A Red Apple a Day Keeps Your Hunger Away

As we move closer to the start of the Santa Cruz County Fair, I keep thinking of apples and apple pie. Perhaps that’s why I decided to have breakfast at the on Saturday, plus, the Red Apple serves up some good meals, too.

The interior of the Red Apple is decorated in a basic country style with framed pictures and knickknacks portraying farm animals and other iconic figures. There's a mural depicting green hills covering the wall behind the counter and two gumball machines stand at the front door.

The restaurant departs from that motif in the dress of its servers, who tend to dress in gothic black with occasional touches of tattoo and purple. Don’t get me wrong, though, the servers seem uniformly knowledgeable, prompt, friendly and ready to answer any questions.

Although the Red Apple is commonly thought of as a breakfast place, they also serve lunch. Take a look at their daily-specials board when you first come in. On Saturday, the specials included a 10 inch rib-eye steak and eggs, a beef enchilada omelet, and olallieberry pancakes. A couple months ago I noticed ostrich burgers on their menu, so you never know what they might have.

The menu is huge, with special sections for seniors and kids, so it took us a while to read through it to make our choices. There's lots of variations on pancakes, waffles and French toast, as well as a “Benedict Corner” section featuring eggs benedict. Another popular section focuses on potato dishes, which are favorites among Red Apple patrons.

My companion, Michael, ordered a California club sandwich, while I went the breakfast route by ordering homemade corned-beef hash with poached eggs even though it was nearly 2 p.m.

I was very impressed with Michael’s sandwich, which looked and tasted scrumptious. The classic triple-decker sandwich on wheat bread was sliced into fat quarters and speared with wooden picks in order to hold it together. The sandwich contained turkey, avocado, bacon, tomato and lettuce and came with a fresh salad topped with grated carrots and onions, a large dill pickle and ranch dressing on the side.

The corned beef in my dish was definitely not canned, as it had the substantial texture and richness of taste that only comes from the real thing. The chopped, fried potatoes absorbed the taste of the meat, making a delicious base for two eggs, poached to perfection. My meal was accompanied by a simple salad of lettuce and tomato slices, and the tomatoes were flavorful—unlike the pale, tasteless tomatoes found in other breakfast eateries.

Jeanette Yee, who owns the Red Apple with her husband Michael Yee, says that much of their produce comes from local farms. Gizdich Ranch supplies the pies and their eggs come from Glaum Egg Ranch.

The restaurant, established in Aptos in 1988, has existed for 23 years, and moved to 946 Main St. in 1990, and relocated to 589 Auto Center Dr. in 2005.

“We have both worked in restaurants for most of our lives,” Jeannette  said.

In fact, they met in a restaurant where Michael was a cook and Jeanette was a waitress. Michael had always wanted to own a restaurant in order to test out his own menu ideas and the Red Apple provided him with that opportunity.

The Red Apple Café is open every day from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. The menu may be huge, but the prices are right and you will surely find a meal to satisfy you.

Where: 589 Auto Center Dr.

Hours: open daily from 6 a.m.—3 p.m., 761-9551.