot Noir grapes is beautiful and super soft with light rose petal notes and a white pepper finish. Bates describes this organically grown wine as “elegant and enjoyable” and a “fun start to the meal.”

• Eugenia Rosé of Pinot Noir “The Motley” Sonoma Coast – This wine is ideal for drinking while everything is cooking in the oven and guests are mingling before the big feast! Rose petals, plum and mandarin orange notes meet flavors of white pepper and cherry blossom. Great with cheese, dips and more.

• Henri Perrusset Macon Villages - A 100% chardonnay, this wine has nice acidity and is dry (not oaky), making it perfect to pair with the Thanksgiving meal. The 2017 vintage is delicious and accessible and represents the Burgundy region perfectly. Ideal to finish the appetizers and transition into the main meal.

• Feudo Montoni Grillo Timpa – A Sicilian white grape, Grillo has a richness and brininess that goes well with the meal and can hold up to the lack of fat in turkey and the delicateness of the food on the table.

• Cascina Ca’Rossa Grignolino - This indigenous grape varietal to Piedmont does not usually leave Italy. The wine has a bright cherry fruit flavor and high acidity. It does not have a lot of tannin, which works well with the Thanksgiving table. “It is a light, pretty and elegant wine for the dinner table,” says Bates.

• Domaine Faiveley Mercurey – Round out the meal with a Pinot Noir from the village of Mercurey in Burgundy. This 2017 vintage has bright juices and spice on the noise. Bates sums it up by saying, “It is a fantastic red wine to go with the Thanksgiving table – light, tight and bright.”

In addition to the Thanksgiving collection, Soif is bringing out some of its most coveted wines from their cellar for holiday dining, gifting and more. Bates and Carr have selected wines that represent some of the most unique regions, vintages and small production wines from around the globe.

Edible Monterey Bay features Chef Tom McNary!

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of our new Executive Chef, Tom McNary! The full piece done by Edible Monterey Bay, may be viewed below. 

August 7, 2018 – Chef Tom McNary—owner of Carried Away caterers in Aptos—has been tapped to helm the kitchen at Soif restaurant in Santa Cruz.

“The choice to bring on Tom as our chef reflects what is most important to me,” says owner Patrice Boyle. “We have one of—if not the—best farmers market in the country. Tom has strong relationships and a commitment to many of these growers whom he sourced from at Carried Away over the past two decades.”

Before opening the Aptos business in 1989, McNary cooked at the legendary Chez Panisse. 

“I have known Patrice for many years and we have talked about working together for a long time,” says McNary. “I love her vision for Soif – to present a menu and restaurant people want to visit multiple times a week because the food is fresh, creative and honest. The time was finally right for me to step away from catering and get back into a restaurant kitchen.”

With the addition of the new chef, guests will start to see some changes to the menu over the course of the next few months. “Right now, I’m focused on getting to know the team and will work to refine what’s already in place as I get settled into this new role,” says McNary. “I cannot wait to bring my approach to the menu while continuing to present a dining experience that offers some of the best local and seasonal ingredients around.”

Soif—long known for its wide selection of domestic and international wines—recently added a sophisticated cocktail program led by Bar Manager Matthew Barron, giving guests an opportunity to enjoy cocktails alongside the highly seasonal cuisine. Boyle has also brought in general manager Steven Billings, formerly of the three Michelin-star Manresa in Los Gatos and Providence in Los Angeles, to continue to build upon the warm and attentive service that guests have come to enjoy at the restaurant.

EnRoute Magazine Features Soif as a Santa Cruz Dining Experience

This November's issue of Air Canada's EnRoute magazine included a segment on dining in Santa Cruz. Soif Restaurant was highlighted as a destination for excellent wine pairings. To read the full article from EnRoute, click on the button below.

Soif Wine Bar debuts classy cocktails

By Amber Turpin of Edible Monterey Bay

January 17, 2017 – “The Bitter Liberal” is not just an apt political descriptor for most of us right now, it’s also the name of drink you can order on the new bar menu at Soif Restaurant and Wine Bar in downtown Santa Cruz. After securing a liquor license last summer, Soif has been quietly introducing an eclectic cocktail menu for patrons who frequent the wine-centric restaurant. Owner Patrice Boyle, who just celebrated Soif’s milestone 10th anniversary, says, “We are rolling out the cocktail program and I feel as though we are finally solid on that front.”

