https://sandyscafe.business.site/ Place: Sandy's Café Location: 6120 Monterey Street, Gilroy, CA Hours: open every day at 6:00am Meal: (me) Sandy'sSkillet Special ~ prepared with country (of unspecified ethnicity) potatoes, onion, ham (which I mad sure to have them excise), Cheddar cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, and green (bell) peppers, topped with (2) eggs any style (where my "style" was "over-medium" this morning), and a choice of toast (my toasty choice was sourdough); (Dave) Steve's Country Benedict ~ two poached eggs on a buttermilk biscuit and country sausage (I am not sure if the country from which this sausage originated is the same as the potatoes' native land), topped with country gravy, served with hash browns or country potatoes (Dave smartly went with the hashbrown-choice, which I agreed with 100%); to drink: both Dave and I had cuppas the house Coffee (and a refilla or two apiece)
(There are no EweToobular juxtaselections with today's songs. I am just "thankful" for the music of Sir George Ivan. Okay, maybe Shana ain't that Welshman-like-person, Sir Thomas John Woodward, but ol' Tom Jones would not look half as good in that dress.) As has become a (new-ish) tradition for me, after being stuffed with a large Thanksgiving dinner at my friend Dave's house in Gilroy, I will usually spend the night in lieu of the hour-and-a-half drive all the way home back to San Francicopolis (you would be surprised at the amount of tryptophan that is in sweet potatoes). The next morning (for some reason, the morning after Thanksgiving fell on a Friday this year) we will head out to a local breakfast joint in the Greater Gilroy Area (of which there are less choices than you might imagine). We simply headed back to Sandy's Café (see last 'blog-entry from November 24th, 2017) ~ which really ain't a bad choice, no way, anyway. If I lived in the Greater Gilroy Area, I am pretty sure this great little local place would be a fixture in my Breakfastary Starting Rotation. Not only have I never had a bad meal there, they offer a lotta other good choices (even for stupid vegetarian-types) for breakfast. There are twenty (20) different omelettes from which to choose. Their omelettes are absolutely HUGE, too; they are made with four (4) eggs and served with hashbrowns or fruit and choice of toast or one (1) pancake. Additionally, they offer daily/weekendly specials. Today's special was a Banana Waffle. I almost went with this choice, and most definitely would have if they made it with the banana slices in the waffle batter. I asked, and was told that they serve this as a large Belgian waffle with the bananas just on top with whipped cream. That did sound good, but I would have liked my idea better. Strangely enough, they do not list any sort of Huevos Rancheros dish on their menu. If they had, I was definitely gonna go with that as my meal this morning instead.
It really did not matter if I waffled on them not having any Mexican egg dishes, as my choice turned out to be extremely tasty, all the same. It was pretty simple in construction, but I felt that they did a great job of the ratio of potatoes (as the base of the dish) to mushrooms/tomatoes/green (bell) peppers/ onions. Our waitress/server-lady person forgot my side of sourdough toast; however, this was not missed (or needed) in any way due to the large portion of the meal. I think that Dave's meal was basically the same one that he had ordered last year. It looks like they have just renamed it the much more cool-sounding "Steve's Country Benedict" now. This was the first dish that caught my eye and I told Dave that he had to get it. (Hey, I might be a long-time stupid vegetarian, but that does not mean that I can not live vicariously through my carnivorous friends). It really did not matter, as Dave had also seen it right away and was already planning on ordering it, too. I really liked that they had the buttermilk biscuit (halved) as the base for the dish (fresh buttermilk biscuits beat crummy ol' Mr. Thomas' faux crumpets any day). The only thing that I saw available on the tables as condimentary supplementation was Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce), Tapatío®Salsa PicanteHot Sauce, and A.1.OriginalSauce®. I initially used some Tapatío® on top of both of the eggs. After eating about half of the pile of food, I added some A.1.® to it for extra measure. When we were paying for the meal at the front counter, I noticed two other hot sauces in their display case under the cash register: The Pepper Plant®Original California Style Hot Pepper Sauce and one other u/i hot sauce. I wish I had know that those were also available, as I would probably have tried one or both on my meal. I have never cried while eating any humble pie at Thanksgiving, but I have found that, when necessary, humble pie tastes best with a large dollop of self-righteous whipped cream on top. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Sandy'sSkillet Special ~ 6.5; Steve's Country Benedict ~ 6.8 (even though I did not actually bother quizzing Dave for his GBS Rating input, from the way that he seemed to enjoy his meal, I am going with this rating; besides, I am always impressed with any different take on boring ol' Eggs Benedict dishes)
