Quick Bites | Verve Coffee Roasters launches summer selections – Santa Cruz Sentinel

Verve Coffee Roasters recently introduced several limited-time seasonal items. Drink offerings include a citrus creamsicle iced latte with house-made vanilla citrus syrup and basil matcha limeade. Food options include a Caesar chicken sandwich (includes miso Caesar dressing, pickled shallots and more) and a tartine featuring ingredients such as herby whipped feta, roasted corn and zucchini.

Verve’s Santa Cruz stores are at 1540 Pacific Ave., 1010 Fair Ave., 104 Bronson St. Suite 19 and 816 41st Ave. Visit vervecoffee.com for details.

Vegan restaurant Cultiva Artistic Cuisine, open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at 215 Third St., is bringing back vegan Cali Dawg hot dogs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday in honor of Independence Day and national hot dog month. Customers can eat the Cali Dawgs on site or take them to-go. Chef/farmer Maria Gonzalez and farmer Rudy Jimenez opened Cultiva, which features ingredients grown at their Green Thumb Farms only a five-minute drive away, last fall. Gonzalez formerly ran vegan food business Cali Dawg. For information, call 831-593-1016 or follow on Instagram @cultiva831.

Green Thumb Farms is currently offering Abundance Box deliveries of farm-fresh produce on Tuesdays to areas including Santa Cruz County. You can choose weekly or biweekly boxes of various sizes; prices are $20 and up. Visit greenthumbgardenfarms.com to order or get details.

The Live Oak location of Coffeetopia (1443 Capitola Road, 831-427-7181, coffeetopia.com) has a new specialty drink menu. Selections include spiced golden latte (with house-made turmeric spice mix and honey), cardamom bun latte and matcha einspanner. Hours are 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Homeless Garden Project is hosting a Sustain Supper with prominent chef Katie Reicher (Greens Restaurant, San Francisco) July 19 at its farm near Shaffer Road and Delaware Avenue. A multi-course vegetarian dinner featuring organic farm produce will be served, plus local wine and drinks. The cost is $175 per person. This includes a farm tour, live music, and keynote speaker Manjula Martin. Martin is author of “The Last Fire Season: A Personal and Pyronatural History,” a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. She is also co-author, with her father Orin Martin (manager of UCSC’s Chadwick Garden), of “Fruit Trees for Every Garden,” winner of the American Horticultural Society Book Award.

Event proceeds benefit Homeless Garden Project, which provides job training and transitional employment to people who are homeless. Visit eventbrite.com/e/sustain-supper-july-19th-2025-registration-1349095373579 for tickets and other details.

The Wee Kirk Market, a farmers and makers market, is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at Wee Kirk Church (9500 Central Ave.). It offers fresh produce, prepared food, baked items, flowers, handcrafted goods, community organization tables, a kids’ area, wine tasting and a free yoga class inside the church building.

The Ben Lomond Village Alliance is presenting the series. There are markets the first Sunday morning each month through October, and an evening holiday market in December. For information, visit benlomondvillage.org/weekirkmarket.

Hula’s Island Grill and Tiki Room (221 Cathcart St., 831-426-4852, hulastiki.com) will donate 10% of sales on Mondays in July to the Cabrillo Music Festival of Contemporary Music (cabrillomusic.org). The Mahalo Mondays program, benefiting nonprofits, is occurring through November.

Future recipients include Santa Cruz Shakespeare in August and Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter in September.

Marianne’s Ice Cream is serving a United Scoops sundae through the end of July. “Think fireworks, but in your mouth,” says a staff member. It’s a layered sundae with a scoop of Strawberries and Cream, black raspberry sauce, then a scoop of Vanilla Bean. It’s topped with blue whipped cream, red, white and blue sprinkles, Pop Rocks (that’s the “sizzle like fireworks” part) and a cherry. Marianne’s has locations at 1020 Ocean St. in Santa Cruz and 218 State Park Drive in Aptos. Visit mariannesicecream.com for more information.

River St. Café, at 415 River St., is hosting Day of Joy from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday. In honor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, the Tibetan community is offering free food and drinks. The regular menu offers selections including Tibetan dumplings (beef, chicken or vegan), breakfast burritos, panini, salad and coffee. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Call 831-420-1280 or visit rivercafesantacruz.com for details.

Mentone (174 Aptos Village Way, Aptos, 831-708-4040, mentonerestaurant.com) has retained its Michelin Bib Gourmand status for the fifth consecutive year. The Bib Gourmands reflect Michelin’s “best value for money” restaurants. The guide’s Mentone listing includes a recommendation of “pizzas, like the ‘Pesto’ shimmering with fromage blanc, Crescenza, and caciocavallo.”

Charlie Hong Kong is holding a noodle party for kids ages 6 and under from 10:30-11:30 a.m. July 12 at the restaurant, 1141 Soquel Ave. Admission includes noodles, broccoli, a beverage, music and face painting. Advance tickets, $5 each, are required (each child under 6 needs a ticket; accompanying adults and older siblings do not need tickets). Purchase in person at the restaurant or at eventbrite.com/e/charlie-hong-kongs-noodle-party-tickets-1424738614549 before July 12.

The restaurant Tortilla Flats, at 4616 Soquel Drive, is open from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Independence Day and will offer a few special dishes: fresh halibut, jalapeno honey ribs, and crab enchiladas. Beverages will include watermelon margaritas. Call 831-476-1754 with any questions.

Quick Bites, compiled by Tara Fatemi Walker, is your weekly helping of Santa Cruz County restaurant, food, and drink news. Send items to [email protected] (Sunday 7 p.m. deadline for that week’s column). Want local food & drink news as it happens? Follow the Sentinel’s food crew on X @santacruzfood.