The Longhouse Restaurant in Gilroy
We were surprised that there were no breakfast places in Morgan Hill. I’m sure there are some, but either they were not open or they are on back streets.
The Longhouse is not quite in downtown Gilroy but right on Monterey Street. It looks as though it has been around for a few years. There were quite a few vehicles outside, mostly trucks and one old Dodge Charger.
Inside it is big and dimly lit. On the left hand side it was full of customers. A server told us to sit where we liked so we found a table on the right hand side, next to the window. We were the only people in that section. At the end, there was a partly opened door to another section. Being curious, we peeped through. It was a large room with a bar and smelt of stale beer. We took a guess that the place must really rock at night.
The menu is large – they open for breakfast, lunch and dinner – but the breakfast section is not very extensive. Oatmeal was there at $4.25. I did not hold out any hope that it would be steel cut oats as this is not the sort of place which would serve it. I asked the server if it was cooked in the microwave and she said the cook made a fresh batch every time. Umm – sounds as though at best it is quick cook oats but as there was not anything else I fancied on the menu, I went ahead and ordered it. Tom ordered chorizo and eggs with hash browns and served with corn tortillas ($7.95).
It won’t take me long to describe the decor as there was not one picture, poster, photo or any form of knick knacks anywhere. There were lots of fake potted green plants on the dividers between rows of booths and hanging from the ceiling. A few bottles of wine were displayed as well. The only break in the monotony was a vase of Calla lilies. I could not see from where I sat whether they were real or not but will give them the benefit of the doubt because they are in season at the moment.
When the food arrived I was disappointed with the presentation. OK, there was no garnish on our plates, which is not unusual, but it was more than that. My oatmeal was in a large shallow white bowl on a white plate and it looked as though it had been sloppped in the plate. On a separate plate were small plastic containers with butter and brown sugar, a small stainless steel jug without a handle containing milk and a larger plastic container with chopped up prices of banana. Tom’s chorizo and eggs also looked messy.
My oatmeal was very runny but at least it was hot. Tom said the Chorizo was plain but OK and he had had better tortillas.
The restroom was better than expected. It was large, bright and clean but once again no pictures or any sort of decoration at all.
Our verdict, it can be summed up in one word – bland. Doubt whether we would ever come again.
The Longhouse Restaurant
8195 Monterey Street
Gilroy, CA 95020
May 05 2010 | Breakfast Log | 2 Comments »
Lovely spring day outside of Gilroy
We have explored wine areas in distant parts of California but there are some much nearer to home. Today we took the short ride to Gilroy, first having breakfast at OD’s Kitchen in the center of town.
Before we left home we made a list of the wineries which were a bit off the beaten track. After breakfast we drove north on Monterey Highway, turning left onto Day Road. Soon we were out in the country heading for the hills. It was a nice sunny day and we passed large houses, small ranches and vineyards. This is a favorite route for cyclists. Yellow and pink blossom was everywhere and the grass was green. Spring has arrived.
We stopped along the way to take photos. It was quiet and peaceful, with cattle grazing nearly and the odd cyclist whizzed past. To both and left and right were small rounded hills – on the one side they were almost bare of everything except grass and on the other they were covered with trees. One huge tree dominated the road ahead.
Our first stop was Kirigin Cellars on Watsonville Road because it opened at 10. We drove up the short drive way, following the signs for the Tasting Room. The car park is hemmed in by large, slightly shabby buildings and there were no other cars around. The tasting room is very unusual. It doesn’t look very big on the outside and the front is covered entirely with greenery. The entrance is through a huge wine vat. Inside was a lady who made us very welcome. She chatted as she finished setting everything up and explained that all the buildings are historic and they appear run down because they are not allowed to do much to them. In the course of conversation, as she was telling us about the different wines, mention of made of the fact that Kirigin Cellars also sell vinegar. I was very surprised to hear that.
We started off tasting two white wines, followed by six reds. While we were there a couple and their two children came specially to buy a case of
Kirigin Cellars
vinegar. I asked what was so special about the vinegar and he waxed lyrical for several minutes on how wonderful the vinegar was. We bought two bottles of red wine – a 2005 Syrah a 2005 Zinfandel and they were both reasonably priced. The server asked if we had ever tried their ‘Kissing Wine’ and we had to admit we had never heard of it. It is a port style dessert wine called Vino de Mocca. We tried some and it tasted of chocolate and was delicious. I asked why it was called that and was told that the original owner started making it many years ago and it gained the reputation for being responsible for a lot of babies to be born nine months after drinking this wine.
Our next stop of Sarah’s Vineyard which was a short drive away on Highway 152 – Hecker Pass which opened at 11 am. It was in a beautiful setting and already there were a couple of other cars there. Everything looked very neat and had obviously been refurbished. The tasting room was new and a bit up market for the area. We didn’t stay long at all when we noticed that there was a charge of $5 each to taste the wine. We made a quick exit.