(Sorry, you try finding decent garlic-studded songs. Besides, you know you all wanna give "garlic gumbo gravy guava" a go-go.) garlic[2] noun | gar-lic | \ˈgär-lik\ 1 : a European allium (Allium sativum) widely cultivated for its pungent compound bulbs much used in cookery; broadly : ALLIUM 2 : a bulb of garlic — garlicky \ˈgär-li-kē\ adjective This is just a quick follow-up on garlic (see previous 'blog-entry from Wednesday, February 11th, 2015). This is the kinda thing that pops into my head late at night (well, 3:00am early in the morning) when I can not sleep. While garlic may not necessarily be a mandatory ingredient for the first meal of the day (and just how come those smarmy bastages at the Pancake Home of Internationality [better known as "PHOI®", of course] have never come up with a decent "Garlic Pancake"?), it really does enhance most breakfastary dishes. Any decent homefries/country potatoes worth its merits should include at least a little (or, like the truly Excellent! Roasted Home Potatoes at Eats, a lot) of this tasty underground fruit. ("But... Brian... garlic is not really a 'fruit' is it?" Seriously?! This is a silly li'l 'blog-post about "garlic", fercryinoutloud, and you are actually questioning my botanical authentification. Besides, if you don't believe me, you can check with those monkey-experts at Scopes.com [see, they don't just fight smelly bad-breath now-a-days, they fight smelly bad-breathtaking rumours, too].) Most of the great cuisines of the World utilize garlic to some extent in their dishes (with the exception of certain sects of Buddhism[3]): Chinese, Greek, Italian, Mexican, Thai, Indian (the Hindu-type, I am not sure about the Native American take on garlic, but I bet it would be great with fry-bread), Burmese (Myanmarese, too), Vietnamese, French, German, Korean, Japanese, Turkish, Arab, Israeli (and also European/American Jewish), Ethiopian and Eritrean, Russian, Afghani, Cuban, Jamaican, and Irish[4]. Garlic always goes great in/with some of my favourite foods: Pizza (and, yes, in my family Pizza is a traditional breakfast dish, d*mmit!), potatoes (in the chips form and most all forms), etc. I have even had Garlic Ice Cream (once) and it wasn't that bad (of course, it was late in the afternoon at the Gilroy Garlic Festival[5] and by that time everything tasted like garlic anyway). Not to mention... Τζατζίκι! (and do not try and tell me that Tzatziki is not a true breakfast dish; it has yoghurt in it, right?) However, I do draw the line at garlic-Coffee and garlic-Beer. And just another good reason that garlic is a great breakfast addition ~ not that I expect people will run out to their local Garlic Julius® tomorrow to start drinking up this stuff ~ but a 3.5 oz/100g serving of garlic has 38% of your Daily Value of Vitamin C (okay, sure, the equivalent serving of oranges pack a 64% of Vitamin C, but when was the last time you asked for extra oranges on your Pizza Margherita?). Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Garlic (plain) ~ 6.8; Garlic (roasted) ~ 7.2; Τζατζίκι ~ 7.2-8.2
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1. http://www.garlic-central.com/stinking-rose.html First off, I am impressed that there is an actual web-site dedicated to garlic. Secondly, while garlic is not actually a member of the Rose-family, it is interesting to point out that apples (as well as pears, quinces, apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, raspberries, loquats, strawberries, and almonds) are. How do you like them roses?! 2. Definitionary results courtesy of little Miss Mary-Anne Webster. 3. Do you really wanna know the complete arbitrariness of that particular dietary restriction? You can read my somewhat explanation in my initial garlic 'blog-entry. The ban also includes not using onions, leeks, and a few other good-tasting stuff. H*ck, different Buddhist sects can not even agree as to exactly why this is. Trust me, this Buddha guy would not last a week on the food network. 4. No, "Irish Cuisine" is not a culinaristic oxymoron. Stupid, useless cunning linguist pointer of the day: For any of you wise-a-guy pun-dits wondering just what the word for "garlic" in Gaelic might be, it is "gairleog". 5. https://gilroygarlicfestival.com/
