Los Gatos Cafe, Los Gatos
Los Gatos Cafe
When we looked on the internet for somewhere to eat breakfast in Los Gatos, the best reviews were for the Los Gatos Cafe on Los Gatos Blvd. We assumed it was in the center of Los Gatos but found out otherwise. In fact it is much nearer home than we expected. It is in a small strip mall at the corner of Los Gatos Blvd and Los Gatos Alamaden Road, so plenty of parking.
The cafe itself is quite unassuming. I thought it would be twee but it is anything but. It was a large, square room with windows on two sides. There were a few small booths but mostly wooden tables and chairs. There were about eight chairs up at low counter. At 8.40 on a Saturday morning it was fairly crowded but there was no wait. In the lobby free coffee was available (but no cups to drink out of). Just inside was a stand with a waiting list but it was completely blank. The table we were shown to was far from the best in the house as it was right next to where the coffee pots were and where the dirty crockery was stored, so extremely noisy. It was a table for four though, which Tom likes in order to read the paper in comfort, so we had to compromise.
The breakfast menu was large and extensive and I liked the joke on the back. We’d read in the reviews that the souffle omelettes were very good so Tom went for the Three Sausage Souffle Omelette – $9.50. I went for my usual oatmeal – $3.95 but had all the add-ons – raisins $.50, walnut $.75 and banana $1. Coffee was $1.85 and it was very good. The refills kept coming.
I was a bit disappointed with the color scheme and the decorations. The walls were toffee at the bottom and beige at the top and in need of a fresh coat of paint. The carpet was well worn and grubby. There were a total of four poster type prints, three with the same curly mustached chef and one with a waitress.
Our food took about 10 minutes to arrive at our table. All the plates and my bowl were black. Tom’s omelette looked plump and delicious. For a change he had grits instead of hash browns. The grits looked starkly white and bland. After Tom added some butter they tasted better than they looked. My oatmeal came in a medium deep bowl on a small plate. On a small plate to the side was a small plastic pot holding the brown sugar and an extremely small plastic jug of milk. The raisins, walnuts and chopped banana was mixed into the oatmeal. Mmmm, it was good but I had to ask for extra milk.
Now the restroom. Once again, there were no signs and I had to ask the way. I saw the mens’ restroom but not the ladies. There was a hallway to the right but it was completely dark. After groping my way down the hall I felt a door so I opened it and found the light switch. It was the right place. Once again the paint was dreary and the only decoration was a large oval mirror with a gilt frame over the sink and cobwebs on the walls. The sink was rather large and elegant and the water was nice and hot.
Now for our verdict. The food was a really good but a wee bit pricey. We were not impressed with our table – the service post could have been better screened – and a complete paint job and new carpet is needed. Saying all that, I’m sure we would go again, if only for the food.
March 06 2009 04:10 pm | Breakfast Log
