Windmill Cafe, Restaurant Review: From tulips to chocolate to collards
Santa Cruz Sentinel - 06/06/2012
By Ann Parker - Sentinel correspondent
Walking into the Windmill Cafe, I almost expected to smell chocolate. Until 2002, the little windmill-topped building on East Cliff Drive housed Buckhart's Candies. Sometimes I used to visit just to inhale the sweet, heady aromas.
Although it wasn't filled with the scent of chocolate, the little cafe did smell wonderful: like bacon, good coffee and something baking. A friendly woman behind the counter -- co-owner Mary Apra -- welcomed me to a window table. Outside, tall snapdragons nodded and through another window I could see the front patio and lush masses of roses.
A simple but imaginative menu posted above the counter offered all-day breakfast and lunch options. These ranged from scrambles, a sauteed veggie croissant and gluten-free French toast to ahi seaweed salad, Asian stir-fry with brown rice and a Thai coconut curry available with tofu or local salmon.
In the tiny open kitchen, Mary's partner and head chef, Michael Sigmon, was cooking smoky-sweet bacon.
"I'll have the Turkey, Avocado and Bacon Sandwich [$8] on sourdough," I said decisively. "And a cup of today's Black-eyed Peas and Organic Collard Greens Soup [$3.50]. You don't see collards very often -- where did they come from?"
"I picked them myself this morning, from our garden out back," replied Mary.
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