(No official-type web-site.) Place: Sandy's Café Location: 6120 Monterey Street, Gilroy, CA; phonicular contact: (408) 848-1200 Hours: open at 6:00am every day of the week Meal: (me) Ortega Chili[1]and Cheese Omelet ~ chopped Ortega chilies, Jack cheese, black olives, sour cream, topped with salsa ~ omelets made with (4) eggs and served with hash browns or fruit and choice of toast or (1) pancake; (Dave) Biscuits & Gravy Combo ~ 2 eggs with choice of 2 bacon or sausage; (Patryce) Vegetarian Omelet ~ spinach, mushroom, asparagus, and topped with cheese; to drink: (me) a large glassa orange juice; (Dave) a glassa (and one free refilla) Coke® (or, perhaps, seeing as this is a Greek family owned diner/restaurant/café ~ "No Coke®! pepsi®!"); and (Patryce) a cuppa (and one refilla) the house/diner/restaurant/café Coffee
(Yeah, I coulda probably went with Rick Springsteen's classic "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)", but this was the day after a completely different truly-'merican holiday and I figured this EweToobular juxtaselection would fit better.) So, what does one do the morning after a large Thanksgiving Day dinner? Go out for another large meal, of course. Technically, seeing as I was already still in Gilroy-town from yesterday's Thanksgiving Holiday, this was not really a Breakfastary Roadtrip (which would actually have entailed an 166 miles round-trip to do so, otherwise), but I went back to Sandy's Café (see last 'blog-entry from Friday, November 27th, 2015) for breakfast this morning. This was the fourth time now that I have eaten at Sandy's Café (well, for my first visit there, they were still operating under the old nefarious name of "SunriseCafe"). I really like this little family-owned/operated diner-joint. The people working there were super friendly and helpful (even the day-after Thanksgiving, when most people have already warn-out their fake cheeriness/thankfulness). If I lived in the area, I could easily see this place being Breakfastary Starting Rotation-worthy. They have a very good list of items from which to choose for breakfast. Here are a few other good ideas yet: Feta Omelet ~ they do not list the ingredients for this one on the menu, I think it has some kinda cheese in it, though; Chef's Favorite Omelet ~ tomato, onion, bell pepper, mushroom, sausage (which I would have ογδόντα έξι-ed, of course), Feta cheese (this one would be my choice next time... on Friday, November 22nd, 2019?); Maserati Omelet ~ sausage, mushroom, Jack and 'merican cheese, covered with Italian meat sauce, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese (I really tried talking either Dave or Patryce into getting this one; there really is no point in trying to vegetarian-ize this meal, without the Italiansauce, it would just be a mushroom and cheese omelette); Aloha Omelet ~ pineapple, Canadian bacon, and topped with Swiss and 'merican cheese (this is another one that would not translate very well to being vegetarian-ized);
or Banana French Toast (this was a special listed on a sign/blackboard at the front door that I had completely missed until just when we were leaving; if I had seen it upon entering, I would definitely have gone with that choice ~ probably with a side of potatoes, too).
(I did not want to bother my other two dining mates by taking photos of their plates this morning.) This was a simple enough omelette, and simply enough HUGE. (Did I mention that they use four eggs in their omelettes?) The black olives inside the omelette were just your boring ol' canned, sliced variety. Even so, I still liked my omelette well enough, the amount of Ortega chilliesin it more than made up for the innate blandness of the black olives (but I think they forgot to add any salsa on top, which may have been worth another 0.1 to 0.2 points on the Glen Bacon Scale). However, Patryce did not seem as quite enamoured of her omelette. She did not like how the cheese is presented melted on top and not inside the omelette itself. She did like that it was made with asparagus (which is her favourite vegetable ~ as it is mine, too), but felt it had a bit more spinach than asparagus ratio. I really like that Sandy's Café offers both hashbrowns or homefries as a potatoey side-choice. I went with the homefries (Patryce, too) and this turned out to be a very wise choice because their version of homefries was extremely tasty. The potatoes were cut into nice half-inch squares with lots of green bell peppers and white onions in the mix, and all of these were charred perfectly to my liking (read: a bit on the crispy-crunchy side). I opted for a pancake (Patryce, too) instead of plain ol' toast ~ even I know how to push down the d*mn lever on a bread-toaster-thing. Now, Dave's dish was all pretty simple, too, but I was very impressed how it was presented with the two eggs (which I think he ordered over-medium) already on top of the biscuit(s?) as if it were some kinda Southern Fried Eggs Benedict, y'all. As I have been of the stupid vegetarian ilk for many years now, I don't think that I have ever had biscuits with country gravy; as best as I can figure, these are normally made with either a porky-sausage base or sometimes with grinded-up dead, decaying bovine meat. And, not that it really matters much to me (but just for the sake of the whole 'blog-integrity), Dave went with the two strips of bacon choice. Sandy's Café has both Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce) and Tapatío®Salsa PicanteHot Sauce for use as condimentary supplementation. I tried something a bit different this morning and went with a base layer of A.1.OriginalSauce® on top of the homefries then added some Tapatío® on top of that, too. