Surrounding the restaurant is a lush green garden built into the hillside. A series of concrete and rock steps and paths take you down through the peaceful vegetation and past a series of small waterfalls.
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For those who do not wish to walk down through the garden, an inclined elevator brings guests down from the parking lots to the restaurant. The inclined elevator (or hillavator) is an interesting piece of history. It was installed 1958 and is believed to be the only inclined elevator servicing a restaurant in the United States. Even if you don't take the hillavator down, you'll probably take it up after indulging in the delicious food.
The interior of the restaurant is just as nice as its exterior. Most of the tables have a view of either the gardens or the Soquel Creek. This table overlooks the outside sitting area by the creek.
Many restaurants are described as cozy, which is an adjective that I take to mean: small and cramped. The Shadowbrook is neither small nor cramped, but it definitely has a cozy feel. Perhaps, comfortable and relaxing is a better description of how the place makes me feel.
The seafood entrees at the Shadowbrook are excellent and the prices are reasonable, ranging from $20 to $25. We dined on a Thursday evening when (for a limited time), the Shadowbrook offers any of their seafood entrees for $13. At $13, you'd be hard pressed to find a restaurant that could serve up a better tasting dinner.
Dinner began with fresh baked bread and butter. We ordered a glass of the Shadowbrook Chardonnay to accompany our seafood order: Scampi and Fresh Eastern Scallops. Our waiter was knowledgeable and easy to talk to (without the airs and pretentiousness of some knowledgeable waiters). The food arrived quickly and hot. The sauces for both dishes were very flavorful and the spinach was fresh and wilted just enough. I felt that my shrimp (which were very large) was a bit tougher than I prefer, but the sauce it was served with more than make up for it. I can't properly comment of if my rice pilaf was good or not because I couldn't resist mixing it with a little bit of my sauce. I have to say that the texture was fine, and it was a good excuse to eat the rest of my sauce. I did ask about my sauce, which was made by flavoring butter with shrimp shells and blending with a bit of lemon juice, white wine, garlic, and parsley. Simple and yet so good.
Tina's favorite part of her Scallops dish was the mashed potatoes. The potatoes, made of Yukon Golds, were rich and creamy while still having a strong potato flavor and texture in the mouth. The oyster mushrooms which accompanied Tina's scallops were the perfect combination for her dish.
We definitely recommend anyone visiting the San Francisco Bay Area to look into visiting the Shadowbrook Restaurant. As of January 2006, they are running specials on Sunday (three entrees are priced at $13), Monday (Prime Rib at $13), and Thursdays (all Seafood at $13).
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