Historic Hotel now Home to Exceptional Cuisine
By Noel Smith
Exceptional is the word; the word used to describe the service, the attention to detail, the food, the friendly attitude, the willingness to make your evening and your dining experience … well, Exceptional!
It all started with the friendly, and enthusiastic greeting by owner Eti Levi-Barkai. She and her husband Atar, along with childhood friend Sharone Marom are the owners of the new Booka Restaurant and Bar situated in the Bayview Hotel in historic Aptos Village, and the soon to be sought after destination of gourmands for an evening of fine dining.
Eti told me of her journey starting in Israel where she grew up and about her travels as a flight attendant for El Al Airlines and her 2-year stopover in Australia. Three years ago, she and her husband found Aptos and decided this was where they wanted to be.
Mediterranean and California fusion cuisine have much in common. Olive oil, fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood, the emphasis on presentation and not on quantity, the appreciation of good wines, and the use of freshly prepared local ingredients. All of these elements go into the selection of a menu and the preparation of everything from the appetizer, to the salads, to the exceptional (there’s that word again!) entrées.
After finding Aptos and moving here, they found that if you were hungry, you’d better be hungry before 9 p.m. because restaurants stopped taking orders at that time. Having lived in Tel-Aviv where the dinner hour often doesn’t start until 10 pm and the streets can be crowded at 3 a.m. with people out on the town, they decided thy needed to help change the local culture.
The Barkais and Marom signed the lease for the location on May 1 and then the rush to get ready started. They wanted to open on Memorial Day Weekend, less than 30 days away. The kitchen needed a makeover, the back garden needed to be cleaned out and cleaned up. They needed to stock the bar and wine cellar. Ryan Yates did that with liquors, liqueurs, beer and wines from small producers from all over the U.S. that gives the customer a variety of offerings and flavors not found anywhere else in Santa Cruz County.
It takes two chefs to prepare perfection, Joe & Booka. The menu is a partnership between these two dedicated to preparing food that is based on science and experience. By science is meant using just the right time and temperature in cooking or blending the right ingredients that will compliment each other.
The menu is eclectic and definitely not boring. The flavors are light but distinct; a sign that the objective of keeping each ingredient from overpowering the others has been achieved.
Everything is freshly made with each of the elements carefully prepared and blended or placed. I’ll leave Booka’s exceptional taste discoveries to you. Make your reservations today.
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Booka Restaurant & Bar, 8041 Soquel Dr., Aptos in the Bayview Hotel serving Tuesday-Saturday from 11:30 to 10 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. For reservations, call 831-685-9500 and follow them on Facebook. Website: www.bookafusion.com