The last winery we wanted to visit was Martin Ranch Winery on Redwood Retreat Road. It opened at 12 and we were way too early. We passed Martin Ranch Winery and carried on to the end of the road. We knew it was a dead end road but we decided to see what was at the end. It turned out to be another small winery which is only open one weekend a month. We turned round and drove back down the road, turning right onto Mt Madonna Road. According to the map, the road goes into Watsonville and one of the turnings leads to Mt Madonna County Park and another is Summit Road, which eventually joins up with Highway 17. Soon the road became narrow then it turned into a track and got even narrower. We passed through a redwood forest and we began to wonder how far we would be able to go before the road ran out. On one side there was a hillside and on the other a steep drop. We decided to turn back but there were no stopping places and the road was not really wide enough to turn around in but Tom managed to to it without going over the edge (I kept my eyes closed). Two minutes later a truck passed us so the road obviously does lead to somewhere.
We arrived at Martin Ranch Winery just a few minutes after 12. There was a signboard outside saying the Crushpad was open. A short drive brought us to a car park and once again we were the first customers of the day. As we got out of the car somebody waved and called out a welcome. We sauntered over to the crushpad but stopped to admire the vineyard and the view. While we stood there enjoying what we were looking at, a man came over to talk to us. He introduced himself as Dan Martin, the owner of the winery. He spoke to us for fifteen minutes explaining the fermentation process and how he produces the wine. It was all very interesting. His wife. Therese, is also a winemaker but uses a completely different process. They produce and sell their wine under two labels – J.D. Hurley and Therese Vineyards.
Hoping to catch the big one at Martin Ranch Winery
Today they are holding a Barrel Tasting event. To sample the wine there was a charge of $10 per glass. The price also included food. We just bought one glass between us. The wine was ready to sample so we got to it. I sampled the Sauvignon Blanc and it was great. I wandered off to get a bite to eat. Snacks were on offer at all the tables and on a separate table was a cheese board. I just can’t resist cheese so I tried a little bit of each one on offer. Everybody was very friendly and I even got to chat with Therese. She told me all about the wine club and the events which are held during the year. Every summer they hold a fishing derby and she pointed out to me a young boy who was last year’s winner. Towards the end of summer they host a BBQ for the members of the wine club. She also told me to make sure I used the restroom because the wall was covered with photos of their different events over the years. Sometimes she said that people take so much time looking at the photos a long line forms outside waiting to get in.
When I found Tom again he was in the middle of buying six bottles of wine, including a bottle of the Sauvignon Blanc. He then went on the barrel tasting group tour. I decided to take a walk around. The first stop was at the vegetable garden. Therese told me that it was an organic garden and everything growing there was for members of the wine club to help themselves to. It is mostly tended by one of the members. Further on I came across the lake. It was very quiet and peaceful up there. At the other end, the young fisherman, who had been pointed out to me, was fishing with his father and younger brother. I left them in peace.
We had a great time today at the two wineries and have a few bottles of wine to keep us going for a while. It is nice to know that we have some very good wineries within easy distance of home and we will be back.
April 09 2010 | Special Places | No Comments »
A late start today. We plan to hit some wineries around Gilroy and they don’t open until later in the morning.
OD's Kitchen in downtown Gilroy
OD’s is in central Gilroy. According to another review, this place gets crowded. We were expecting to have difficulty parking and to wait for a table. Neither happened. OD’s has it’s own car park across the road and there were several spots empty. There is also parking available right outside the cafe.
From the outside the place looked full with people waiting inside but we got a table straight away. The place was buzzing with lively chatter and there were lots of servers bustling around. Our table was a two seater right next to an unused front door – at least we hoped it was unused. The letterbox, which I found unusual as I have never seen one in a door over here, was blocked by a dish cloth. Very artistic!
Our very nice server handed us the menus and poured coffee for Tom. There was oatmeal listed on the menu but only available on weekdays. We both ordered the Eggs Benedict – $6.95.
The main theme of the decor was horses from the pictures and sculptures on the walls to the logo on the servers; T-shirts. One painting on wood caught my eye because it did not feature horses. It was of four fishes, ranging in size from the very large to the very small. The three bigger fishes have their mouths open. The caption read – ‘There is no such thing as a free lunch’.
Our food took a little time to come but we weren’t complaining as they were very busy. When we ordered Tom asked for the has browns to be extra crispy and they were. The server even came back to check that they were OK.
Tom had one comment about the silverware – the fork tasted metallic and I had to agree with him.
The restroom was large but not impressive. There was no hot water at all and there was only a big roll of kitchen paper to dry your hands on. The only decoration was a very dusty artificial green plant in a wicker basket on top of a cupboard.
Our conclusion was that the food was OK but were not very impressed with the whole package. Doubt whether we would pay another visit.
OD’s Kitchen
28 Martin St
Gilroy, CA 95020
April 04 2010 | Breakfast Log | 1 Comment »