“Solid” was certainly my impression when I first visited the bar and ordered something other than a unique grape varietal, admiring the careful stirring, muddling and general joy-for-concocting that our young bartender displayed. That first round of drinks was memorable, and I now have a hard time going back to wine when I visit.

According to Alyssa Twelker, Soif’s wine director, the idea behind the cocktail bar is to “parallel the aesthetic behind the wine selection, but with spirits. For instance, we have a large list of vermouth and amari that were procured from an old cellar, all bottled in the 60’s and 70’s.”

Alyssa’s favorite cocktail on the new menu is the “Pappy Martinez” made with Venus Spirits Gin No. 2, 1970 vintage Punt e Mes Italian vermouth, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur and a hefty lemon peel.

That appreciation for the rare, interesting and special is what Soif is all about. But until recently, the approach was limited to wine. Twelker explains, “The wine bar was founded on the not-so-simple premise of bringing very specific wines to the Santa Cruz community and providing a great place to meet, procure, and consume them. The wines are reflective of their place and their culture, that’s what we set out to do, and it is definitely the funnest thing we do. The spirits and cocktails provide a new venue for exploration!”

They enlisted two friends from San Francisco to help design the current cocktail list and put together the bar. Former Santa Cruzan, Megan Daniel, who manages the ultra-hip White Chapel Gin Bar, and her partner Matt Huang, bar manager at Kin Khao, remain on-call as consultants. But, Twelker says, “Going forward, we expect that our new lead barman, Manny Hernandez, a Watsonville local, will be creating new drinks and adding classics to the menu as well.”

And more collaborations are in the works, highlighting our talented local spirits community with some exciting events coming right up. On January 24th, Soif is hosting a cocktail event with Sean Venus of Venus Spirits and Katie Blandin Shea of Bar Cart and Golden Bear Bitters. This is a natural meeting of minds as both companies adhere to the small-batch, terroir-driven philosophy that Soif presents. “We already use Venus in a number of our house cocktails, so this is a fun opportunity to experiment with new recipes. The Golden Bear Bitters and Tonics are so unique and delicious, and they are all made from local fruits and botanicals,” says Twelker.

Also, on February 25th will be “The Chartreuse Experience”, a thorough tasting for only 15 guests in the upstairs dining room, covering the history of Chartreuse “through a series of craft cocktails that take us through the seasons,” Twelker says.

Additionally, they are working on a collaboration with Liz Birnbaum of The Curated Feast. Liz came up with the idea for a special Soif “mini feast” to create a sensory experience to illustrate an article coming out in Santa Cruz Waves. She provided them with a list of key ingredients from the story and they created the rest, including a cocktail by Hernandez, and an entree and dessert by Chef Mark Denham. Exact dates are still being nailed down, but expect it to be offered sometime in February and March.

Like I said, it’s hard to stick to wine at Soif these days. And that tendency could actually be a real concern for a restaurant whose whole reputation was built on the stuff. But Twelker explains, “We’ve found that there is a bit of a throwback to the days of having a cocktail first, and then wine with dinner. The first cocktail slows the dining experience. Guests are as enthusiastic as ever about our wine selections, but now they can also have a perfect martini before sitting down to their dinner and delicious bottle of Cornas. I do love hearing ice hit the bottom of a shaker behind the bar on a busy Friday night…it’s exciting and energetic and entirely new for Soif.”

Ode to the egg: Symbol of springtime can add creaminess, richness to any meal

An Egg-cellent mention in the Santa Cruz Sentinel by Bonnie Hogos.

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SF Chronicle highlights Soif as a Santa Cruz Dining Destination

Soif & sister restaurant La Posta are listed as Santa Cruz culinary highlights by the SF Gate's Michael Bauer:

The sophisticated, urban look matches the equally interesting international wine list. Each appetizer and main course features a suggested wine pairing, such as the bacon-wrapped veal loin with celery root puree ($26) matched with the 2004 Trimbach Frederic Emile Riesling ($15.50); or the spinach salad with roasted delicate squash ($8) with the Allimant Laugner Cremant d'Alsace Rosé Pinot Noir ($10).

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