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Ortega Chili and Cheese Omelet ~ 6.4 (this is factoring in their extremely good side of homefries); Vegetarian Omelet ~ 6.0 (per Patryce's rating, after I had educated her on the intricacies of the highly-technical Glen Bacon Scale); Biscuits & Gravy Combo ~ 6.6 (I forgot what Dave said about his dish, but I am giving this rating based on the coolness of the Southern-style Eggs Benedict presentation) ___________________
1. Also known as an Anaheim chilli. It is a mild variety of the cultivar "New Mexico No. 9". The name "Anaheim" derives from Emilio Ortega, a farmer who brought the seeds from New Mexico to the Anaheim, California, area in 1894. They are also called "California chilli" or "Magdalena", and dried they are known as chile seco del norte. Often it is used for Chile Relleno. When mature, it takes on a red colour and is referred to as a Colorado. The chilli "heat" of Anaheim varies from 500 to 2,500 on the Scoville scale; however, typical cultivars grown in New Mexico can selectively and uniformly range from 500 to 10,000 Scoville units. http://chilefacts.nmsu.edu/
A Breakfastary roadtrip Happiness... hit me like an omelette on a plate? (No official web-site thing.) Place: Dave's Gilroy Café Location: somewhere in Garlic City, CA Hours: open Sunday through Saturday at 7:00am for canine service only; open at 9:00am for human consumption (that is, if you are of the Walking Dead-type) Meal: Dave's Special Tomato, Mushroom, Chedda[1], & Feta[2]Omelette ~ I really can't confirm exactly what ingredients were in this omelette, served with pancakes (as many as you can eat, too); a glassa freshly-opened-cartoned (no pulp) orange juice; and a cuppa (and several refillas) Dave's Gilroy Café house Coffee, a very robust ~ even though, I am pretty sure the beans were Arabica (that's just a little Coffee humour there) ~ Dark Roast Italian
I had heard very good things about a new restaurant way down Gilroy-way, so I decided to make the 83-mile trek to Dave's Gilroy Café on Thanksgiving Day; however, when I had arrived there yesterday afternoon, I found that they were not open due to some local holiday. So, I had to make the long 83-mile trek back home and try again this morning. Luckily, this quaint little place (have you ever heard of a "quaint large place") was open for business today. As an extra added bonus for my efforts, I did get to sit at the Chef's Table for a change. This was an honour that I had never experienced before. Of course, I had to share the table with some guy named "Dave" (and three pushy dogs around and under the table). The only complaint that I might have about this joint is that the menu really needs some expanding. I was told that the only breakfast dish that they would be serving this morning was the one that I ordered. Jeez, give a customer some variety or something!
There are a couple of interesting points that I would like to make about this tasty omelette dish: 1) the inclusion of two cheeses (and I must say, I really liked the mixture of both the Chedda and Feta here) is always a good thing; and 2) the mushrooms were first sautéed in a separate pan and then deglazed with a nice White Wine before adding them into the middle of the omelette, this added a very nice flavour to the whole mixture. I also liked that you got the side-option of pancakes instead of boring ol' toast. There was a large stack of pancakes provided (I think that I may have had four or five myself). And like many other fine dining establishments (that Casa Internazionale di Frittelle place comes to mind), they leave the potta Coffee on the table so that you can serve yourself as many cuppas as you like (I am pretty sure that I "liked" at least two or three myself). Because I was not sure exactly what hot sauces might be provided at this restaurant (and because Dave had warned me to bring a few of my own with me the day before), I came prepared with some of my own hot sauces and used a little Dixie Crossroads Hot Habañero [ sic ] Pepper Sauce (Thanks, Brian!) on my omelette and Chef Dave even used some of my Old St. AugustineDatil Pepper Sauce (Thanks, Cindy & Greg!) on his omelette, too. Due to the fact that I enjoyed the meal so much (and you can't beat the price), I will not be sending a formal complaint to the Board of Health. I really didn't think that it was very sanitary with several dogs walking around all over the dining area. Gawd-knows what kinda diseases with which we may have contaminated those poor canines...
