San Juan Bautista Break – Part 1
The mission in San Juan Bautista, California. One of our very favorite towns.
When we had our house tented for fumigation, we had to vacate for a couple of days. Termites are a constant problem in the Bay Area but folks from other countries may not be aware of the damage they can do to wooden structures. Most houses in the Bay Area are constructed of wood. Where we live in the Santa Clara Valley, which used to be mainly orchards, termites have made this place their home. They feed on wood so when the fruit trees started to be torn down to make way for houses, they just transferred their living quarters to houses. Left to their own devices houses could literally fall apart. To eradicate them it is necessary to fumigate houses every now and then. The process entails ‘tenting’ the whole house and fumigating which kills all bugs in the house.
(Click on the photos for larger versions.)
We became aware of the fact we were sharing hour house with termites when they started to swarm from the vent in our kitchen on a particularly hot day at the end of August. At first we had no idea what the flying insects were but when it happened again about two weeks later (while we had guests staying with us) we finally realized what they were and promptly did something about it. We first had to get a couple of surveys done and then to arrange the deed to be done.
A week or so later we had to find somewhere to stay for a couple of days while the ‘tenting’ took place. We managed to arrange it so it could be done over a weekend and took the opportunity to spend a few days in San Juan Bautista, staying in Arlene’s and Don’s ‘little house’ just a few blocks from the Mission San Juan Bautista.
On the Thursday, Tom picked me up from work and we drove straight down 101 to San Juan. The thought of spending two nights in this beautiful town was intoxicating. We had no plans of how we would spend our time but that did not seem to matter. Something would turn up.
After we had settled in to the house on 5th Street, we took a walk around town, which is always an adventure. The usual bands of roaming roosters and hens fascinated us. We could hear them calling every so often and spotted them all over the place. Our quest was to find somewhere to eat tonight. As we wanted to try something different, we roamed a little further afield than the main shopping area on 3rd Street.
We found the Fault Line Restaurant tucked away at the end of Franklin, which is a no outlet road. It was closed and we could not see any menu
A San Juan Bautista rooster and his hens crossing the road. Now why you ask
outside. We didn’t even know if it would be open later on. As we stood outside pondering, the front door opened and a lady stepped outside. She asked if she could help, so we asked what sort of food was served. She told us it was mostly European and mentioned a few of the dishes. She used only fresh, organic ingredients and the salmon was caught wild and not farm raised. It sounded our sort of place and we asked if we could book for tonight. Unfortunately that was not possible and we were disappointed. “how about tomorrow?’ Tom asked. Yes there was room. She told us what there would be on the menu and we ordered there and then. We gave our name, thank her and walked away but looking forward to our meal on Friday.
We carried on walking down the old El Camino Real, which is just a footpath here. People were working in the nearby fields in the San Juan Valley. It was a beautiful, peaceful view. Along the way were lots of blackberry bushes but the season is now over. Only the trampled vegetation around them and the last desiccated fruit hanging on the prickly branches remained.
When we reached the Mission we walked up the steps and wandered around the rose garden and the Plaza. At this time on a Thursday evening, very few visitors were around. It was a warm, balmy evening so we sat in the shade of a tree and enjoyed the moment.
But we had to find somewhere to eat. We discovered a restaurant on 3rd Street called Casa Maria which we had not eaten in before. Peeping through the windows it look an interesting place but were was no sign of life. A lot of shops only open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays so maybe the Casa Maria is one of those.
On 4th Street we found the Basque Restaurant. Now this is something different for us. I have never eaten Basque food so now is the time to try it. We were greeted by a charming man who said they served the best food in San Juan. A couple of friendly women at a table near the door told us the lamb shank was excellent, though she whispered the potato tart with onions and eggs was a bit bland. We sat in one of the window seats and enjoyed the view over 4th Street and the occasional chicken wandering by. For our first course we had calamari sauteed a garlic and tomato sauce. Now I’m not that fond of calamari – too chewy for me – but the sauce was delicious. We both ordered the lamb shank for the main course. While we waited we sampled the wonderful warm bread and a tasty salad sprinkled with feta cheese . The lamb shank, which was crisp on the outside and succulent inside, was served with mashed potato. To drink Tom had the house red – a Burgundy from Sonoma Valley – and he said it was very drinkable. We walked home feeling replete and satisfied.
Part 2 to follow……
November 28 2010 01:34 pm | Special Places
