Allison's Country Cafe

Gary       Today’s ride took us to the city of Ventura. It was a beautiful morning that got off to a late start because I am slower than molasses in the morning. Hope is very patient with me, thank God. One thing about us that we totally share is our passion and love of riding Harley Davidson Motorcycles. As you probably noticed,  she rides her own Road King; no getting on the bitch seat for her. I probably would wind up there before her but that story is for another day. 

The other thing is food, not just everyday food; but great food. Just to give you some personal insight, Hope is a tremendous cook. She is a hard case when it comes to finding good food because of that. Me, I just love good food and a good portion of it. We both enjoy the adventure of finding that little cool spot with atmosphere, good service, good coffee, and a well prepared breakfast. Today we will start with “Allison’s Country Café”.                                       

                               

I live in Northridge, which Hope refers to it as civilization, so I took the 118 Freeway to Moorpark and the 23 through Grimes Canyon to Fillmore. It’s a really cool ride through the canyon which is filled with orange and lemon orchards along the route. When they are in bloom the smells are outstanding. What a great way to start the day. Hope already lives in the middle of farmland, so we met in Fillmore and we headed down the 126 toward Ventura. We found ourselves alone on a quiet 2-lane road lined with avocado and orange trees and the amazing fragrance of orange blossoms.

Hope      One of the reasons I moved to the farm (as I like to call it), was to return to simplicity. I don’t like traffic, congestion, or strip malls on every corner. I like nature and interacting with people. I also live to ride wonderful back roads that don’t reflect signs of civilization. Along those same lines, I shy away from eating at corporate restaurants…Denny’s, IHOP, Carrows, etc. I want to find those mom & pop restaurants that make you feel like you can leave your coffee cup there and stop by anytime for a refill. As Gary said, I am pretty good in the kitchen, so when I go out to eat, I want something I don’t or won’t make.  And let's face it...I want to be waited on and not have to do the dishes!

Gary       Right from pulling up at the place, we saw a line to get in. That’s usually a good sign but not fool-proof. The parking here is a little bit of a challenge because you have to find a spot on the street, but hey, we’re bikers, we always find a spot. Upon walking in to put our names on the list, we noticed how cool the inside was. The people who work there were immediately friendly and welcoming and I can’t tell you how important that is to us.

Hope      I like people with personality. If I walk into an establishment and am ignored, given the cold shoulder, or come in contact with someone who acts like they just lost their best friend, then I would prefer to turn around and go elsewhere. Walking into Allison’s was like coming to grandma’s house, just with a whole lot of other people! We were greeted and our names added to the list. Luckily for us, none of the other people on the list wanted to sit at the counter, so within 5 minutes, we had a front-row seat and lots of attention from the waitresses.

Gary       I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur when it comes to corned beef hash. It is one of my favorite breakfast foods and I have tried it all over the country. I am picky about the quality, how it is made and what they use in it. I do not eat the shit that comes out of a can!! Allison’s corned beef hash is made from scratch and I have to say, it is delicious. They use fresh corned beef and their own mixture of herbs, spices and vegetables. I am also a bit of a fanatic when it comes to how my eggs are cooked. When I say “over easy,” that is exactly what I mean. So many places don’t get that. Anyway, Allison’s cooked them perfectly, along with the home fried potatoes, the delicious sourdough bread and great coffee; the meal was just over the top.  I will let Hope tell you about the homemade biscuits and raspberry preserves.

Hope      I made the big mistake of forgetting my reading glasses, so I was limited in what I could actually see on the menu, so I settled for an avocado and cheese omelet, home fried potatoes, and English muffin with a side of gravy and fresh fruit.  I’m not much of a biscuit person which is why I prefer an English muffin with my country gravy. During our meal, Sally (one of the owners) must have overheard us talking about that and brought over a biscuit for us to try. Wow!  Big points for that one!!  Seriously--how many restaurants bring over food for you to try?? O.K…so I tear off a piece of the biscuit and taste. This is not your typical biscuit..it wasn’t heavy and dense. In fact, it was more like a cross between a fluffy biscuit and a dinner roll; it was light and slightly sweet... and I loved it!! Not only are their biscuits homemade (they are not drop biscuits but rather, made with yeast and allowed to rise), but they also make their own raspberry preserves (although a better description would be crushed raspberries in a jar). At that point, I had a hard time figuring out if I wanted country gravy or raspberry preserves on the remainder of my biscuit!

The fruit plate consisted of fresh melon (cantaloupe and watermelon), grapes, bananas and blackberries. The omelet was fluffy with two kinds of cheese and plenty of avocado. The potatoes were perfectly seasoned and cispy. I'm primarily a tea drinker, but decided to have coffee...so you know it was good!!

Our coffee cups were always full (they also leave a carafe of coffee on the table for you), there was no shortage of staff to make sure everything was perfect, and the food was really, really good. And I already know what I’m ordering next time…biscuits and gravy topped with crumbled sausage and bacon!!!

All in all, Allison’s gets a *10*…between the good coffee, unbelievable food, and great service. If you ride over, tell Sally we sent ya’… and enjoy!!

Allison’s Country Café

3429 Telegraph Road
Ventura, CA 93003-3314
(805) 644-9072