(Comet)
(Nellie)
(Zoey)
Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Dave's Special Tomato, Mushroom, Chedda, & Feta Omelette ~ 6.5; Dark Roast ItalianCoffee ~ 7.0 ___________________
(No official web-site.) Place: Sandy's Café Location: 6120 Monterey Street, Gilroy, CA; phonicular contact: (408) 848-1200 Hours: open at 6:00am every day of the week Meal: (Me) Veggie Omelet ~ spinach, mushrooms, and asparagus, topped with your choice of cheese (omelets made with [4] eggs and served with hash browns or fruit and choice of toast or [1] pancake); (Dave) Pancake Sandwich ~ (2) bacon or sausage and (2) eggs on top of (2) fluffy buttermilk pancakes; (Zoey, Nellie, and Comet) Ham & Cheese Omelet (which had to be ordered as a "take-out"; it seems the local Gilroy restaurants frown upon canines dining with peoples); and to drink (Me) a large glassa orange juice, (Dave) a cuppa (with a few refillas) the house Coffee (the girls just got plain ol' tap-water with their second breakfast when we got back) As has become a Thanksgiving tradition (well, a new one in the past five years or so; no one said it was an "old tradition"), on the morning after Thanksgiving (which for the past five years just happened to fall on a Friday; what are the odds of that?!), I will go out to breakfast with my holiday host to a local restaurant in the Gilroy area. Today, Dave and I went back to Sandy's Café (see last 'blog-entry from November 28th, 2014). Unfortunately, Zoey, Nellie, and Comet did not get to join us; they had to wait patiently for their extra holiday treat upon our return. Sandy's Café has a very nice breakfastary offering. There are several good choices from the Pancackes, French Toast & Belgian Waffles section of the menu (from which Dave had ordered his meal). From the Sandy's Breakfast Specials section, Sandy's Skillet Special (prepared with country potatoes, onion, ham, Cheddar cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, and green peppers, topped with [2] eggs any style) would have been another nice idea (which I would have ordered without the ham, of course). They have many Outrageous Omelets from which to choose, for example: Chef's Favorite Omelet (tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, sausage, and topped with Feta cheese; I really need to order this one next time); Ortega Omelet (chopped Ortega chilies, Jack cheese, black olives and sour cream, served with fresh salsa); and Aloha Omelet (pineapple, Canadian bacon, topped with both Swiss and American cheeses; this is definitely an "Outrageous" combination, I am not sure that even I would ever try that one, even without the Canadian bacon stuff). They also had a few daily/weekend specials on a chalkboard at the front door; I tried talking Dave into getting the Chorizo Scramble, but he said that he doesn't like chorizo (What a weirdo. Who doesn't like chorizo?!). (Ooops! Normally here is where I will have a photo of my meal and, sometimes, my guest's meal. However, I seemed to have screwed-up when taking the photo and had the setting on "Video" in error.) Here is where it would have behooved me ("behoven me"?) to have reviewed my last visit to this restaurant. I ended up ordering the same omelette as I had last year. However, this year, I had the good sense (actually it was a great sense, if you ask me) to ask for Feta cheese on it. There were two large slabs o' Feta cheese on top of the omelette (here is where I wish I had taken a "photo" of the omelette with which to display it). Normally when you get Feta on/in an omelette at many places, they will go with the cheapo Feta crumblies routine. I chose the pancake option as my side choice (even I can make toast at home). Once again, this was an extra large omelette (as to be expected with it being made with four eggs) and a lot of food, because of which, I didn't need to have any lunch today. Sandy's Café has both Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (Original Red Sauce) and Tapatío®Salsa PicanteHot Sauce for condimentary supplementation. I just went with some Tapatío® on my hashbrowns. Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Veggie Omelet ~ 6.5 (this is adding 0.2 points for the abundance of Feta); I didn't bother to ask Dave for the GBS Rating for his breakfast (it was just eggs, pancakes, and dead, decaying porky links, anyway); Ham & Cheese Omelet ~ (gone in) 6.5 (seconds)
