Pete’s Family Restaurant, South San Jose
This is the nearest place for breakfast to our home and we used to come here a lot but haven’t been for some time. Today, as we are just running errands in the area, we decided to pay them a visit.
Pete’s is large and a real diner with numerous red upholstered booths with comfy seats in all sizes, some of them curved. There are a few tables at the back though. At the counter there are 11 stools. Every time we have been here in the past there used to be the same guy sitting at the counter in the same place and he was there again today. At first I didn’t think it was him because he looked different. It may have been the red checkered shirt he was wearing today which hid his trademark suspenders.
There is very little decoration here as such. Certainly no pictures or photos. On the wall behind the counter are newspaper articles but from where I sat in a booth next to the window I couldn’t see what they were about. There were a few pots of dried Thanksgiving type of flowers plus one large dried flower arrangement sporting a smiling scarecrow.
I noticed there was oatmeal on the menu. It was there before and I’d never had it because I thought it was instant. I questioned the server today but is was a painful experience. How do you ask the question? I tried – ‘Does it come out of a packet?’ ‘Yes’, she said but then I thought that of course oatmeal comes out of a packet whether it is instant or not. ‘Is it cooked in a pan?’ Yes, was the answer. Good, maybe it is the real thing. ‘Is it cooked in a large pan early in the morning and kept on a very low heat?’ ‘No, it is made to order’. Um… not so good. It sounds instant to me but I thought I would give it a try ($3.50). Tom ordered Joe’s Special ($9.25).
As the food was served very quickly, I knew it was the quick cooked variety. It came in a large dish on a plate. At least there was plenty of it. On a separate plate were the brown sugar and raisins in small plastic pots with lids (two point against) and the milk in a stainless steel jug which looked like a small teapot with its lid and long spout (one point for). The taste of the oatmeal, I must admit, was pretty good.
Tom enjoyed his scramble. One thing you can say about Pete’s is the portions are generous. He particularly likes the hot sauce here – Pepper Plant made in nearby Gilroy. In his opinion it is better than Tabasco, which he says has a metallic taste.
Another uninspiring rest room without a trace of decoration at all. There is an ornamental concrete urn in the lobby outside but it is empty apart from a few bits of trash. The restroom is functional but the white wall tiles, the chrome grab bars and the top of the toilet brush holder could do with a wipe over. On the plus side the room smelt nice and the water was hot.
Shall we come here again? Yes, it’s a cozy place, the food is good and it’s convenient.
November 28 2008 | Breakfast Log | No Comments »
