Henri's Cafe

Gary:                Ok, so daylight savings time has arrived, which of course put me an hour behind on top of my usual molasses pace; arriving in Fillmore at 10am.  This week, we were only able to do our Breakfast for Bikers ride on Sunday because of my union obligation on Saturday. The next time that comes up, I’m going to Fillmore on Saturday night so I get to sleep without the stress of getting my slow ass moving in the morning.

For the first time… and I mean the first time, Hope gave me a choice of a couple of places and to my utter surprise, we actually went to the place I chose… what is the world coming to? It was Henri’s Café in Oxnard at the intersection of Oxnard Blvd, Saviers Road, and Wooley Road. I informed Hope that on my way to Fillmore, I saw a lot of cops on Hwy 126 and suggested we take it easy. Surprise, surprise--It went in one ear and out the other. She decided to ride faster than everyone else on the damn rode and I had to play catch-up. Fortunately we didn’t get pulled over and had we, with my luck, I would have gotten the ticket and she would have talked her way out of it.

Hope:               Yea, o.k. I admit it…I usually give Gary a couple of choices but in the end, I make the decision as to where we’re going despite what he’s decided. A bit controlling, maybe…lol…

I woke up this morning with a smashing headache for reasons unknown, but was able to get a lot accomplished and by the time Gary pulled up, I was dressed and my bike was ready to go. Little did he realize, I also wiped my bike down, a real rarity for me. We hopped on the bikes and jammed down the 126, despite his warning of seeing several police cars looking for financial victims! What can I say???..I like to ride it like I stole it!!! We turned off at Wells Road and headed to Vineyard where we took a right and crossed over the 101, turning left onto Oxnard Boulevard. Being on bikes, parking wasn’t a problem although it was obvious this place was pretty busy this morning.

Gary:                We go inside and there are plenty of customers, but this place has a counter so we sit right in front of the grill, marveling at the speed and efficiency of the two cooks. I order, guess what? Your right, corned beef hash and eggs with country potatoes. I also added a side of hot links.  The eggs were over-cooked and the homemade hash was just ok. The chef did make me new eggs and they came out perfect this time. The potatoes were fresh but needed to be cooked more and they needed help in the spice area. The sourdough toast was store bought and the jam was Smucker’s. The links were tasty though and they use real butter and fresh local eggs. The service is ok but could be better. The coffee is good and when asked, they did refill.

Hope:               I had a hard time deciding what to order but after staring at the grill and the amazing chefs for a few minutes, I decided on a ham, onion, and jalapeno omelet with home fries. Unlike most places that prepare omelets with the tasty ingredients in the middle, this place scrambles them in with the eggs and cooks them flat and then folds them into an omelet before serving on the plate. They also use fresh eggs that are cracked individually for each order and not mixed with milk or cream. The potatoes were previously baked but weren’t anything to write home about, as they had no onions, peppers, or even salt or pepper. They were pretty bland and not at all crispy. I also ordered a side of country gravy that was thick and creamy with chunks of sausage. 

Gary:                All in all, it was an o.k. breakfast with some bright spots. There prices are reasonable and there is ample parking. The ride there can be great from anywhere you live. Henri's is a stone's throw from PCH, Channel Islands, or Ventura. 

Hope:               I agree with Gary on the food—it was ok, but nothing special. For me, the highlight was watching these two amazing chefs working in such close proximity to each other that it looked like a symphony. When Gary realized his eggs were over-cooked, we didn’t bother to wait to flag down a waitress. We just told one of the cooks the eggs were over-cooked and within minutes, Gary had three perfectly-cooked over-easy eggs on his plate. The hash was a big disappointment for me, as it was virtually tasteless. Mind you, I’m comparing it to the outstanding hash we’ve have had at Café 126, Allison’s Country Café, and Pete’s Breakfast House, which pretty much sets the bar for corned beef hash.

Normally after we eat breakfast, we are FULL, but not this time. Neither of us finished all the food on our plates as it wouldn't have been worth the discomfort! Would I go back? Probably not. The best part of the day was heading to Ventura and enjoying some dark chocolate and raspberry sorbetto at Palermo's and enjoying the beautiful music of a sidewalk performer and of course, the fact that daylight savings time gave us an extra hour of daylight......

Henri’s Cafe                                                                                                                                               1060 South Oxnard Boulevard                                                                             Oxnard, CA 93030                                                                                                                    805.486.2303

Pete's Breakfast House, Part 2

Hope: Last Saturday, we visited a new restaurant, The Worker Bee Cafe, so on Sunday, Gary and I decided to return to a favorite, Pete's Breakfast House. Gary spent the night at my place which made it much easier to get ready and take off at a decent hour. We again chose to ride through the two-lane back roads that offer amazing views of Ventura County's finest farmland and mountains. Ventura County also seems to be the antique car capital of the world!!!


When we arrived at Pete's, we found parking right out front and Gary promptly ran inside and told Lyndsay we wanted to sit at the counter. We grab our coffee and begin harassing the locals (kidding) outside on the wonderful benches they have to accommodate their devoted customers waiting for a table.


A few minutes go by and we are seated, seemingly in front of people who have been waiting much longer than us, but hey-I'm not complaining! While studying the menu and blackboard (actually dry-erase) specials, Lyndsay (the owner) says she’s glad to see us return and mentions, “Jupiter.” My eyes lit up like someone just told me I won the lottery! How in the hell did she know anything about THAT???  I turn to Gary puzzled and confused  and Lyndsay tells us she read our blog review on her restaurant and loved it! Well, that certainly explains things! Now if you don’t know the story behind “Jupiter,’ you need to back and read the first blog on Pete’s.