"A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat." ~ unknown, old Yiddish proverb Garlic (unlike potatoes ~ see specific 'blog-entry from February 8th, 2012 ~ and Coffee ~ see last specific 'blog-entries from February 26th, 2014 and February 28th, 2014) is not necessarily a mandatory breakfastary staple (unless you are making Garlic Pancakes or Garlic-stuffed French Toast, of course), but I do really like the addition of garlic in most of my savoury breakfast dishes. Garlic (Allium sativum) is in the same Genus as onions, shallots, leeks, scallions, and chives. However, I am pretty sure that it is not related in any way to Marijuana (Cannabis sativa). (See, "sativum/sativus/sativa" are just forms of Latin botanical adjectives meaning "cultivated". Anyone that has ever tried smoking garlic leaves will know this for a fact.) Garlic ~ etymology and numerous stupid, useless cunning linguist pointers: Etymology: Old English "gārlēac" (Mercian), "garlec" (W. Saxon), from "gār" ("spear", in reference to the clove) + "lēac" ("leek"). Arabic = ثوم (I don't have the correct transliteration, but it sounds something like "thoom" which is good enough for Gub'mint work) Czech = česnek (pronounced "CHESS-nek") Chinese = 大蒜 (transliterated as "dàsuàn" and pronounced something like "DA-swen") Dutch = knoflook (pronounced "Ka-NO-flouk") French = ail (pronounced "aye", with a silent "l") German = Knoblauch (pronounced "Ka-NO-bloukh", with the "l" pronounced, Chuck) Greek = σκόρδο (transliterated as "skortho" and pronounced "SKOR-tho") Hungarian = fokhagyma (pronounced "FOK-hagima", or close enough; what do you expect, I was only in Budapest once and then only for four days) Irish (Gaeilge) = gairleog (simply pronounced "garlic"; sometimes these cunning linguist pointers ain't Brain Science) Italian = aglio (pronounced "AL-yio") Korean = 마늘 (transliterated as "maneul" and pronounced something like "MAN-ay") Polish = czosnek (pronounced "CHOSE-nek") Portuguese = alho (pronounced "AL-yo") Russian = чеснок (transliterated as "chesnok" and pronounced as "CHESS-nok") Spanish = ajo (pronounced "a-HO") Garlic is native to Central Asia, and it has been used by humans for over 7,000 years, both for culinary uses and medicinal purposes. While garlic is used (more than) generously throughout Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking, it is mentioned only once in the Bible (they must be a buncha anti-Semites to mention it just the one time, though): Numbers 11:5[1] ~ We remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely: the cucumbers and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic. Which is why you probably never hear Israel referred to as "the land of milk and garlic". Interestingly enough (well, it's "interesting" if you are either a food-geek or Cliff Clavin, I suppose), there are certain Buddhist sects (and I am not sure if that is even the correct designation for a branch of Buddhism), in addition to being strictly vegetarian, that do not allow/recommend the use of garlic (or onions). (And you all thought that the Jews and Muslims had some strange dietary laws.) It seems there are differing ratiocinations for this by separate branches of Buddhists. East Asian Buddhists do not eat any root vegetables (to include: potatoes, carrots, or onion and garlic); apparently this has something to do with "killing" any plant life. Other Buddhists avoid eating "strong-smelling plants"; something to which they say "tend to excite senses" (whatever the heck that is supposed to mean). All I can think about is that aren't ginger roots also grown underground (and aren't they also pretty strong smelling and "sensually exciting", too)? And what about lotus roots? Apparently, ol' Sid Guatama never smelled a ripe jackfruit or durian either. (Whew! "Strong-smelling" would be putting it overly nicely there.) And, of course, these arbitrary dietary restrictions came into play centuries before the New World was invaded by the Europeans and chillies were "discovered" and then imported for use in almost every major cuisine in the World (to include Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Indian). I suppose that capsaicin isn't considered "sensationally arousing" in local Buddhist temples. Plus, you just try eating a mango or a banana without "killing" it first; those suckers won't go down without a fight (be extra careful when wrestling with bananas, though, they do tend to bruise very easily). Gilroy (the one in California) self-proclaims itself as: "the Garlic Capital of the World". However, in fact, the entire U.S. of America is only the 9th top garlic producer in the World; whereas, China is by far the largest producer of garlic ~ making up for about 81% of the World output of garlic (growing about 100 times as much garlic as the entire U.S. does). That doesn't keep the city of Gilroy from holding their annual garlic festival (and completely messing up traffic along Highway 101 all the way from San Jose to Salinas) for three days every summer. http://gilroygarlicfestival.com/ And, of course, garlic is one of the main ingredients in that most supreme of the Foods of the Gods: Τζατζίκι! 1. Of course, on the West Coast, this is usually known as "Numbers 8:5", except in Hawai'i and most of Arizona during Daylight Saving Time.
