Gary The previous night’s rain produced a spectacular day of riding. The sky was deep blue, the crops were vivid green, and the mountains proudly displayed their snow-covered peaks. Hope picked a scenic route that provided all of these wonderful displays of nature. And yes it was damn cold…but again, I have a windshield, heated grips, a faring, and lots of extra shit on the bike to keep an old man like me warm.
Hope We decided to return to a local place we had eaten at numerous times before, Café 126. From Fillmore, it’s a very short ride to the west and we opted to take the 126 to the 150 and head north a few blocks. We stopped at the legendary statue of two motorcyclists (across the street from the historic Santa Paula train station) and learned the story behind the building of this very cool monument. We continued west on Santa Barbara Street and hung a right onto Cummings. As soon as we turned, the sweet smell of onions filled our senses. If we weren’t hungry before, then we certainly were now!! A little further on Cummings, we made a left onto Foothill Road and admired the beauty of the multi-colored rows of lettuces growing on the side of the road. When we got to Wells Road, we hung a left and then turned into the Chase parking lot; where Café 126 sits just on the other side.
Hope We decided to return to a local place we had eaten at numerous times before, Café 126. From Fillmore, it’s a very short ride to the west and we opted to take the 126 to the 150 and head north a few blocks. We stopped at the legendary statue of two motorcyclists (across the street from the historic Santa Paula train station) and learned the story behind the building of this very cool monument. We continued west on Santa Barbara Street and hung a right onto Cummings. As soon as we turned, the sweet smell of onions filled our senses. If we weren’t hungry before, then we certainly were now!! A little further on Cummings, we made a left onto Foothill Road and admired the beauty of the multi-colored rows of lettuces growing on the side of the road. When we got to Wells Road, we hung a left and then turned into the Chase parking lot; where Café 126 sits just on the other side.
Gary Café 126 is one of those places that you were certainly miss if you stay on the 126 and quite honestly, I’m glad. It’s a small place, probably dating back to the 1940s or so. They have a counter that seats about 8, some booths, a few tables, and limited outdoor seating. In the past, the staff has always been awesome (including bringing us extra portions because I’m such a p-i-g when it comes to corned beef hash) and today was no exception. Melody helped us set up a table outside and within minutes, Summer brought us menus and fresh coffee.
We have been to Café 126 so many times that we could probably recite their menu from memory, but we were determined to order new things (somewhat so) and get a real feel for their comfort food. I got adventurous and ordered honey and wheat pancakes, scrambled eggs with onions and jalapenos, and, you guess it…corned beef hash. Much to my complete surprise, Hope brought along a generous portion of her homemade strawberry preserves, since Café 126 only offers Smucker’s.
Hope I went for the bacon and cheese omelet, home fries, and English muffin and of course, county gravy. The food was promptly delivered and it covered the entire table, leaving only room for our coffee cups and my camera. I had made homemade strawberry preserves the previous evening and watched Gary cover his pancakes with it and then proceed to inhale almost everything in front of him. I tried the corned beef hash and it was truly excellent. It was tender and moist, crispy, and seasoned to perfection. My omelet was fluffy and oozing with cheese with an ample amount of bacon. The potatoes were tender and flavorful and the gravy was thick with chunks of sausage and bacon throughout.
Gary Summer and Melody checked on us regularly and the meal was thoroughly enjoyable. While we digested the meal, we spoke with other patrons about our riding and choice of motorcycles and Hope invited a young girl to sit on her motorcycle. Her mother, not knowing we had invited her to do so, ran over with a look of hysteria on her face and yelled, “What are you doing?” “You can’t do that.” When she rounded the corner and saw us, we assured her it was alright. We took the same scenic drive back to Fillmore, stopping to take few pictures and riding back toward the snow-capped mountains….
Café 126 gets a 10!
Café 126 11033 Citrus Drive Ventura, CA 93004
805.647.2619
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