Gary orders the last of the salmon special with scrambled eggs (with onion and jalapenos), home fries, and sourdough toast. I was soooo impressed with the corned beef hash during our last visit, I ordered that with scrambled eggs (with onions), home fries, and English muffin. Z, our waitress (yes, that’s her name), is running all over the place but taking very good care of us and we have the benefit of front row seats!


Our food arrives and again, everything is perfect. Pete’s also serves beans (which normally comes with the corned beef hash, as it already has potatoes in the mix) and I give them a try…and they are AWESOME. Gary’s salmon is tender and well seasoned, his eggs are fluffy and filled with onions and jalapenos and the home fries are perfectly crispy. My corned beef hash is tender and crispy and my eggs are cooked to perfection. The only problem we have is how we are going to finish everything on our plates! We continue to eat, and eat, and eat…all the while enjoying good conversation with Lyndsay.


With our stomachs full and feeling the need to ride (and lose 30 pounds), we ask for the check. Z leans over the counter and shows it to us and in the lower left hand corner, she writes, “Thank-you, Jupiter” we are now looking at each other and rolling in laughter! OUR FIRST COMPLIMENTARY MEAL!! Big thank-yous to Lyndsay and Z…you are awesome!


I don’t have anything but great things to say about this place…and am already looking forward to returning!!!

The Worker Bee Cafe

Gary:      After a long week at work, I was certainly ready for this weekend. I actually got up at a reasonable time, made some coffee, was in the bathroom getting ready when the phone starting ringing, and ringing. I got to the phone and the messages were from Hope. It seems she was ready, been gardening, feeding animals and again waiting for me and I thought I was doing well. So I get my shit together, pack a bag, decide to ride the Dyna and got my ass on the bike. I arrive in Fillmore at 9:45am and guess who is in her pajamas? Yep, your right, Hope is. Ha, ha, I got her but it is no biggy, because I am never in a rush when I am not working and she got ready in just a few minutes. She is totally not your typical chick.

Since I wanted to get to Fillmore fast this morning I just took the 5 north to the 126 west.

Hope:      My first call to Gary was at about 8:20 am, the second at 8:30 am. Damn it—it was already beautiful outside and I wanted to ride. I had already spent close to two hours doing yard work and I wanted to get on the bike and go. Knowing how slow he is in the morning and that he still had to take a shower, get dressed, and ride to Heritage Valley, I continued weeding the garden and was content to do so in my jammies. I guess I lost track of time because at 9:45, he pulled into my driveway and I stood on my porch still in my jammies! Yikes! Luckily, it was only about 15 minutes before I was dressed and out of the house and ready to roll.

Gary:      After gassing up and cursing at the current prices of fuel, we headed west on the 126 and it led us onto the 101 north. After several miles of magnificent ocean views, we exited at the 150 in Carpinteria, turned left and followed the service road into town. We took a left onto Linden Avenue and parked the bikes.

Hope:      I had been to ‘The Worker Bee’ years ago, but had forgotten what a tiny place it was. You enter through a screen door that opens into a tiny dining area filled with tables and chairs. The first thing you notice is how small and quaint the place is and all the walls are decorated like my grandmother’s house. Gary and I headed to the counter, which was practically empty and ordered tea for me and coffee for him while we started studying the menu.

Gary:      This is a pretty nice little place owned by Oscar & Jamie Beaulieu; two very cool people who take real pride in their establishment. It is decorated with all sorts of stuff that would be in your grandmother’s house. Rob, the counter guy, was moving a mile a minute between refilling coffee/tea, bringing food to customers, and keeping everything running smoothly.

I had something different today, rib eye steak and eggs with country potatoes, biscuit and coffee. The service was very good and the food was just as good.  Everything was cooked exactly how I asked for it. To me this gives 'The Worker Bee' extra points. The steak was a good cut of beef and the country potatoes were very tasty but a bit too salty for me. Like a dummy, I added salt before I tasted them so maybe they would have been fine.

Hope:      I ordered chicken fried steak, eggs scrambled with onions, home fries (Gary calls ‘em country potatoes), and an English muffin. While giving my order, they asked me if I wanted my eggs scrambled easy, medium, or hard…damn! This place really knows how to cater to their customers!! In about 10 minutes, our food arrived and looking down at my plate, I realized I had a LOT on my plate. No worries—nothing goes to waste with Gary around! 

The chicken fried steak was tender on the inside and crispy on the outside and the eggs were cooked to perfection. The home fries were a bit salty for my taste, but they were crispy and flavorful and delish none-the-less.  

Gary:     What can I say? I'm Italian and when I eat, I always hear my mother's voice in my head, "Gaary--It’s a sin to waste food." Now, you also have to remember that my ‘mudda’ is THE typical Italian mother who is 5’ tall, and 5’ round. Maybe I better start sinning a little before I am 5’ round!!

Anyway, the owner, Oscar, who is also the cook, comes out of the kitchen to check on his customers, how the food is, are you cool with everything. How many cooks/owners do that? All in all this was a great day, the weather was so bitchin', and so was the food and the riding (especially the ride back). Let’s face it--It doesn't get any better than that.

The Worker Bee Cafe                                                             973 Linden Avenue                                                                 Carpinteria, CA                                                                  805.745.1828