A breakfastary roadtrip: Gilroy[1], CA The Wild, the Innocent, & the Monterey Street Shuffle?
(No official web-site.) Place: Sandy's Café Location: 6120 Monterey Street, Gilroy, CA; phonicular contact: (408) 848-1200 Hours: open at 6:00am every day of the week Meal: (Me) Veggie Omelet ~ spinach, mushrooms, and asparagus, topped with your choice of cheese; (Dave) Canadian Bacon and Cheese (Omelet) ~ (they did not specify what the ingredients in this omelette were); and (both Dave and Me) cuppa(s) their house Coffee (and a few refillas, too)
(Okay, maybe Bryce Springfield had his Holidays mixed up; just pretend that this EweToobular juxtaselection is about Thanksgiving and not the 4th of July.) This morning's breakfastary roadtrip was all the way back down to Gilroy (the one in California). I happened to be down there already anyway after spending Thanksgiving Day with Dave, Patryce, Zoey, Nellie, and Comet (the last three names happen to be the canine members of Dave's family). Dave and I went back to Sandy's Café (see previous 'blog-entry from November 26th, 2010). This restaurant has had a name-change since the last time I went there. I think that they are probably trying to distance themselves as far away as possible from any association with the old "Death Café". As best as I can figure, "Sandy" is the owner/wife of the same owner from our last visit there. They no longer have either Greek Scramble (which I was looking forward to and would have chosen for sure; everything's betta with Feta) or Gyro Omelette on the menu, but there were still a few other decent options from which to choose: Blueberry, Strawberry, or Apple Pancakes ([3] topped with whipped cream); Blueberry, Strawberry, or Apple Waffles (topped with whipped cream); Sandy's Skillet Special (prepared with country potatoes, onion, ham, Cheddar cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, and green peppers; topped with [2] eggs any style); Ortega Omelet (chopped Ortega chilies, Jack cheese, black olives, and sour cream; served with fresh salsa); Maserati Omelet (sausage, mushrooms, Jack & American cheese, topped with Italian meat sauce and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese; I liked the name of this one, but without any of the dead, decaying meaty additions, it would have just been a cheese and mushroom omelette); and Chef's Favorite Omelet (tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, sausage, and topped with Feta cheese; Dammit! If I had noticed this one on the menu initially, I would have ordered it for sure, less the sausage, of course… next time).
(Sorry, there is no corresponding photo of Dave's omelette. It was basically the same looking as mine, anyway. Besides, if he wants people to see a photos of his damn food, he can start his own damned 'blog-thing.) As they state on the menu: "Omelets made with (4) eggs and served with hash browns or fruit and choice of toast or (1) pancake". Yes, four eggs! This was so much food that I skipped any lunch this afternoon and may not eat again until dinner. They didn't really ask me what my choice of cheese was, and brought it out with two kinds of cheese on top, which is always nice. I think there was Jack and American on mine. My omelette was good and had a lot of spinach and asparagus in it. However, my one complaint with my omelette would be that the asparagus in this was not fresh, but the frozen kind. It was still good, but fresh asparagus is always much better. For our bready side choices, Dave went with plain ol' boring white toast, but I was much smarter and went with the (1) pancake; it was a very large (1) pancake at that (even I can "cook" toast myself at home) ~ plus, it came with a little cup of heated maple syrup (little touches like that are always nice, too). We both were smart (well, I am always smart, but Dave was smart, too, for a change) and had the hashbrowns (over plain ol' boring fruit) as our side choices. The house Coffee was actually pretty decent for a family-style diner kinda joint, too (hence the several refillas that both Dave and I had). For condimentary supplementation Sandy's Café had Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (the standard red), Tapatío®, and A.1.®Steak Sauce. I went with a mixture of some Tapatío® and A.1.®Steak Sauce on my hashbrowns (Dave left his un-supplemented, though). Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Veggie Omelet ~ 6.4 (an extra 0.1 was added for the excellent option of "[1] pancake"); Canadian Bacon and Cheese (Omelet) ~ 6.5 (Dave is very versed in the GBS and can be trusted with his rating) 1. I never knew this before, but Dave explained to me how the City of Gilroy got its name. I am taking this information directly off the plaque on the statue of John Cameron Gilroy in front of the old City Hall building: "John Cameron Gilroy, native of Scotland, arrived in Spanish California in 1814, and became the first permanent English speaking settler.
He married Maria Clara de la Ascencion Ortega, daughter of the family that owned Rancho San Ysidro, and together they had seventeen children. Inheriting a third of the rancho through his wife, Gilroy became a prominent landholder who served many years as the local alcalde (mayor) and later as a Justice of the Peace."
Nate and Dave's Excellent San Francisco Adventure… and Popovers(!) (Friday, January 17th, 2014)
https://www.cliffhouse.com/bistro/index.html Place: The Bistro Restaurant at Cliff House Location: 1090 Point Lobos (at the end of the Earth/Ocean Beach) Hours: open for breakfast Monday - Saturday at 9:00am and Sunday at 8:30am Meals: (Me) Sautéed Vegetable Scramble ~ scrambled eggs, red peppers, tomatoes, scallions, button mushrooms, and melted goat cheese (served with fresh fruit and roasted potatoes); (Nate) Farmer's Breakfast Scramble ~ scrambled eggs, ham, potatoes, green onions, Cheddar cheese (served with fresh fruit and roasted potatoes); (Dave) Eggs San Francisco ~ two poached eggs with Dungeness crab, toasted sourdough bread, and Brandy cream sauce (served with fresh fruit and roasted potatoes); I also had a glass of orange juice and Dave had a cuppa Coffee (I think Nate just stuck with water, even though I was paying)… and we all shared a basket of (World) Famous Cliff House Popovers(!) I really wasn't planning on making a 'blog-entry on this one from last Friday, but seeing as the Bistro Restaurant at Cliff House (see last 'blog-entry from September 21st, 2013) is part of my Breakfastary Rotation, I figured I probably should add it in here. A friend of mine (that would be the "Dave" portion from above) and his nephew (that would be the "Nate" portion from above) were up from Gilroy for a day of sightseeing and we all stopped here for a quick intake of food before doing the 50¢-tour of San Francisco: Golden Gate Park, Haight-Ashbury, Alamo Square, upupup-then-dooown Divisadero Street into the Marina, Lombard Street, and then across the Golden Gate Bridge and the great views of San Francisco from the Marin side. Unfortunately, as I wasn't planning on doing an "official" 'blog-entry, I didn't bother taking any photos while we were at the restaurant eating.
I have had most of their breakfast dishes already (or those from which I could sensibly omit the dead, decaying animal or marine insect flesh) many times over, but I would always keep going back for the (World) Famous Cliff House Popovers(!), anyway! Actually, I just had this same meal the last time I ate there (so just pretend I am writing about it again now, but just read the last 'blog-entry from then). I have had the Farmer’s Breakfast Scramble many times in the past, myself. Nate really seemed to like it a lot. I was especially happy to see that he also enjoyed the (World) Famous Cliff House Popovers(!), too. I think he ate three to my two to Dave's one. (If we wanted more, they would have always brought more.) Dave actually ordered something off the menu that I had never tried before, but it really wouldn't make sense being a vegetarian. He was debating on either the Johnson Omelet (Dungeness crab, avocado, and sour cream) or the one he finally decided on. He asked our server-person-lady for her opinion and she told him that she preferred the Eggs San Francisco (and seeing as I was buying this morning, that actually saved me a $1.00, too). It was a pretty unique take on an Eggs Benedict dish. The two poached eggs were piled on top of a good amount of Dungeness crab meat, and, instead of using boring ol' Mr. Thomas' baked goods as a base, these were all atop a long bias-sliced sourdough toast. I didn't ask Dave what the Brandy cream sauce tasted like; I just assumed that it was a standard Hollandaise sauce until I actually saw what was in it just now from the menu. For condimentary supplementation, the Bistro Restaurant only offers Tabasco®Brand Pepper Sauce (the standard red). I didn't bring any from my own collection (I really didn't feel like schlepping them around with me for the entire day of touristing), so I just used some of the Tabasco® on my scramble and potatoes.
By the way, both Nate and Dave still owe me 50¢… Glen Bacon Scale Rating: Sautéed Vegetable Scramble ~ 6.8; Farmer's Breakfast Scramble ~ 6.5+ (this is my standard rating for this dish; I didn't ask Nate for his actual rating, but the way he seemed to enjoy it all, I figure he'd have rated it at least the same or higher); Eggs San Francisco ~ 7.5 (again, I didn't ask Dave what his rating was for this dish, but he also seemed to really like it; plus, it had lots of Dungeness crab in it); (World) Famous Cliff House Popovers(!) ~ 8.2 (again, this is my standard rating, but I am sure everyone would agree on this rating, too)
